Kushi Sakaba Daisho

Kushi Sakaba Daisho is a lively and affordable izakaya that is specializing in offers quite a variety of kushiyaki and delicious bar bites that pair perfectly with drinks.

We noticed salarymen come straight in their suit here after work; munched bites and with a glass or two. And then, they left. That’s the true after-work culture, I guess.

That night, I think we ordered almost everything on the menu. The draft beer was sweet and refreshing, and every dish was incredibly comforting, and price was affordable too. It ended up being the warmest meal we had throughout the whole trip — LOL.

Draft beer (¥ 530), Sake (¥ 880), Highball (¥ 660 each) and Yuzu Soda (¥ 660)

Appetiser are all priced at (¥ 300) each; we had this Mayo Shio Kombu Cabbage.

Homemade Potato Salad (¥ 420)

Grilled Mackerel (¥ 1,280)

Grated Yam on Hot Plate (¥ 700)

Sagari Steak (¥ 800)

Momo, Negima, Tsukune, Kawa, Butabara, Nasu (eggplant), Negi, Mushroom; each skewer is priced at (¥ 180)

Kushi Sakaba Daisho
石川県金沢市堀川町5-10
Opens daily from 5pm to 3am

The post KANAZAWA: Kushi Sakaba Daisho first appeared on My Story.

Zakka + Sake Bar DEARYOU Omotesando

Tucked away in a quiet alley near Omotesando, Zakka + Sake Bar DEARYOU Omotesando is truly a place that stores lots of gem. The front of the shop showcases handmade crafts and unique souvenirs, but the real treasure lies at the back—a cozy sake bar featuring an impressive selection of rare and highly sought-after bottles.

I was thrilled to find several names from my sake wish list on the menu, including Aramasa, Juyondai, Ubusune, Heaven Sake and Sogge pere et fils, along with a few special pours. Every bottle felt like a gem, even the tap water tasted exceptionally good! (I am not exaggerating! LOL).

Thanks to a sommelier friend for recommendation. The friend told me about it, I wasn’t aware until I passed by this shop when I did shopping here, and instantly… I recalled my friend told me about this place! So whenever I happen to be in Tokyo, I will run down to omotesando for a glass or two. So far, I have visited twice to this place.

During my November visit, I was lucky to get this flight set of Juyondai, Jikon and Aramasa (¥5,800), each at 50ml; it came with 3 types of snacks! – Juyondai Nakadori unfiltered, Jikon Special Junmai Pasterurization, Aramasa Earth

Heaven Sake

Tenbi Junmai Ginko Nama Genshu

Shichiken Shoshu Junmai Namazake

Such a beautiful sake cup!

Ubusuna 2025 Homase Yonnojo

Sogge pere et fils – Le sake Erotique Numero Six
A rare piece and it was sooooooo delicious!

Zakka + Sake Bar DEARYOU Omotesando
4 Chome-9-1 Jingumae, Shibuya, Tokyo 〒150-0001

The post TOKYO: Zakka + Sake Bar DEARYOU Omotesando first appeared on My Story.

ADOUGH Atelier

Tucked away in the quieter neighbourhood of Taman Sri Hartamas, neighbour to Butaya Izakaya and Bistro Lea; ADOUGH Atelier is known for its handcrafted sourdough breads, buttery viennoiserie, and hearty sourdough pasta dishes. Every creation is made using traditional natural fermentation techniques, resulting in rich flavours and the satisfying texture that has become their signature.

The moment you step inside, you are welcomed by the aroma of freshly baked bread, colourful and eye catching viennoiserie and buttery crusty sourdough loaves on the showcase.

Flat White (RM 13) and Latte (RM 14)

Beef Pastrami (RM 38)
Thick slices of sourdough loaf sandwiched the beef pastrami, caramelized onion, house made pickles, cheddar cheese with house made thousand island sauce, and side with some greens.

Honey Miso Trout (RM 46)
Sourdough spaghettoni, miso glazed trout, cauliflower veloute, parmiagiano, herb oil.
The menu options were quite limited on the day of our visit, with most dishes circling around the seafood like fish and prawns. We were lucky enough to grab the last serving of the Honey Miso Trout (just as we were placing our order).

The trout was rich, fatty and juicy, with a really nice honey miso glaze. The sourdough spaghettoni was equally enjoyable, coated in a velvety cauliflower veloute and herbs oil that gave it a creamy, well-balanced flavour. While both were tasty on their own, we felt that they didn’t pair particularly well together, as their flavours competed rather than complemented each other.

