I remembered your comment as I was checking out one of the bigger shops today. They carried a few Japanese Gins and picked this from Suntory

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...f80e22ff3d.jpg

The clerk commented that it was a good choice, saying its pretty smooth. Not much of a Gin drinker, so my points of comparison are limited, but I agree with the clerk's assessment.

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...115fc7d1f1.jpg

Botanicals used in their gin.

Alight, followed example of Gradfly and decided to see what is available locally since at this moment likely better a chance getting date with Jennifer Lopez than a chance of traveling to Japan and buy Japanese gin in Japan. :p

These are Japanese gin I found locally.
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...d63960ef57.jpg

Etsu Gin, it only says "Product of Japan" and "Distilled in Hokkaido." There is no information regarding distiller on the label on the bottle, label only says "Imported by Misa Imports, Inc. Dallas, TX" nothing else, that is little strange.

The second gin is bv Nikka. Little background of Nikka. The first commercial whisky distilled in Japan is Suntory founded by Shinjiro Torii. Shinjiro Torii started wine company in Osaka on 1899, then started whisky distillery at outskirt of Kyoto at Yamazaki in 1923. 1929 first whiskey distilled in Japan, Suntory Whiskey White Label was sold.

First and original whiskey distillery master at Suntory Yamazaki distillery was Masataka Taketsuru who was a son of Sake (Japanese rice wine) maker from Hiroshima who got hooked on Whiskey making. 1918 Masataka Taketsuru have accepted at the University of Glasgow for Applied Chemistry program. However, at Scotland story has it that Masataka Taketsuru pretty much went around whiskey distillery to learn whiskey making. 1920 Masataka Taketsuru returned to Japan along with his wife, Jessie Roberta Cowan, the only female medical student at the University of Glasgow at that time.

Masatake Taketsuru met Shinjiro Torii and became first whiskey distillery master at Suntory Whiskey. 1934 Masatake Taketsuru left Suntory Whiskey in good term. Went to Yoichi, Hokkaido to start his own Whiskey distillery which became of Nikka Whiskey. Masatake Taketsuru stated that he chose Yoichi because climate of Yoichi was similar to Scotland where he studied whiskey making. Masatake Taketsuru and his wife Jessie Roberta Cowan lived at Yoichi for rest of their life.

Story of Jessie Roberta Cowan is very interesting on it's own. Scottish woman living in Japan back in that era, initially both Cowan and Taketsuru families did not approve of their marriage.

Anyway, it is gin made by that company Nikka using the distillation coffey which was used for whiskey making.

On the separate note, I wanted to buy Japanese curry powder but I made a mistake at a store and picked up Japanese mustard powder.

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...ae384fa3d8.jpg

Now I have two cans of Japanese mustard powder. I have to find the way to use Japanese mustard. :confused: :D

Chicken Katsu sandwich with slaw:
https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/ch...y-cabbage-slaw

And 44 other ideas:
https://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/s...ustard-recipes

I use a lot of mustard for salad dressings, but it would me a while to get through two tins of powdered mustard.

Yes, that is the situation. I will have cans of Japanese mustard sitting in my kitchen cabinet for long time. :o Least it is powder form so as long as I keep the can tightly sealed then will not loose flavor and take very long time to spoil. Thank you for cooking suggestions. :)

Thanks for the story of Jessie Roberta Cowan/Taketsuru. Obviously, I can’t help but have an interest given our backgrounds (albeit the MASSIVE disparity in our accomplishments!). It’s lovely to know that Kathleen Drew-Baker had a peer back then quietly making her own impact on Japan.

I bought my first tin of this kind of mustard in years a few weeks ago. It’s Colman’s Mustard powder but it is indistinguishable from the Japanese kind. Main reason was as an accompaniment to Hiyashi Chūka and for making cucumber tsukemono.

Assuming you use about a teaspoon of Karachi mustard at a time, each pot should give you around 20 servings. Another good way to go through it is as Karashi Miso Ae 辛子みそ和え. As well as cucumbers, goes well with eggplant, okra and asparagus.
There’s a recipe for Karashi Miso Ae here - https://www.nhk.or.jp/dwc/recipes/detail/264.html Just substitute a teaspoon of powder for the 2 teaspoons of mustard paste and then, once mixed, take a taste and then add another half or full teaspoon of mustard powder (or not) depending on how you like it.

EDIT TO ADD - responding inspired me to make up a hurried karashi miso mayo for a sandwich. 1 teaspoon of red miso, 1/2 teaspoon of mayonnaise and 1/2 a teaspoon of mustard powder, just combined and spread into the sandwich instead of butter. Lovely!

This Sakurao gin is a good Japanese gin. One of the ingredients they use is oyster shells, so it does have a hint of the taste of the sea. The distillery is located very near Miyajima, so next time you are there you can include a factory visit.
Sakurao Gin

Potesara: Japan’s ‘most familiar and loved salad’

Yes, it is potato salad! But wait..., it is not exactly same as potato salad I know...., but it is good...

