Blog

Our Anniversary Sale starts today! This August, we celebrate five years in Oakland and as a huge THANK YOU to you, loyal customer, we're putting a large selection of our signature bar tools, glassware, and homewares on sale, up to 50% off!...

Every year, August is a time for reflection. As a Japanese-American (and as a human) it is a time to reflect upon the events of August 6, 1945, when the American B-29 bomber, the Enola Gay, dropped the world’s first atom...

2017 not only marks five years of our Oakland shop (opened August 2012), but 10 years of our blog (started in February 2007). I'm not usually the sentimental type - and I've certainly never been big on scrapbooking. But you only get to celebrate your five...

The Yamachu Anvil Ice Pick is one of our sexiest bar tools - sleek, chic and sharp. Hand-crafted by one man in Osaka, Japan, these ice picks are hard to find and limited in quantity. The sharp tip allows for precise ice-sculpting, while...

Umami Mart turned five years old this past week and we threw our biggest and best Matsuri yet in the parking lot behind our shop in Old Oakland. We throw this party every year to celebrate the birth of Umami Mart and our...

"Sake on ice? Are you serious?"... is usually the response I get when I tell people it's one of my favorite ways to enjoy sake in the summer. But you can't just pour any sake on the rocks. The best...

We love Hawaii - the surf, sand and spam musubi is all we need for much needed R+R. When we go, we wouldn't leave without this little Honolulu Guide by Highlight Travel Co. - and you shouldn't either! Jam-packed with practical knowledge, it is a treasure...

Kyle MacLachlan made this commercial to promote Twin Peaks: The Return in Japan. It's quirky and I'm into it. The best part is when he says "maruku-surunoga pointo desu" or, "a technique point is to make it round." I love the zig-zag nori a la...

Kayoko and I met Kevin Diedrich back in 2011 when we threw the Gift of Food benefit at the Burritt Room for the victims of the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami disaster. Since being at the helm of the Burritt Room bar, we've visited...

All Twin Peaks fanatics should listen to Wrapped in Podcast - a podcast dedicated to the third season of Twin Peaks. I envision that it's three guys, on a couch, discussing and dissecting each episode; I appreciate the support it yields for all the hair-raising happenings in the...

This month's sakes are all from Yamagata Prefecture, to belatedly celebrate that Yamagata's sakes were granted Geographical Indication (G.I.) last December. So alongside Bordeaux wine, Darjeeling tea and Tuscan olive oil, Yamagata sakes are now recognized as a product that originates from a...

If you didn't know already, we have a sake club called Sake Gumi and it's awesome. Every month, we choose a theme, and the sakes reflect that theme. Sometimes the theme is a style of sake, sometime I choose how sakes pair...

I've been really excited to see the umeshu (Japanese plum infused in shochu) popping up on cocktail menus in non-Japanese restaurants. My most recent experience of having an umeshu cocktail in an unexpected place was at Al's Place in San Francisco. Their approach was very...

Since celebrating Solstice last week, we can finally say that summer is here. In the Bay Area, we've already experienced a heat wave that rivals those in New York or Tokyo - we could not handle it. I've created a cool, refreshing beer cocktail for just those days...

Pulling out balled-up leftover cheeses and one-cup sakes from my fridge is my weeknight, wind-down, go-to ritual after work. Even though some cheeses pair better with certain types of sake, I love nibbling on cheeses with whatever sakes happen to be rolling around in...

Okonomiyaki is everywhere in Japan. It's one of those foods that appear in festivals and restaurants across all prefectures - making different styles of okonomiyaki. What is okonomiyaki? Okonomiyaki, is a savory pancake consisting of an egg and flour batter, mixed with vegetables like cabbage and often ground...

Far Leaves is a treasure in Berkeley, CA. A place to enjoy a pot of luxurious teas from Asia or simply buy a canister to take home -- Far Leaves is an oasis of calm, nestled on a busy, industrial section of...

Since opening in 2015, Sequoia Sake Brewery has been a gem in the heart of the Bay Area. Located just south of Portrero Hill, founders Noriko Kamei and Jake Myrick use their space as a full-scale sake brewery, as well as...

The first time I tried an Imada Shuzo (brewery) sake was in 2014 when we opened our bottle shop in Oakland. The savory acidity of the Fukucho Forgotton Fortune junmai made my mouth water, and I have been...

Miho Imada of Imada Sake Brewery and me with two of the bottles offered this month for Sake Gumi! May sakes ship today for Sake Gumi, our monthly sake subscription club. If you like what's on deck here, you should