Price are a little on the high side for the portion offered. I also wanted to try this very special Marmite and Cheese Sourdough, but it was sold out – which was probably a good thing to my wallet. LOL. At RM 40 for a 600g loaf, it felt a bit too pricey. I ended up taking home a loaf of Country Sourdough, priced at RM 26 for 600g.

Adough Atelier
24, Jalan Sri Hartamas 8,
Taman Sri Hartamas,
50480 Kuala Lumpur.
Opens daily from 7.30am to 4.30pm

The post ADOUGH Atelier @ Taman Sri Hartamas, KL first appeared on My Story.

Set on Level 75 of Park Hyatt Kuala Lumpur, Merdeka Grill is a contemporary grill restaurant offering breath-taking panoramic views of the Kuala Lumpur skyline. Known for its elegant ambience and thoughtfully curated menu, the restaurant showcases premium meats, sustainable seafood, and seasonal produce.

On this visit, we tried the Merdeka Grill Lunch Course, which offers a taste of the restaurant’s signature dishes at a more accessible price point – priced at 2-course at RM 168 and 3-course at RM 198.

As there were three of us, and we ordered two 2-course sets and one 3-course set, which we shared among ourselves. Portions were pretty good from the start to the end. We were filled up by the end of our mains and started pushing each other to finish. LOL.

One also must not miss out their afternoon tea at the Park Lounge , which features a delightful selection of sweet and savoury treats.

Complementary brioche bun served really warm to start. The bun was fragrant and soft. So lovely that I kept them till the end to mop up the sauces from the dishes. The spiced dip that came with the bread was amazing too!

Lightly Cured Atlantic Salmon beautifully plated with apple, freshly pickled cucumber, horseradish, parsley. It was a refreshing starter, basically a great appetite and palate booster!

Thinly sliced Achigold Mas Melon paired with stracciatella, hydropinic lettuce, lime, and dressed with tarragon dressing. The melon was intensely juicy and high with natural sweetness!

Coconut Lobster Bisque
Ohhhh, this coconut lobster bisque was bursting with the essence of the sea and packed with umami. Rich and velvety, the creamy bisque was generously topped with an assortment of seafood, including scallops, white fish, and prawns, making every spoonful deeply satisfying.

Steak and Fries
The steak was grilled to perfection; side with hydroponic salad, served with bright and zesty lime aioli and green pepper butter.

Roasted Perak Duck Confit
Appeared golden-brown with crackling skin and tender meat underneath; crisp exterior and inside remained moist. It was a WOW! Side with orange, celery puree, kale, honey and lime pepper sauce

Grilled Red Snapper
Ratatouille, yuzu kosho, tarragon butter cream sauce
Flaky grilled fish layered with ratatouille and served with the tarragon butter cream sauce. Richness from the butter cream sauce was offset by the acidity of the ratatouille and the bright, spicy citrus character of the yuzu kosho. And here came the help of brioche bun to mop up the sauce!

Cherry Jubilee Sundae with vanilla soft serve; a light yet nice sweet ending for us as we were already quite full.

Lastly, the staff dished out the cake! For me! LOL

Good food great company! Always feel grateful to have them around!

Park Hyatt Kuala Lumpur
Warisan Merdeka Tower,
Presint Merdeka 118,
Kuala Lumpur.

The post Merdeka Grill Lunch Course @ Park Hyatt KL first appeared on My Story.

Back to our favourite place for sushi after the great feast in January , Sushi Kita has now become our go-to place for birthday celebration with the sushi gang. We are always looking forwards each other birthdays so that we get to splurge on a great sushi meal in a sushiya, giving ourselves a more valid reason to spend our hard earn money. LOL

First thing first, sake! Shuho Tokubetsu Junmai Miyamanishiki (RM 260), very well balance and went perfectly with our meal.

Chawanmushi

And of course, we have our favourite Chef Yogi at service!

Kobujime renkodai

Torigai
The thing I fear most appeared to be super wow here in Sushi Kita; fresh, sweet and never a hint of the flavour of gai that I dislike. Yum!

Shima Aji – dry aged 4 days
It danced beautifully in my palate.

Shiokara for sake

Next, Chef Yogi surprised us with this roll. Packed with Sumagatsuo, myoga, goma in the shari, kanpyo, ooba, gari and negi. The roll was amazing, jam-packed with umami-ness!!! Gotta name it as “umami bomb” LOL.

