Izakaya 102: Some of Our Recommendations for Good Sake, Good Food, and Good Company

The P4 of Sake actually brought me into stake. Back in 1989, this place was actually in Dinsa on the main drag. The first day was kind of soy sauce, it was miso. To the point where it's actually changed my life, New Year's Day 1989. Not just Sake as a beverage but all the culture and history of it. Welcome back and thank you for tuning in to another episode of Sake on Air, the world's first podcast dedicated to expanding the dialect surrounding Japan's iconic beverages, Sake, Shochu and of course Elmari. Our show is made possible with the support of the Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association. Usually we record from Toro and Omo but today we are on Zoom. My name is Frank Walter and I am joined by Christopher Hughes, Hey Chris. Hey, hey. And Cindy Visig. Hey Cindy. Hello. Today we are going to be talking about Izakaya but unlike our Izakaya 101 episode, this is going to be a bit more of our personal recommendations across Japan with particular focus in Tokyo and Kyoto because I know a lot of people like to go there. So Chris, you're our Tokyo man Cindy, you're our Kyoto lady and I'm going to take up the rest of Japan with all my weird little places that I've found that I like a lot on my various business trips. So let's go straight ahead. Okay, so we're starting in Tokyo. Yeah. Okay, well, chances are you're going to come to Tokyo if you come to Japan, I think it's just the capital of cool and so I am going to start with my local and it's the Izakaya which I most want people to go to if they come to Japan because I have a personal connection with the Izakaya. I want to see them survive and succeed and they're doing a lot of hard work to try and make themselves known to as many people from overseas as they can. I think they've got probably like thousands of reviews on their trip advisor, Google maps and it's all basically, a lot of it is through Word of Mouth and also the incredible service that they provide which is second to none. I've never. Chris, Chris, where is this place called? I know, can let me big it up a little bit. Let me make it up a little bit first. I'm preparing the lead man. Okay, okay. All right, enough at the trailer, you know, there's a lot of things these days, right? So this place is called Gashuik and it is located in Oeno. Oeno is definitely a hub in Tokyo that I think you will most likely travel through on your way. If you come in through Narita Airport, you are most likely to go through Oeno. Haneda not so much. And Oeno is actually a very popular place to stay as well because the hotels are. We should say were slightly on the cheaper side, I think maybe not some of these days. But it's also a really cool place to hang out because it is kind of a mix of downtown and uptown Tokyo. It's often referred to as the gateway to Tokyo. And Oeno, of course, is famous for its park where you can see the lovely cherry blossoms. But yeah, Gashuik is my local. I live in Oeno, very close to Oeno. And this place opened just before the pandemic and as I do actually provide special experiences for tourists at this venue because they are so easy to work with. Like I said, the service that they're providing is second to none. Even if you don't take my experience, you still get this incredible introduction to Sakai. You don't pay anything extra for it. The owner is a massive lover of Sakai. It's basically a father and son run is a kaya and the father is the one that comes out. And in his best English as he possibly can, which is improving, he basically gives you this little introduction to Sakai. And the great thing about this place is that they are dedicated to Sakai. They have one of the most extensive menus. I think in Tokyo and they're constantly rotating the Sakai, keeping it fresh, introducing new breweries. They do actually run meet the brewery events. So if you're in Tokyo at a particular time and you can time it right, you might actually be able to join one of these meet the brewer events where you can actually basically taste an entire brewery's lineup and speak to ask questions to often the president comes along or the Toji or one of the main salespeople. And yeah, Gashui, if you're looking for a place you're in Tokyo and you don't know where to go, you just want to try Sakai. You've always wanted to discover Sakai. You want to explore Sakai as much as possible. I can't think of a better place to check out in Tokyo than Gashui. A nice second that. Cindy is a regular there as well when she's in Tokyo, right? Because I always stay in Wino because it is such a great hope to kind of venture out and do stuff. So, meet increase have occasionally Sakai and Diane in Gashui. So yeah, check this place out. Sorry Frank. I was going to suggest can I make an off the wall comparison? Sure. So Dave and Miwa in Hachioji with Sakai, those are kitchen, which is a bit harder to get to right from Tokyo. It's far less central, but Dave and Miwa were on the show. They talked about like expressing Sakai in their own language and stuff like that. I feel like Gashui and Sakai do have a kitchen. Well different have a very similar vibe. Oh yeah. What is kind of like homey food. And then they've got this guy who just wants you to drink and like Sakai a lot. Yeah. It is willing to like be like, Hey, I've got this special one. You got to go try it. You got to try this guys. I feel like there's a lot that the vibe is very similar. So it's kind of like the two points of these very homey Sakai lover spots maybe in Tokyo. I completely agree. And the other thing I would point out is that one of the main draws of this place, I think is that it's a very modern looking Isakaya. It's not the traditional wooden grungy, smoky kind of quite scary place. And this one of the concepts behind Gashui was developing was delivering a more elegant and modern experience for people who perhaps normally wouldn't go to drink at an Isakaya. Is there a place like that in Kyoto, Cindy? Kind of the same sort of vibe. Well, you know, I think Kyoto is interesting because it's very different to the vibe that you have in Tokyo. I think there might be similar places. I have one on top of my mind that might go in a similar direction because I think the owner is very much in the same spirit as Kakosan. It's like Jam Plus Sakai Bar. Jam Plus Sakai Bar? Yes. Like Jam, like spread Jam on toast, do you have? Is that Jam? It's felt like that jam, but is it that we don't know? Is it maybe musical jam? Like jam? No, the thing is, I think it comes from, they have a hostel that's part of it. So the Grand Floor entrance is basically the Sakai Bar and then upstairs they have rooms that people can