Jaunted

Sake

Sake to Me

April 17, 2006 at 10:25 AM | 0 Comments

Until recently, sake was seen as old-fashioned and lame in Japan, something for drunk salarymen on trains, but nothing to get excited about. But sake has started to seem coolish again because of a new crop of bars and brands. Some of the bars, such as the tiny Buchi, are increasing demand by hiring women servers to encourage women customers to give the brew a chance.

A popular way to drink sake now is in "one-cups," single serving containers with less commitment and more style than the traditional bottles. Also on the upswing is "shochu," a sake cousin made of distilled barley, sweet potato or cane sugar. Because it originates in the town where the people supposedly live long (inebriated) lives, shochu comes with theoretical health benefits. As one businessman says, "In Kyushu, they drink shochu until 2am, then have a bowl of noodles and head home. By seven, they are back in the office. How do they do it? It must be the shochu."

No wonder you see so many Japanese businessmen sleeping on the train.

[Image via olivelife/Flickr]

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