Ootoro – Wild tuna from Shiogama, aged 4 days in age chiller; and shari made with local vinegar
As I chewed on the nigiri, multiple flavours slowly unfold in the oral cavity. It was packed with so much of wow factors!

Akami
Just so beautiful! It was packed with more wow factors, it was incredibly great!

Chef shared us a small cube of fresh tuna, to compare with the texture with the aged akami. The fresh one was very flat. Such a huge difference on the palate.

Iwashi

Amaebi

Kamasu, dried overnight

Ankimo Kanpyo Maki
This was so good that I didn’t want the last bite to be over!

Miso soup

Dessert

Chef let us to sample before deciding which one to order. We ended up our lunch with a carafe of Tenmei Junmai Hi-ire, which matched perfectly with our sweet ending.

Another saltier Shiokara to go with the sake

and of course more birthday dessert!

And so this time, I get to post our photo over here! LOL #iykyk

Sushi Kita 鮨きた
C.AT.01, SEIBU Department Store,
Lot C12, Persiaran TRX,
Tun Razak Exchange,
55188 Kuala Lumpur.
Opens daily
Lunch from 11am to 3pm
Dinner from 5.30pm to 10pm

The post June Course @ Sushi Kita, SEIBU, KL first appeared on My Story.

Back to my big birthday month food journey (LOL), sushi is a must with the sushi gang! This time we had our meal in Sushi Kita that is tucked inside SEIBU, The Exchange TRX.

Sushi Kita is a sister sushiya to Sushi Hana , leaded by Chef Yogi and Chef Haruka, serving edomae style sushi. We are really happy to see the soul of Sushi Hana in KL city. Now that we need not have to travel far for Chef Yogi’s creation, they come nearer to us in KL! YAY!

Thank you Jean for the sake treat! Handpicked all the way from Japan! Muaxxx!

Of course, we never stop at one. Ordered a bottle from Sushi Kita! Their selection is pretty good, and compatible well with the nigiri!

Wahhh, there was this new year welcome drink!

Chawanmushi

Kobujime Renkodai
This has to be a new thing in my neta dictionary – レンコダイ. Or known as Yellowback seabream (I googled one ya)

Shima Aji – dry aged 3 days

Ootoro

Chutoro

Shiokara as sake bite

Aori Ika with Caviar
WOW! I thought the caviar will over snap the flavours of aori ika, but nope! It elevated the flavour of the squid! The squid turned out to be extra sweet. Love its sticky pleasantly chewy mouthfeel.

Akami

Aji

Botan Ebi

Saba bozushi
Chef surprised us with this and it was a—maiii—zingggg!

Chef threw out another set of shiokara to go with our drink

Shirako

Kanpyo Maki

Miso Soup

Dessert

Thanks to this bunch of people to sushi and celebration together! YAY!

More Shiokara to go with the sake!

Sushi Kita 鮨きた
C.AT.01, SEIBU Department Store,
Lot C12, Persiaran TRX,
Tun Razak Exchange,
55188 Kuala Lumpur.
Opens daily
Lunch from 11am to 3pm
Dinner from 5.30pm to 10pm

The post Sushi Kita @ SEIBU, The Exchange TRX, KL first appeared on My Story.

Quack Dessert House 糖水吖

Located here in Taman Cheras, Quack Dessert House serves creative and light desserts that are not only refreshing but also nourishing. I tried two of their tong sui and was pleasantly pleased that they are not too sweet. They make the perfect treat for satisfying late-night cravings or enjoying as a light dessert after dinner.

Also, the cutest part of this shop has to be the live mascot who quacks over here. Once a while, it will come out from its house and roam freely in the store.

Snow Fungus Pear Soup 鸭梨不大 (RM 14.9)
Their signature dessert with snow fungus and pear soup, red dates, and final garnished with osmanthus flowers; simply nourishing, refreshing and lightly hinted with the aromatic flower note.

Collagen Rich Pumpkin Milk Medley 南不倒我奶奶 (RM 8.9)
There were snow fungus bits, sweet pumpkin and corn in the milk base sweet soup. I wanna recreate this tong sui at home, but I would omit the corn as it gave a rough texture on the palate, or maybe I shall swap it with sweet white corn.