book and stay at. So it's as is younger than a vibe. So what you've been saying there earlier, Chris, like I think Gashui is also that style right? It's a bit younger style, it's a bit more modern. It still has an amazing Sakai selection and the guys at Jam, they're pretty much the same. They don't do brewers, evenings, they wouldn't have a lot of these, but they somehow get their hands on a lot of unique things. So I've been there recently and I was there with the guy from a brewery and that person brought his Sakai and he was like here, what a try my Sakai and then the guys from Jam were like, "Oh, you can have a steeze, let's find something interesting for you." And then they were rummaging through their fritches and they brought a bottle of rigen from Berlin, which the guys gave them as a gift and then we were able to drink that. So it was really, really great. So I think. Sounds awesome. I want to chat this place out, it sounds cool. Yeah. It's very cool, and I think that might be the closest to what you would say. Is it as approachable, do you think, as a musician? It is, because it is also the accommodation, right? And they do not fluently speak English, but they do speak a couple of languages a little bit and because they used to deal also with foreigners, it's a really nice place to come in and be like, "Okay, you know, they are excited to see you because that's their business, right? They already have an accommodation, they're excited to have you and introduce Sakai." And they have great little foods as well. Sounds very similar. Yeah, I really want to chat this place out. Sounds cool. Yeah, I would say, for like other parts of the country that I've been to. I mean, this kind of place is like all over, but also you kind of have to find it on your own. For Shochu, there's a place very similar called Shochu Bar Tanigashima, which is on the island of Tanigashima. So no one is going there. But it's a guy and his wife and they do like home-style food and he has just a bunch of Shochu's and is just very excited to be like, "Hey, you've never had Shochu before, try this, try this, try this, try this, try it in this way." So it's definitely like a little. I feel like you want to look maybe for a slightly modern exterior. but that's still pretty like warm and friendly and kind of not fancy looking on the inside. Hmm. I feel like that's kind of the vibe. Yeah, sounds similar-ish. I think, Frank, you're going to be our off-the-beaten path option, right? That's the idea. I might throw a few in if we get there. Yeah, I'm not going to have any off-the-beaten path, because I don't think. Because I really go off-the-beat path, I guess that's not my thing. But I know how fun it can be then. Yeah, but like, because like, if we're talking about Kagoshima, like, for Shochu, the classics, the classic Shochu bars are Roku and Ishishu, which friend of the show Maya Ali still works at. That's not the same vibe, right? Because they're way more fancy. I feel like- or fancy is the wrong word. They're more like a bar bar, unless of like, a dude kind of almost welcoming you into his converted house to drink lots of sake and eat food. Which is what the Tani Gashima one is? Which is very much the Tani Gashima one is like- is way more gashue, way more David Mewa, Sake goes with kitchen vibes. Cool. Are there any like more bar places that you would recommend in Tokyo, Chris? Let me think. Entity in Kyoto, of course. I mean, not like bar is in sort of- no, actually, actually there is one, which is definitely more like a bar. I'm not sure, I guess when people think a bar, everyone has a different sort of image about what that is. But it's not kind of like a 1960s retro, you know, jazz kind of type bar. I don't know any places like that to do sackies. They tend to be more kind of cocktails and restaurants. I think that's generally accepted, isn't it? But there's a really cool place in a part of Tokyo called Kagura-Zaka. And it's called Sakeba-Otonari. I've only actually been there once, so be quite honest. And I was actually introduced to this- well, I was rather taken to this bar by a friend of mine. It's quite a unique place. Not so much the facade. I think it's just- if I remember correctly, it's in the basement of a building that doesn't look particularly special in any way. But the insuria design is really, really, really quite unusual, quite unique, kind of more traditional looking. It looks like what I would imagine a traditional Japanese bar to look like, you know, from back in all Japan. But at the same time, it's got some modern twists to it as well. The Sake menu is absolutely amazing. And the food menu is quite unique as well. They've got things like cheese toasties on the menu, which go really well with the Sake. And I think that's actually all the order when you went there. Maybe some ham as well. A cheese toastie is grilled cheese? Yeah, well, you would call it grilled cheese, but you can't call it grilled cheese. It's a cheese toastie. Come on. Cheese on toast. I'm from a British- British- British- British- British- American- Come on, the British- British- Invented Cheese on toast. Maybe question mark. Tell us in the comments. But I, like I said, I've only been once- But I left a really strong impression. And I definitely want to go back. But I honestly don't think I've been anywhere quite like this place since. So yeah, it's- It's really close to a place called Isato, which is like one of the few places you can get a Sake called Hakutaka, which is the Sake that's like given to- One of my favorite. Isai Shrine. Yeah. But Isato is like the exact opposite vibe. Because it's- It's super dark. It- You're not really supposed to talk or interact with people. You're just supposed to like eat your Chikuwa and drink your like, "Atsukang" Hakutaka in silence. And like think about- Think about the world and the- The- The Ukiyo. And then leave. But it's like- It's like almost across the street, which is kind of funny. Interesting. Yeah. It's one of these silent bars, isn't it? They- They're all the rage when they some years back like we- You're not allowed to talk. They have like- When they want to communicate, they have like signs and things that they put on. It's not- It's not that level. It's more just like- No, it's drink. The atmosphere is just not conducive to being like, "Wow, we're having a fun time!" It's much more like- I am a very shibui salary man. Yeah. And I have finished work and I'm having a little drink before I go home kind of thing. I think it has to be said as well that Kagura Zaka just in general is a great place to go Sakai Bar hopping or Sakai is a kind of hopping. There is so many. I- I wouldn't profess it so I can know every single one in Kagura