SAKE BLOG

Rice, Water, Earth: Notes on Sake

Some random thoughts and information on sake, spillover from the process of writing Rice, Water, Earth: Travels through Japan’s Artisanal Sake Culture with my co-author, sake sommelier and Sake Samurai Michael Tremblay. Look for it from Tuttle Publishing in Spring 2022.

Rice, Water, Earth: Notes on Sake
Kikuchi Brewery and the Kimura Method of Natural Rice Farming
Rice, Water, Earth: Notes on Sake
Kikuchi Brewery and the Kimura Method of Natural Rice Farming
Rice, Water, Earth: Notes on Sake

Kimura’s method is “beyond organic,” using no chemical or organic fertilizers, no pesticides, and no compost. Instead plant life is nourished by harnessing beneficial soil microbes that work in concert with local insect, animal, and bird life. Kimura believes that too often plants are overfed when everything they need to thrive exists in the natural environment.

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Rice, Water, Earth: Notes on Sake
 
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Meet the African Farmer Growing Rice in New York’s Hudson Valley
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Meet the African Farmer Growing Rice in New York’s Hudson Valley
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Following the Jola traditions of Gambia, and made possible by the region’s warming climate, Nfamara Badjie is cultivating rice in an unusual setting—and harvesting to the rhythm of the African drum.

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‘In the Struggle’ Chronicles the Roots of California’s Food Justice Movement
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‘In the Struggle’ Chronicles the Roots of California’s Food Justice Movement
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"The focal point of book is the struggle against the negative effects of concentrated wealth and power that just happen to play out in the Central Valley in land, water, and the food system. The same dynamic is happening all over the world.

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Plenty of East Coast delights beckon travellers as Newfoundland welcomes tourists back to its shores
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Plenty of East Coast delights beckon travellers as Newfoundland welcomes tourists back to its shores
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“We are on the first plane to pop the Atlantic bubble when it opens up to the nation on Canada Day.” Traveling to St. John’s and Fogo Island, on the far east coast of North America.

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Why Ken Meter Is on a Mission to Build Community Food Webs
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Why Ken Meter Is on a Mission to Build Community Food Webs
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Industrial farming drained wealth from rural America. In his new book, Meter says community food systems can repair the damage.

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Forthcoming from UCLA’s Asian American Studies Press, my decade-long passion project: the translation of my grandparents’ book of Japanese poetry, By the Shore of Lake Michigan.

As editor of the book, I worked with two multi-talented translators, Mariko Aratani and Kyoko Miyabe. In addition to translating, Kyoko is painter and acting chair of the Humanities and Sciences Department at the School of Visual Arts. Here is one of her works from 2016.

Frontispiece to the original, 1960 Japanese-language edition of the book, written by my grandparents, Tomiko and Ryokuyō Matsumoto. Their poems detail the period from 1942, when they were imprisoned in the World War II U.S. government prison camp at…

Frontispiece to the original, 1960 Japanese-language edition of the book, written by my grandparents, Tomiko and Ryokuyō Matsumoto. Their poems detail the period from 1942, when they were imprisoned in the World War II U.S. government prison camp at Heart Mountain, Wyoming, through their relocation to Chicago after the war.

Mariko is a Japanese poetry translator, Fordham University Japanese language instructor and once made her living as a jazz pianist. This is her first work of collage, titled "Women's March," inspired by her experience marching in New York City.

Mariko is a Japanese poetry translator, Fordham University Japanese language instructor and once made her living as a jazz pianist. This is her first work of collage, titled "Women's March," inspired by her experience marching in New York City.

 
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View fullsize Two sake blog posts for the price of one! The first is on how the origins of sake breweries reflect how Japanese families & their closely allied businesses have operated for centuries. The second is about perhaps the quirkiest brewery in Kochi Pr
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View fullsize The cormorant skyways were buzzing this morning w flocks traveling from colony to colony. A red-tailed hawk scoped out ground prey & the skies were so blue & clear. An amazing morning all in all. . . . #lesliespit #toronto #waterfront #lakeon
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