Hong Kong Chee Cheong Fun with Peanut Sauce 香港肠粉 (RM 6.9)
Savoury and peanut-y, side with crispy prawn bits; this CCF’s sauce was not the typical taste we used to have. Quite a special one I would say.

Besides the CCF, they offer savory bites like rendang-flavored curry fish balls and steamed, bouncy Terengganu-style fish cakes.

Quack Dessert House 糖水吖
107, Blok P/A, Jalan Durian,
Taman Cheras, 56100 Kuala Lumpur.
Opens from 6pm to 12am
Closed on Thursdays

The post Quack Dessert House @ Taman Cheras, KL first appeared on My Story.

This trip, we went a bit wilder. Wilder in terms of area coverage, there were more prefectures we crossed in a single trip. Also, there were 12 pax in total in our group. So, it was a lot wilder as compared to all my previous trips. Get to have a full family trip is never easy, this trip was considered a decade big thing to me, to have everyone to get-together!

Ready for my big trip adventure? Here is my itinerary for the trip as well as things we eat and did. We managed to try out many types of ramen during this trip! Unagi, duck, oyster, clam, and shrimp… and everyone has their own personal favourite.

Of course, not to mention some distilleries visitation, which are really hard to come by. I will walk you through my post and detailed posts on each distillery later.

12D11N in Nagoya, Kyoto, Kanazawa, Toyama & Tokyo

	Day 1	Day 2	Day 3	Day 4
In	KL/ Narita Narita/ Nagoya	Nagoya	Nagoya/ Kyoto	Kyoto
Breakfast/ Brunch		Konbini	Hotel Breakfast	Hotel Breakfast
See Shop		Kintetsu Nagoya > Ise-Shi > Futamino-ura Station	Nagoya > Kyoto	I’m Donut Nishiki Market
Lunch		Maruhama	Gion Duck Noodles	Sushi Azabu
Tea See Shop	Arrival at Narita Airport Narita > Nagoya	Futami Okitama Shrine Ise Jingu Imonne Katana Karaage 山村みるくがっこう Ise Kadoya Beer Iseman 伊勢萬	Daifuku @ Kyoto Gion Ninigi Kyo ha Matcha de Kimeru Fujioka Shuzo Gekkeikan Okura Sake Museum Fushimi Otesuji Street	Sannezaka GOKAGO Human Made Kyoto Chocolat BEL AMER
Dinner/ Supper	Sekai no Yamachan	Shirakawa Meiekiten Ben Zai Ten ‘s mochi	Fushimi Sakura Kouji	Ramen Sugari Spring Valley Brewery
Stay	Compass Hotel Nagoya	Compass Hotel Nagoya	TUNE STAY KYOTO	TUNE STAY KYOTO

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	Day 5	Day 6	Day 7	Day 8
In	Kyoto	Kyoto/ Kanazawa	Kanazawa/ Tonami	Kanazawa/ Toyama
Breakfast/ Brunch	Kitada	Kurasu Kyoto Stand VIE DE FRANCE Rêve de Paris Kyoto	Hotel Breakfast	Hotel Breakfast
See Shop	SUNTORY Yamazaki Distillery	Kyoto > Kanazawa Omicho Market	三郎丸蒸留所 Saburomaru Distillery	Kanazawa Port Iki-iki Market Yamato Koji Park
Lunch	Konbini	金沢海鮮丼 近江町ととと ポセイ丼	竈flamme炭三郎	Kanazawa Appare Yamato Doburoku Kenkyusho
Tea See Shop	The House of KI NO BI Takashimaya Kyoto	Omicho Market Kanazawa Castle Park Kenroku-en Salon de the Kawamura	三郎丸蒸留所 Saburomaru Distillery Pâtisserie Vert Higashi Chaya District	Kanazawa > Toyama Kitokito Ichiba TOYAMARCHE Ferver Toyama Ekiten
Dinner/ Supper	Gyukatsu Kyoto Katsugyu Kyoto Yodobashi	かなえきのちくわ SAKE Shokudo by Noguchi Naohiko Sake Institute 金澤濃厚甘えびラーメン 紅牡丹 Beni Botan	Kushi Sakaba Daisho 炉端とおでん 呼炉凪来	きときと寿し富山駅店
Stay	TUNE STAY KYOTO	HOTEL TORIFITO KANAZAWA	HOTEL TORIFITO KANAZAWA	Onyado Nono Toyama