Zaka. But I do know another one which Sebastian is a massive fan of and goes to quite a lot. And I'm hearing a lot more about- It's actually- It is listed on the internet and it is quite easy to find. I have yet to go myself. So I can't talk so much about it. But Sebastian is always raving about this place called Seigetsu. Yes. Quite an old Isakaya I understand. But quite a big Isakaya and I think quite welcoming to foreign visitors in general. Perhaps we can talk about that in another episode because- Yeah, I don't know. Big a trip. About it. But yeah, so that's my kind of recommendation of a sort of a more bar like bar in Tokyo. And it shout out to Christian Mario for taking me to that place. And don't think I ever would have found it otherwise. I heard it here first. What about you, Sandeera? Is there like a- Because I- I got to Kyoto every so often, but I do not expend time in Kyoto. Is there like a- A- An area of the city you could go and like do- Like a sake kind of focused bar hopping thing? Do you know I was researching a little bit last night and I was walking around and maybe sampling some sake as a preparation for- This is a good idea. Ording today. And I was actually really surprised because I think we have kind of our usual suspects of where we're going because we love the places and we know kind of what we can expect. So I think maybe the downside of living in one place is that you're not as adventurous in trying to discover as much as people might do when they're just arrived in the- Confero Beaker 2. But I was attempting this last night and I went to an area called Pontocho which is one of the five Kainagasia districts. When you think about busy in terms of Tokyo, you think everything is skyscraper and- Lots of everything I think in Kyoto everything is a little bit on a smaller scale. But Pontocho is one of these places where you have like this little maze of streets where you'd have two or three floors, four floors, there's a different restaurant, different bar on every floor and then you go into a hallway and it opens up to another hallway and you kind of just walk around and you discover restaurants in Isakaya. So as I was walking to the sake bar that I was going to, I actually found two other sake bars randomly. So I was like, oh, let me cross this until my mape here and let me save this here. So we went to the sake bar that we were intended to go to then walk back to different sake bar, five, ten minutes away. So Pontocho is actually a really great place because it has this high density in Kyoto of entertainment. I think it is kind of the entertainment district just next door where you have a nightclub and you have a lot of where young people will kind of go out. So yeah, this is definitely also available but it might not be as obvious because when we think Kyoto we think Gion and temples and shrines but there is certainly areas where you can bar hop. Although I think one thing we have to mention about Kyoto which may or may not be obvious is it is, it's not that it is unfriendly or then Tokyo or other places but I do think there's always been a little bit of mystery about certain establishments and with many or more often than not you do get to a place where you will not get in and it's not because you're foreigner it's just because they don't do first time customers. So unless you've been introduced you will never come in even if you are Japanese. I feel like I have to mention it although it's not my favorite topic but I mean we are dealing with a lot of tourists coming and with a lot of people not always understanding the culture and the etiquette of going to establishments or bars so there has been a bit of a trend of also some bars not being necessarily as welcoming to foreigners but there is still plenty who are and I think my list of bars are actually all people who love people coming from overseas so something to keep in mind. It's not to be at the downer of this episode but it is unfortunately a part of the reality if you're going out in especially Kyoto because it is a little bit more private. And just to make it clear that that means that they're turning away people not just because you're a foreign visitor they may be turning your way also just simply because you've never been to that place. before. It's something in Japanese. What's it called in Japanese? It's again, it's called a lot of years already. Yeah, which literally means like you'll get turned away if it's your first time. Someone needs to bring you as a guest and that's how you get into the place next time. So yeah, don't be offended by that. It happens in Tokyo as well. Yeah, but I think Kyoto is not Tariya's for it, right? I think it has that culture. Oh, absolutely. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Even Japanese people say people in Kyoto are unique. Yes. That's a good word. Yeah, unique. But you know, I, as listening to your bars and I mean, there is two places that I actually did think about. One, and that couldn't be more different to be honest as well. And then I guess what you said for Angus actually were true. Like, there's so many different types of bars and restaurants in Japan. You know, there is that, you sit in silence and you enjoy what's in front of you and there is this where people actually have a bit of a, you know, a good time. So I think the first bar that I would recommend for people to go is actually very close to the famous Nishiki market. So it's very downtown and it is again something that's a bit newer. Hipper, it's a stand bar. It has a young team. They do speak English, not perfect, but they can communicate. It's called Kobayashi Sakuten and they have a lot of Kyoto sake, obviously, because I think that's one of the things because we have so many breweries so close to us. Most bars Nishiki is, we'll stop Kyoto sake and then they have a couple of other things to add on. It's a fun place to go if you're before dinner or if you just finished dinner when you have one or two more drinks. They also have DJs in the weekend so you basically are in a stand bar, you can walk in, you can also be outside on tables in the alleyway and have a bit of music. It's a younger crowd. It's really more about grabbing a drink before going out or after having dinner. So a little bit different, but I like that we have these varieties. But yeah, that sounds really cool. I'm definitely going to try and get to kill to some point myself, been a long time step in and yeah, this is a standing bar, right? It is a standing bar. They do have a little private room upstairs where they sometimes do events. So I actually been to an event there with a Shuchu maker from Kagoshima and Gensake from here. But again, it was like eight people, Japanese