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Alcohol appears in the earliest historical records. 3rd-century
Chinese records describe the inhabitants of Japan as being fond
of their liquor and this remains little changed today. Consumption
of sake was overtaken by that of beer around the
beginning of the 20th century and now beer - or its close
relation, happoshu - accounts for over 75% of alcohol consumption.
Japanese beer brands such as Kirin, Asahi and Sapporo
are known worldwide. The major breweries produce several top-selling
beers, such as No.1 seller Asahi's Super Dry (the No.1 beer in Japan), (my personal favorites) Sapporo's
Black Label and Ebisu, and Kirin's Lager and Ichiban
Shibori. In addition, they sell dozens of 'seasonal' brands for a few
months at a time. These are generally lagers and easily outsell
other brands such as stout (black beer) or happoshu (low-malt beer),
although the latter has become more popular recently.
In fact, happoshu accounted for over a fifth of the beer market
in 2000. Its popular appeal is based on heavy marketing and the
low price brewers can charge because the low malt content puts
it in a lower tax category. Happoshu typically retails for 30-40
yen less for a standard 350ml can than regular beer. The bigger
breweries also produce other alcoholic beverages such as whiskey,
wine and shochu as well as soft drinks.
There are a variety of different places to go out
for a drink. Most are also places to eat as the western idea
of the stand-up pub is relatively new to Japan.
Label for Mado no Ume sake
from Saga Prefecture |
Kirin Lager Beer
350ml can |
Asahi Super Dry
'Steiny' bottle |
In Japanese, the word sake is also used as a generic term for
alcohol. The correct term for refined Japanese rice wine is seishu,
or more commonly nihonshu. Like wine made from grapes, there are regional variations and
good and bad years but sake is not usually stored for more than
a year. Good sake is produced all over the country and with thousands
of small breweries, finding one to suit your palate shouldn't
be too hard. There are different grades of sake depending on the
milling process used on the rice and what additives are used,
if any. The production cycle takes about one year: Autumn rice
is used in the brewing process, which starts in winter and ends
the following spring. The sake matures during the summer and is
finally bottled in the autumn. Sake has an alcohol content similar
to wine, around 16%. It can be served either warmed or chilled.
The cheaper varieties are usually served hot (atsukan) straight
into a glass in cheap drinking establishments like izakaya or
yakitoriya. Otherwise it is served in an earthenware bottle (tokkuri)
and poured into small cups (sakazuki).
Shochu is a distilled liquor made from grain and averages around
50% proof, although there are large variations depending on the
ingredients and region. It is most commonly drunk in a mixture
with ice and things like oolong tea (oolon-hai) or citrus juices
(lemon-hai). These drinks are available ready made in cans. Ready-made
cocktails have also become popular recently. Whiskey and other
distilled liquors tend to be popular among middle-aged men.
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