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	Day 9	Day 10	Day 11	Day 12
In	Kyoto	Kyoto/ Kanazawa	Kanazawa/ Tonami	Kanazawa/ Toyama
Breakfast/ Brunch	Hotel Breakfast	Hotel Breakfast	Boulangerie L’Atelier du Pain	TRUFFLE Bakery Blue Bottle
See Shop	Toyama > Tokyo	Asakusa Kaminarimon Hatoya Asakusa Asakusa Menchi Anshin'ya 浅草安心や CANELÉ ET CRÈME GLACÉE Shin-Nakamise Shopping Street	Shibuya Crossing Hachiko Statue	Koami Shrine Tsukiji Hongan-ji Temple
Lunch	Konbini	ひとにぎり浅草ROX2G	Sushi Labo	Yamada no Unagi
Tea See Shop	Tokyo Tower THE SHOP at the Park (The Prince Park Tower Tokyo) Ginza	Asakusa ROX Kitchen Street	Omotesando Zakka + Sake Bar Dear You Omotesando Azabudai Hill Higashi Chaya District	Tsukiji Market SAKEICE Daimaru Tokyo Tsuru Ton Tan Udon House Roppongi
Dinner/ Supper	Ginza Duck Soba Kyudaime Rio Brewing Company Bistro & Beer Garden Tokyo Midtown	Maguro Mart	Ramen OYSTER and SHELL	Bye Bye JAPAN :’(
Stay	Remm Roppongi	Remm Roppongi	Remm Roppongi

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1. Eat the signature tebasaki in Sekai no Yamachan

I was really glad to be back here again, after my last trip to Nagoya in 2018. Sekai no Yamachan is a famous Japanese izakaya chain originating from Nagoya, and famous for its flavourful peppery chicken wings. One can easily munch done half dozen of this chicken wings.

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2. A day trip to Ise in Mie Prefecture

The journey to Ise is about 1hour 45minutes by train from Kintetsu Nagoya Station, which makes day trip very doable from Nagoya. We checked out Futami Okitama Jinja, ate Ise Udon, visited the Japan’s Most sacred shrine – The Inner Shrine (Naiku), strolled along Ohairamachi, sipped on craft beer and sake and ate few types of street food.

Read more: Things to do in Ise

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3. Eat Hitsumabushi in Nagoyal

Hitsumabushi is the Nagoya’s specialty, featuring grilled eel (unagi) over a bed of rice and served in the beautiful Japanese dishware. It is to be eaten in three ways: enjoy as it is, with condiments such as wasabi, green onions and nori, and finally as ochazuke. This time, we had our Hitsumabushi in Shirakawa Meiekiten.

Getting here:
About 6 minutes’ walk north from JR Nagoya Station, Sakuradori Exit (East Exit)

Other Hitsumabushi in Nagoya: Atsuta Houraiken あつた 蓬莱軒

Shirakawa Meiekiten
愛知県名古屋市西区牛島町6-24 アクロスキューブ名古屋1F
Weekday Lunch: 11am to 2.30pm
Weekend/ PH Lunch: 11am to 3pm
Dinner: 5pm to 9.30pm
Closed on Wednesdays

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4. Eat Benzaiten’s mochi!

Kakuozan Fruit Daifuku Benzaiten is famous for its thin-skinned mochi filled with seasonal fruits and white bean paste. However, I am into their mochi filled with peanuts fillings and coated with crushed peanuts. Very aromatic with chewy madness. This … is the top top top mochi in my list!

Kakuozan Fruit Daifuku Benzaiten
Japan, 〒450-0002 Aichi, Nagoya, Nakamura Ward, Meieki,
2 Chome−44−５ 第２ メビウス名古屋ビル １階
Opens from 9am to 8pm

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5. Explore Fushimi Sake Village

If you are a nihonshu lover and happen to be in Kyoto, you absolutely must make time for the Fushimi Sake District. Blessed with pristine underground spring water, Fushimi has been one of Japan’s most celebrated sake-brewing are for centuries.

Here in Fushimi Sake District, you get a view of white-walled kura breweries along the streets, with cedar ball ornaments hanging above the entrances. Calm, quiet and lack of crowd. I love it here!

Many breweries offer tastings, museum tours and also limited bottles you can’t easily find elsewhere.

First sake to try – Sookuu 苍空 from Fujioka Shuzo. We seated ourselves at Bar “En” and started with all the namazake and a few non nama, to find out which bottles we prefer and got our pocket ready to spend on taking home (hotel) later. Each glass was priced at ¥650 and they offer this very special frozen sake that was priced at ¥750.