only. I think a lot of times when they do producer stuff, it's a little bit more limited in terms of language availability. But yeah, they're young and they want to do new things and they're really excited about promoting Sakai and local beers as well. So there's not just Sakai. You can also have cut the craft beers and cut the chin. So it's a nice way to start and not intimidating because I think what I like about stand bars, you can just go and have one drink. And if you're not into it, you can move out, but you haven't had to commit. There's no commitment. Yeah, exactly. I completely agree. So then the other bar and you guys know this and I think many of our listeners also know this. It's Sakai Bar Yoramu. Oh yeah. And I do feel it has to be mentioned because it breaks I really like to go. When they especially like to go when people come visiting for the first time because it's very small. It's a nine-countre seats. Only he doesn't take reservation. You can't go with groups bigger than three people because it is a bit of an intimate experience. He wants to talk to the people and explain the Sakai. So everything he has in his fridges is curated. He knows the story of every bottle. Often he has home age them himself for I don't know how many years. I think there is stuff in there from 1999 and you can give it a try. He likes things that are more complex. He's not going to give you very bland tickets. You go in there and it's really an experience with someone who knows very well what's on his shelves. Good to know is as well. There is no price on any bottles. So if you go, what people normally do is you can give them a budget. So you can say like I have maybe like five thousand yen. That's what maybe thirty-forty dollars. And then you just sell them what you kind of like to drink and he gives you a recommendation. Often he gives you a teeny tiny sip to try and then you can decide whether you want a glass or not. So there's also no shame of saying like actually I would like something a little bit more aged and then he'd bring a different bottle, give you a little taster and you take it from there and it's really a much more intimate experience where he's very happy when you actually are interested to know more. But it is a more quiet place like there. So people are expected to be not on the rowdy or side. Yeah, don't go in there and just start shouting and like talking about how much sacking knowledge you have and that will rub him up the wrong way. And you know he's incredibly knowledgeable but he has a particular ambience that he wants to keep and a particular service that he wants to deliver. Again, don't go in there and start you know going demanding what type of sacking you want to have. Let him be the one to guide you because actually you'll have a much better experience because of it and that's the whole point of the place. It is an incredibly unique place but it is definitely a place that is worth a visit. Yes and to be honest it is busy. If you really want to go check it out, try to go there at six o'clock when he opens. Yeah, you know get the seat and get the queue drinks and then maybe move on to your second spot. But yeah, look I think when we're looking even at the Google reviews there are a little bit divided. I think people either love it or they don't. I think most people do really enjoy it because of the knowledge but it is a certain type of service and if you want to just go in and order a couple of drinks and leave, that's not your place. You know you will not enjoy yourself and yeah, I it helps if like like on this show you've got someone telling you what to expect and then I think perhaps it's a it's a more likely that you're going to have a good time. Once you understand the rules of the establishment and what to expect. Yeah, just on the expect to go into a normal bar with the menu, you know, you're literally going to meet the person and his rich and he's gonna guide you through it. Yeah, but one of the best experiences I've had with Sake was I think my time and up your arm and I've only been once but he's a great guy and a Sake Samurai as well. Yeah, a few years ago he was made a Sake Samurai. Yeah, I definitely recommend visiting there myself. Also now back in Tokyo before we go to Frank's out there, no doubt off the beaten track out there weird recommendations. As far as standing bars go, I think it doesn't get any more famous and well known than the Kuddy standing bar in Ginza. There are actually a number of Kuddy standing bars, but the one that I've been to most recently is actually on the basement floor of Ginza Station. Yes. There is one on the ground floor of the station, but I haven't been to that one, so I can't talk about that one. But the one on the basement floor is incredible. First of all, the Sake selection is second to none. If you want to discover something new, they got you covered. If you want to just drink, you know, what you're familiar with, they'll probably have that particular brand or something from that particular brewery. And also the food is quite good as well. The dishes, I mean they're only little side dishes because it is a standing bar, so it isn't designed to be a restaurant, so to speak. But the dishes that they serve are also pretty cool as well. And it has this really lovely community vibe. There will be a lot of regulars in there, but there will also be people in there that have never been there before. And everyone kind of looks after each other. The regulars will come and sort of interact with you a little bit. And it's just you're very close together. That's the other thing. Generally you're sharing one long table with other patrons and then you have another table behind you and then another table behind that one. So everyone's very close together. You can hear each other's conversations and eventually they bleed into each other. And just by the end of like maybe two hours of drinking, it turns into this incredible community vibe. And I think that's why it's so popular in Tokyo. So Frank, what can you recommend off the beaten path? Off the beaten path. Well, like there are lots of places kind of like that where it's like one individual right who's not doing it for to make the big bucks. They're doing it because they kind of want to have a relationship with all of the customers that come in. And so there's a bunch of places that I've been to that have felt very similar. But at the same time, it's like you kind of got to go explore and find those places on your own a little bit. So I was going to mention take it a slightly different direction. And I was going to talk about one of the Sasaki shusos. So in up in Miyagi Prefecture near Sendai, you have Sasaki shusosu. Shuzo 10, which