There is something about those non-Japanese food adopted by Japanese and over time evolved to their own.

Japanese curry
Ramen
Macaroni gratin
Spaghetti Napolitan
Tonkatsu
Japanese croquette

There are so many... Now I am hungry. :D

Guilty as charged. Favorite item in the Tokyo Hilton buffet. :D

I think it's time to make mapo/mabo tofu again this week.

Probably mentioned it already, but Japanese style potato salad goes really well with shiso.
This version is very similar to the one posted by AlwaysAisle, the main difference is the lack of eggs. Sometimes I use them, sometimes I don’t.
I tend to use British New Potatoes, and slipping off the skins when boiled and still hot is a bit tedious and time consuming (and a little painful for a while). I’d never judge anybody for buying it ready made.
Am going to make Pickles bristle by admitting this but ( :whispers: ) I made a potato salad sandwich with shokupan yesterday.
I know! I couldn’t help myself.

It was alright. Better than a cucumber sandwich.

I keep meaning to add umeboshi along with the shiso to potato salad, but my umeboshi supply is dwindling and we need them for ume-shiso spaghetti (which we are going to really miss once the shiso plants die this Autumn)
https://delishkitchen.tv/recipes/146592200925380902

EDIT TO ADD - forgot to mention, Sio in Yoyogi Uehara is now offering the Yaso 80 Spirits Gin.

I've been making a ton nigiri and onigiri with scallop and other fresh seafood since moving, I've also tried my hand at a fish market street food version that turned out great. There are two different compound butters being used here. One is simple with garlic and pepper. The other is gochujang, gochugaru, and scallions. The possibilities are only as endless as your supply of shells!

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...90c956b8c.jpeg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...8055f3d444.jpg
I am getting a bit despondent that my SO and I are going to have to cancel our February trip to Japan. I had been hopeful until the last round of COVID spikes in the US that will likely cause us to be refused entry. We found some incredible deals on luxury hotels that are very unlikely to be available in the future as well as my work availability being suspect due to starting in a new industry. I've been planning and unplanning this trip for nearly a decade and it certainly seems like I'll be back to the drawing board yet again.

I happened to see an online ad for a Japanese Rice Importer in NY recently. Has anyone ever purchased from them?
https://trf-ny.com/products/
https://the-rice-factory.square.site/

No, but I loved seeing the sticky/soft/smooth/chart for different varieties on this page
https://the-rice-factory.square.site/shop/6
Helped explain why we (chez LapLap) prefer Akita Komachi to Koshihikari rice. Means I am now aware of “Nanatsuboshi” as a variety to actively look for (“Tsuyahime” too).

The graph visualisation is helpful. Seems, through trial and error, we generally cook the “softer” rices with a little less water to coax them towards the “puchi puchi” bordering on “koshi” (tougher) texture we prefer. Stirring/turning over rice as soon as it is done cooking and resting is also important for texture. If you end up with rice that still isn’t as optimal as you’d prefer, adding a spoon of rinsed millet grains before cooking helps.

Yes, Akita Komachi is the brand I usually buy. I am satisfy with Akita Komachi! :) Now, another thing is my rice cooker is getting quite old, cannot recall when I bought it which mean least 3-4 years old, likely lot more older. Being told that I should buy new rice cooker, was told that will make difference in quality of cooked rice.

Ours must be twice that age. Nevertheless, the coating of the inside pan is completely intact and we haven’t noticed any degradation at all in quality.

For anybody who wants to invest in a decent rice cooker but is concerned about the cooker having a limited life, this is what I learned years ago (2013?) from a conversation (MrLapLap served as my interpreter) with a knowledgeable Toshiba representative at the Rice Cooker section in Yodobashi Camera in Akihabara.

Don’t wash/rinse your rice in the cooking pot - not only is the rice abrasive, but the rice bran you wash away is abrasive in itself.
Don’t use it to cook brown rice (use something else, perhaps a pressure cooker)
Try to stick to just plain rice and keep additional ingredients (such as millet) to a minimum.
If you do combine rice with other ingredients in there, never use oil.

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/28412971-post8.html

The other workaround is to try and obtain a spare inner pan at the same time you obtain your rice cooker. Some brands allow you to purchase this as a spare part, but your chances of obtaining one diminish the more time elapses from when the cooker was originally released.

——
Changing the subject somewhat, here is an absorbing pursuit for anybody missing Japan.
Photo credit to [MENTION=3593]Oliver[/MENTION]Jia1014 on Twitter.

This is a ‘ship flowchart, you can untangle it and follow the love lives of the penguins at Kyoto Aquarium.

Should keep you busy for the rest of the week!

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...8fb025138.jpeg

I do that...:( It is so convenient, less items I have to wash during cooking is good for me...:p