After the tasting, we ended up with bottles of Junmai Miyama Nishiki and Junmai Ginjo Yamadabo for the night.

Getting here:
About 5 minutes’ walk from Fushimi Momoyama Station`

Fujioka Shuzo
Opens from 11.30am to 6pm
Closed on Wednesdays

Next, we learned about the history and sake culture in Gekkeikan Okura Sake Museum, also tasted a range of sake that Gekkeikan offers! At the end of the day, I kind of change my perspective towards Gekkeikan’s sake range. I learned that they offer something really quite palate-wowing, a lot better than what we can get in KL, LOL!

Entrance fee to Gekkeikan Okura Sake Museum: ¥600, each visitor will be given an ochoko and 3 tokens in exchange for the tasting portion of sake from the sake dispenser.

Not to miss out sampling the “sakamizu”, the soft, high quality brewing water that wells up in the courtyard of Gekkeikan Okura Sake Musuem.

Last but not least, we ended up getting bottles for the night again! Happy me!

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6. Sip up the sake from 18 sake breweries under one roof!

18 sake breweries, with over 100 sake brands, available under one roof inside this Fushimi Sakagura Koji or also known as Fushimi Sake Brewery Alley. If you have no idea what and which to order, just order their “18 breweries’ sake set”. From this, you would be able to find out which you fancy most!

There are also a number of specialty restaurant serving a great variety of dishes in this space too, offering great bites to go with your drinks.

Fushimi Sakagura Koji
82-2 Hiranocho, Kyoto-shi Fushimi-ku, Kyoto 〒612-8057

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7. Eat the fluffiest donuts – I’m Donut ?

A wildly popular donut shop in Japan, specializing in Nama donuts that are very airy, fluffy, fresh with a mochi-liked texture. Glad to see it in Kyoto and the kiasu-ness in us woke up extra early to queue for the donuts (we read about the very the long queue and we did not wanan risk it). Bought a dozen and happily enjoyed them.

Read more on my experience here: I’M DONUT? KYOTO

Getting here
About 3-minute walk from Hankyu Kyoto Kawaramachi Station

I’m donut? Kyoto
324 Shioya-cho, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto (Kojo Building 1F)
Opens from 9am to 7pm (closes early if sold out)

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8. Market buys in Nishiki Market 錦市場

Always the place to get a great stuffs or souvenirs to bring home like green tea, black bean tea, furikake, pickles, bonito, seasonings, and etc. Nishiki market is also known as the Kyoto’s Kitchen. As we had tried the delicious snacks and bites before, so this time, we focused on shopping. LOL.

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9. Took the elderlies to a Lunch Omakase at Sushi Azabu Higashiyama

It was the elderlies’ first time on omakase, so we specially selected this beautiful place for a lunch omakase and yet it wouldn’t hurt so much on the wallet (or else the old ones will sound a lot if too expensive LOL).

Last autumn, they offered this Kyoto Gourmet Tour 2025 Autumn: Special Limited Course that was priced at ¥5,000 at lunch. It was an omakase course that came with 13 items in total, including nigiri and a la carte dishes; featured traditional Edomae sushi, and dishes made with local ingredients and seasonal delights.

Of course, the elderlies were happy with everything served.

Sushi Azabu Higashiyama
３６６ 内 THE SODOH HIGASHIYAMA KYOTO
Yasaka Kamimachi, Higashiyama Ward, 〒605-0824 Kyoto

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10. Strolled along Sannenzaka & Ninenzaka

Stone-paved slope alleys filled with souvenir shops and street food. These two alleys were packed with a sea of people.

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11. Sample the great whiskey in Suntory Yamazaki Distillery

One of the main highlights of our trip – whiskey distillery tour in Suntory Yamazaki Distillery. I visited once back in 2016, but it is a lot harder to get a spot for tour/ visit now.

Just like the Suntory Hakushu Distillery , the paid tour is done through raffle system. You will have to submit your details at the given specific time when they are open for submission.

This round we managed to secure only 10 seats, I gave my tour spot to our tour members, while myself… you will definitely find me at their tasting lounge. Do note that entering to their tasting lounge, gift shop, and Yamazaki Whisky Museum requires a reservation too.