was destroyed by 311, which as of recording was 13 years ago. Yeah. No, a little bit 12, 12 or 13 years ago. But they rebuilt right on the Natuari River and right next to them is this series of restaurants and like souvenir shops called Kawamachi Teris Yuriage. And so like you have the sake brewery and then you have a bunch of places where you can like get food to take out and kind of like sit along the river. I've been there a couple times with friends and it's really delightful as this kind of like there, there's selling sake to be consumed on site but it's not actually the sake brewery doing the restaurants and stuff. It's like a collaborative effort which is really quite cool. That sounds awesome. Yeah, I don't know if the sake shoes don't that well. But it's definitely another while we're speaking about brewery run is a kaias. It's not Tokyo. So I'm kind of sort of moving out of my territory. That brings us to the first territory a little bit here. But there's actually an amazing sake restaurant in Nagoya which is run by a wonderful sake brewery that I'm good friends with. I think it will be quite well known to some of our listeners as well. The is a kaia is called maru kouji maru tani. Yes. Kouji maru tani. It's called kouji maru tani because they actually have a little like a part of the building is actually being used to make kouji, do like kouji making experiences. But the restaurant itself is just you know your normal kind of restaurant with an incredible sake menu. It will of course include sake from the brewery. That brewery being Sekiyad Jouzou, one of the first breweries to sort of do the make your own sake thing. So I think that's probably why I expect them to be quite well known around the world. And the restaurant is in an old storehouse, right? Correct. Yes. In an old storehouse. And it's quite easy to find. It's in downtown Nagoya. So I mean if I remember correctly it's really close to the station. It's not as close. I mean you can walk because it's Nagoya where not in Tokyo or everything is an hour away. So I think it is about a 20-minute walk from the station which obviously in Tokyo distance is nothing. Right. Right. From Nagoya station, right? Not from like the subway station or whatever? No. It's the main station I think. Phone member Kretly because we were getting a shinkansen from the station afterwards. And that was it. I just had a night in Nagoya. Unfortunately I couldn't quite get myself to the brewery itself. So I called the brewery and they said oh you must check out a restaurant. Okay. I'm gonna do that. And I remember they had garlic bread. I mean you know I mean in Japan. I mean you know proper garlic bread as you can get it sort of in Italian restaurants or whatever in the UK is a little hard to find here in Japan. And I have to say garlic bread and sake. Actually it's a really good it's a really good match. You should try it. Yes. So that I would be making a decision. Are you are you bread deprived? We're talking about grilled cheese. We're talking about garlic bread. Come on it's the simple pleasures in life. It's the comfort food. But it's an impressive looking restaurant. So I thought that was worth a mention. No it's amazing and it's funny you're saying this because I was gonna say the same thing. We're always on the same. I was like oh I really love this. And there's another place in Nagoya that I think is really something I'd love to recommend and I was thinking about it because but we forgot to say about your arms bar is he's very strongly focused on H sake. Yes. Yeah. So like that's pretty much what he does and what he does really really well and also H. A. H. Namazake. He H. Is everything and very successfully. But there is another H sake bar and it is in Nagoya. It's called Elevash. So French word and it's run by like a young sommelier. It's it's again it's a counter style bar. It's a little bit more high end because again everything he has is already 5, 10, 20 years old but it's really special. He does again great curation of the H sake and once he knows that you're interested he gets really excited. I think I think this is in the latest issue of Danchu actually either it might not be the exact same it could be you know someone worked there and it was part of their employment history but this name I have heard. No he's really great and like he goes to a lot of the Sake festivals and tries new Sake that he wants to introduce then through his to his bar and again he's I think he might be like in his late 30s. So again a young guy with a newer concept and yeah you can go in there and just have a couple of drinks or you can let him know that you're excited about H Sake and then he will let you know a lot about where he gets things from and why things taste the way they do. Really great experience. Sounds amazing and Nagoya is I think one of my favorite places to go with Nagoya is extremely underrated in terms of bars and is a kaya culture. I was just there two weeks ago and we went randomly into a Sake bar. It's actually a Miso bar where they were specializing in Miso because Nagoya or I.G. Prefecture is also quite famous for Miso and we went there for the Miso but then we stayed for the Sake and it was it's a great night. I mean we ended up drinking with all the people in the bar at the end of it. So I was like I need to spend more time with Nagoya. Nagoya often like boasts that they have everything when it comes to like Sake they have Miso they have soy sauce they have like historically they were the place that had everything that completes the whole you know umami matchup. They often get yeah I agree with you. Nagoya often gets overlooked in pretty much everything. They often gets referred to as a boring place as well which I think is unfair. It was one of the first places I actually went to in Japan. In fact it was the first place I went to in Japan. The first place I landed in Nagoya Airport. But yeah but back in Tokyo maybe um maybe some up maybe something well this isn't a bar this isn't like a standing bar this isn't uh I guess we're going back to sort of Izakaya's in the traditional sense but also Izakaya's which maybe focus more a bit more kind of higher end on the kind of higher end higher end but not expensive and it's a little Izakaya I discovered quite by chance when I was in Ebisu which already is is a pretty famous area of Tokyo for drinking. Ebisu of course is the name of a brand of beer and it's not a coincidence. Ebisu is a massive beer drinking place they also have a lot of great Sake drinking holes. Well the place is called Shokoto. Shokoto. I think it's not that well known because I often introduced this place to people in like never heard of it never been to it but it's a lovely you've introduced this place to me. I did we went well we've been together with uh a long time ago. Our good friend Mack of Campaplanet as well and it's a cozy little Izakaya. There's not that many seats. I've never been upstairs but I do believe there is a second floor but still I don't think there's that many seats and I think they do specialize in horse meat although that's not something that I've ever ordered there and because that entire street is actually famous for serving horse meat but what I will what I think makes this place stand out above all is their Sake menu. They have a Sake from every single prefecture in Japan on the menu which is pretty incredible and then the food is quite different from what you find in other Izakais. It's not traditional Izakaya fair. It's quite creative cuisine. I would say Japanese, Washoku but you could also refer to it as fusion as well. Yeah what did you think Siddhi? You've been so remember. I do remember. I also thought they had amazing pottery and plates which added to the whole experience so when you said it's a little bit more high end I know what you're hinting at but it really didn't come with the price tag that we were expecting for what we actually got. No I love it. I was actually in Tokyo a couple months ago and I walked by it and I was like that was a great taco bar and I didn't have time to go back in. I think it's a place you want to go with company. A great you know like it's a place you want to have meal and you have amazing Sake and you spend time with friends so I need to find another opportunity to go back. You can go in there and drink alone because they have a counter so you know if you don't mind sitting at the counter I've been at the counter once by myself actually and it's nice kind of they you know they look after you at the counter you chat to the staff. The owner is very friendly. The staff are very friendly and again one of the They have like what we call in Japanese or Moteinashi, which is kind of hospitality is a very bad translation for this word, but it's a kind of an extra service that you get as part of Japanese culture. And they do something which I've not come across in any of these a kaya at the end when you when you you know you page a bill and you leave the a kaya they follow you out. And they give you a sashay of baths which include minerals from a particular famous onsen somewhere in Japan. I don't know whether they have every onsen but they have some of the famous ones like kusatsu onsen or ghetto onsen for example. I got like a Hinoki Hinoki bath salt. I'm not quite sure why I'm getting this but I'll take it you know like sure. That's very cool. It's a nice little you know added and we you were talking about the vessels Cindy and one of the cool things that they do that they do in a lot of his kaya actually is they bring the vessels on a on a tray. Yes and they they ask you to choose your own vessel. So it becomes a very personal unique experience especially if you're only going to go there once. So yeah I thoroughly recommend this place it's very reasonably priced I think you can get plenty of sake plenty of food for around six 7000 per person which is incredibly reasonable. And you know I was going to say I always love when the cups come out right the basket of cups comes out and you can make something that you like which we also lovingly call the personality test because it really shows something about the other person that you might not expect you know. I'm always very curious to see which glass or which cup someone takes and sometimes you're not expecting the combination. Sometimes they just they literally just take it around them they're not thinking about it much at all in my case but no I know what you're talking about and sometimes I think maybe even the person taking the cup doesn't realize that they're displaying some kind of giving off some kind of something about their personality. Or anywhere like that on the higher end in Kyoto I know the answer is going to be yes and probably quite difficult to choose. Do you know the answer is yes. Surprise. But to be honest I think in my list of recommendations for our listeners I haven't included any of that because I do think that's something you are more likely to find by yourself. In Kyoto whereas some of the shops that I want to introduce are places that I think are just really great experiences that you might not find or go into without someone pointing them out to you. Because there is a lot of Kaisaki meals there's a lot of high-end like itchiman like a hundred dollar bill places in Kyoto where you get the great sack of selection. Maybe not as amazing as the one there because it was literally when sake from every prefecture but we do have equivalence. I'm actually going to take you to two places that I think are awesome in Kyoto which are a little bit different than what we already talked about. They are sake shop turned sake bars. So one of them is a sano sake shop which literally has a retail space in the front and then in the back it opens up almost double the space with the tasting standing bar. And they also kind of have everything. The great part is they also collaborate with brewers so every two weeks a different brewery comes in brings their lineup so you can get these tasting flights that you can either put together yourself. If you know what you're doing you know you look at the menu you point the fridge. This is a tree sack I want for like a thousand five hundred yen or you they have these sets of three sakes where you get one brewery and you get three different sake from the same brewery. Especially because they have these brewers come in on a bi weekly rotation you almost always find something interesting that normally wouldn't make it too cute because it would not actually leave the prefecture or their brewery local shops. So I really really love it. Very approachable to have a little bit of food and people in there like to talk. It's a little bit more of that like I'm trying stuff and I'm this taste like this and this taste like this so the people next to you even if they don't speak English they will try and talk to you but what you're drinking or why do you like sake so I think it's a really nice place to go. What do you a beginner or a enthusiast because there's a little bit of something for everyone. And then you make friends and they take you to the next spot. Exactly. Is you find these places right it's like because in Tokyo because it's like the Kakuichi style right. Yes. No, Kakuichi are like the best way to make to make quick friends and get those kind of connections because the people going they want to chat they're passionate about whatever type of Kakuichi you're at. And I feel like they want to share and show show off their knowledge. And then the second place is actually almost a level up from Asano. It's sake cube which is really run by young guys. The owner is quite young. He has a sake shop but in the middle he has a big table like a communal table with lots of snack stuff on it. So you can have like canned food you have crisps you have like senbei or crackers and all kind of sake treats or treats that go well with the sake. And you can basically just look at their fritters and almost order everything by the glass that he also sells. And because you're in this communal space. Again, it's really designed for you to talk to the people beside you. Something unique that I haven't seen in many other places. You can also bring your outside food in and eat it there. So if you were going to go to the convenience or to like a daily counter and you get something you can actually bring it in. Then order a glass or two glass of sake and enjoy your food or share your food with the other customers. So it's a really, really fun place. A little bit weird when you go in first because it's like how does this work? But once you know this is the system it's so much fun. This looks great. This reminds me a lot of a place in Tokyo called Calikers, which is sake natural wine and craft beer. It's the same kind of style. There's a table in the middle and then it's fridges and stacks of bottles basically. I think it can be a bit weird right when you don't know what to expect because you think it's a shop. But once you know the system, it's actually really amazing. And you always start talking to people because that's designed that it's built for. And speaking about places where you can sort of go and just sort of bring your own food and have almost like a party and just like sort of. Have access to all this sake but kind of effectively serve yourself. And I think this is one was one of the first places that I started this pre pandemic along quite a long time ago now. And I worked for this company for a while. Corranned is still running one or two of their all you can taste sake bars in Tokyo. I think probably the easiest one to go to is in Akihabara. You pay, I think it's about 3000 yen for all you can taste for about three or four hours or however long until the. Four hours if you go in the evening. So I think so. Don't quote me on that because they have different service levels. But I think the most expensive one is pretty much until the shop you know closes and you've got fridges. Now the thing that's quite unique about corranned is that they the majority of their sake. And I think we talked about this in a previous episode is sake that they've actually made together with the sake breweries so the labels are actually a unique design and the concept is a unique concept. You're actually tasting sake that you won't find anywhere else in Japan. It's made unique, especially for corranned and like their lineup is 80% that essentially which is how they kind of stay above the competition with other similar setups. But you can bring your own food you have to bring your own food because they don't have a kitchen so you can't really they have like those little you know like the cans that you can buy and sort of the you know that I mean they kind of look a bit like pet food but they're actually quite tasty. So with like maybe yakitori in there or something and they have a microwave so you can warm stuff up if you if you bring stuff in I think they do have a delivery menu or they used to have a delivery menu so you can kind of order stuff in as well. But they are very still very popular when I went in there it was full of overseas visitors. And probably more overseas visitors than locals in all honesty because I think because their lineup is so I'm a garden and you can't really find anything that maybe you want to taste if you're so that's something to know if you if you would prefer to be drinking sake that is more kind of mainstream. And the sake that you can find in the shops etc that maybe isn't such a good idea but if you just have to a general experience with sake and trying different things and broadening your horizons I think that's a great place to go. Any any last recommendations Cindy yeah. Any last recommendations? Yes. Yes, I have more. I think we could probably do quite a bit. All right, we can make it. We can. I think. We can make it. It's a dish show. Yeah. Yeah. This is just a show. They continued. Yeah. This is the pilot. No, I think there's actually two things in Kyoto that I think are worth mentioning. One is actually the brewery of Prairie Izakaya and restaurants. Because again, we have Fushimi with 18-something breweries down there. Some of them do have restaurants. One of them is Torise, which is part of Yamamoto Honke. So they have their head store or head restaurant down in Fushimi. But they also have one in Ponto Chaudi area as earlier saying it's nice to go have drinks. So it's a nice place to start. And they have their own sake. If you go to Fushimi, they have sake from the tank, like Namazake that is literally coming from next door where it's brewed, which is quite special. Then there is Tamano Hikari who just opened a place called Tune Maizake Kasu, which is kind of a weird name, right, for a restaurant. But that's how it's called. So we have to go with that, which is kind of directed more towards a little bit of a younger, more fashionable audience. But they do a lot of dishes also with the leftovers of the sake production, so lots of sake leaves. And then we have, and again, a very creative name, it's called Kyoto Station front tavern, Shurakudai. It is by Sasaki Shuso, which is located downtown in Kyoto. So you can also go and visit the breweries, but the restaurant again has all their sake and some extras. And then great little Isakaya dishes in a relaxed environment that still has that traditional vibe of a traditional building, because we're in Kyoto. But you don't have to feel like you have to be quiet or unnecessarily behave yourself. You can go in there with a bigger group of people and also have a bit of fun. So I think these are worth maybe visiting if you're in town, and they're certainly a little bit more special because they're run by the breweries themselves. And last but not least, and this is one of my favorites, and I kept it for last because of that it's Masuya. And there is two of them. There's Masuya Saketan and there's Masuya Sakihol. The Sakihol is more of a restaurant that's a little bit more sit down, full menu. Great if you have five or six or even eight people because they have the space for it. And then you have Masuya Saketan, which is there Isakaya, which is my favorite of the two of them because it has that Isakaya vibe, but it's very young. People are very friendly. They have great selection of sake. But they have a menu, but then you can actually go and look in the fridge and choose what you want from the fridge because the fridge is a little bit different than what they have printed, which I think is always a great time because it means that they're updating or rotating their brands according to what's coming out or whether it's seasonal or whether it's a brand that they're just discovered. So I think that's probably one of the most visits. If you do want Isakaya and Kyoto, I would say go to Masuya Saketan and they take reservations, which is also great. So you can actually make this happen without the fear of being rejected at the door. Nice. Definitely want to check that place out, definitely. I think maybe I'll just throw one last one in there as well. Since we talked about age second, I didn't really offer any alternative for Tokyo. I think I will because I'm actually a massive fan of age sake. And I think age sake may possibly be the potential future of sake anyway. So one of the best places to explore matured/age sake in Tokyo is without a doubt the Jukuto Kan bar. I think it's probably the best way to refer to it. It's a tiny counter. Probably seats about four or five people max. So you absolutely have to book in advance and don't be surprised if it's already full up. But I am actually the official taste for Jukuto Kan, one of the official taste for Jukuto Kan. I occasionally do events there as well. I mean, it's run by this lovely chap who is, I would refer to him as an age sake, my stroke. He knows everything there is to know about age sake, Ruwen or Sam. I don't think we've had him on the show up until a bit before, but you can definitely find things about him online. And it's not just the collection of age sake that they have, which incidentally a lot of them are actually age sake that they've aged themselves like Yoramu and Kyoto. But it's also the service. So they don't just pour you a glass of age sake. They have many different ways of serving the age sake. And the food menu as well is incredible. Ruwen or Sam is actually a more than a competent chef. And that would be putting it lightly, I think. He obviously studied food as well. And although his English isn't really, really good, you can still communicate with him to some extent. He's gone, understand English. Very welcoming. The owner of the bar is actually 100% fluent in English. Of course, there's no guarantee he's going to be there when you visit. But if you are going to visit, look me up. I do offer a special kind of English support service for a nominal fee. So, you know, if you want to go and you have a bit of extra, you can, you know, a bit extra budget wise. And you absolutely would prefer to be able to speak to the master in English. I can help you out there. But it's well worth a visit. You'll find it on Google Maps. The name of the company that runs the bar is Sakin Machaud. And one last shout out for me for some of my research, I actually did reference a fantastic website, which I think is probably one of the longest running websites providing the equivalent of a kind of a restaurant directory for Japan. It's called bento-chapam or the Tokyo food page. It's been around a long, long, long time. It's run by a chap called Rob Satowight. And they will put the URL in the show notes, but I thoroughly recommend checking this out because there is quite an extensive list of Izakayas that he recommends on there. Some I'd not heard of, but I'm definitely not going to try and check out. Yeah, so I think everybody who's listening, if you book your holiday to Japan, making a couple of extra days longer. So you can actually fit in a couple of these recommendations. It's a tough one, right? To come here and there's just so much everywhere. So much everywhere and in the spirit of so much everywhere, my last recommendation is in Hagi. Have you either eaten to Hagi? You know what Hagi is? No, I don't think so. It's Yamaguchi. It's on the Japan Sea coast of Yamaguchi. It's the old castle town for the Choshu domain, but there's a restaurant in Hagi called Hagi Keishu Korean Restaurant. And Hagi Keishu Korean Restaurant is for, in their own words, people who love Nihonshu and unpasturized Makori. And their old selection of Nihonshu is so good. It's so surprising because Hagi is not a big town. It is far removed from most population centers. You only kind of go if you really wanted to be in Hagi. And it's a Korean restaurant, but they just really love their Nihonshu and it's great. So Hagi Keishu Korean Restaurant or Nihonshu. And unpasturized Makori, if you want the unpasturized Makori taste. I had, I just had Nihonshu the whole evening and it was delightful. - True. - What else would you have, Frank? - Yeah. Well said. And if you're in, if you're going to be in Yamaguchi, I could recommend a great book with a little directory at the back for navigating Sakin Yamaguchi. And that is of course the Yamaguchi Sakibuk by Jim Rion, a good friend of ours and a fantastic translator and writer. And it's an amazing little directory at the back of the book that tells you all the places you can go and check out Sakin Yamaguchi. - So on that note, go out and explore Japan and explore all the strange little Sakin shops and restaurants that exist in all the little towns, not just the big ones. So I think they'll do it for this show. Thanks so much for listening to this episode of Sakin on Air. I have been Frank Walter and I'm enjoyed by Christopher Hughes. Yeah, a lot of fun. We've really enjoyed this. We have to do more of these this series. This has to become a series. This was so much fun. And Cindy Paseg. Yes, I second everything that Christus said. When I look at my map, I have so many saved places. It's almost impossible to pick a couple of them, but I think we did we did well. So yeah, please take a moment to review and read us on Apple podcasts or whatever platform you maybe enjoy the show on and feel free to send your questions, comments, two questions at socketonair.com or messages over on Instagram, Facebook or or subs. You can also find us on YouTube as well. We'll back with more socketonair very soon. Until next time. Compile! Compile! Sakyonair is made possible with the generous support of the Japan Saky and Shochu Makers Association and is broadcast from the Japan Saky and Shochu Information Center in downtown Tokyo. It is produced by Expo-Chapan and our team is Shusui-Mata, Justin Potts, Arlene Lions, Cindy Paseg, Chris Hughes, Chris Peligrini, John Gautner, Marie Nagata, Mijo Ota, Rebecca Wilson, Y, Sebastian Mwan, and me, Frank Walther. Until next time, Compile!