Getting there:
From Kyoto, take the train from JR Kyoto Station to JR Yamazaki Station which is about 15 minutes’ ride. Suntory Yamazaki Distillery is about 10 minutes’ walk from JR Yamazaki Station.

Suntory Yamazaki Distillery
大阪府三島郡島本町山崎5-2-1 〒618-0001

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12. Tasting the elements in The House of KI NO BI

It was an amazing experience to have joined the KI NO BI Kyoto Dry Gin tasting seminar here in The House of KI NO BI. It was at the price of ¥5,000 for the English guided course. Through this seminar, we learned about KI NO BI in depths, we were guided through the production process, ingredients and philosophy.

We got to taste the six types of the elements that make up the KI NO BI. Each of them was so aromatic and distinctive in flavours!

The House of KI NO BI
358 Kawaramachi Doori Nijo Agaru Shimizu-cho,
368 Shimizucho, Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto 〒 604-0911

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13. Sizzle our own beef katsu in Gyukatsu Kyoto Katsugyu

Finally, my turn on trying this after hearing so much from my bro and SIL. Beef cutlet quicky fried at high temperature to have it crispy on the outside and medium-rare on the inside. You may self-sear it if the cutlets are too rare to your liking. Served with a variety of sauces and condiments so that one get to enjoy multiple flavours on the gyukatsu at one meal. We ordered a few types of cut to share among us and found out the Premium Wagyu Sirloin has the best finest marbling texture.

Getting here:
About 3 minutes’ walk from the central exit of Kyoto Station

Gyukatsu Kyoto Katsugyu Kyoto Yodobashi Ten
Kyoto, Shimogyo Ward, Higashi-Shiokoji-cho 590-2, Kyoto Yodobashi 6F
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14. Beer-ing in Spring Valley Brewery

Located near Kyoto’s Nishiki Market, this brewery restaurant is housed inside a renovated 100-year-old traditional townhouse, serving craft beer and Japanese-craft cuisine. We came in after dinner, had some rounds of beers – Lager, Ale, Japan Ale, Daydream, Jazzberry, Afterdark.

Spring Valley Brewery
Kyoto, Nakagyo Ward, 富小路通587-2 〒604-8056

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15. Fresh goods and produces market – everyone’s favourite!

Ōmichō Market — also known as “Kanazawa’s Kitchen” — is famous for its ultra-fresh seafood from the Sea of Japan, along with seasonal fruits, vegetables, local produce, and specialty foods. The market is packed with small shops and restaurants where you can hop in for sushi, seafood bowls, grilled crab, oysters, and other regional dishes. Its lively atmosphere and long history make it one of the best places to experience everyday food culture in Kanazawa.

Look at the fruits! So huge so fresh!

Slurped up more sashimi and scallops. They were all so sweet!

Getting here:
Ōmichō Market is about 15 minutes’ walk from Kanazawa Station.
Or 1 minute’s walk from Musashigatsuji Omicho Market (by bus)

Ōmichō Market
50, Kamiomicho, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 〒920-0905, Japan　

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16. A good stroll in Kanazawa Castle Park after market

Kanazawa Castle Park is a large historic park built around the former grounds of Kanazawa Castle. The park features impressive reconstructed gates, stone walls, turrets, and traditional white-roofed buildings that reflect classic Japanese castle architecture.

Kanazawa Castle Park
1-1 Marunouchi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 〒920-0937, Japan

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17. Mesmerize the beauty of Kenroku-en 兼六園

Kenroku-en is one of the Three Great Gardens of Japan and a must visit when travelling to Kanazawa. Its scenery transforms beautifully throughout the year, offering a completely different atmosphere in each of the four seasons; from cherry blossoms in spring, lush greenery in summer, colorful autumn leaves, to the famous snow-covered landscapes in winter.

Do spare a good one hour time (at least) to appreciate the beauty of the garden, take a nice slow walk and stop for some photos.

Kenroku-en 兼六園
1 Kenrokumachi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 〒920-0936, Japan

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18. Afternoon tea in Salon de the Kawamura

Here to the best warabimochi but they were sold out in the late afternoon! SADDDDD… but then we managed to get the beautiful in season parfait – it was the Fig Parfait, Fig Anmitsu, a very aromatic matcha served with their in-house specialty amanatto and yokan, and Yuzu Soda made of organic yuzu. I will be back again one day for their warabimochi!

Of course, I left with some bags of Amanatto downstairs in their souvenir shop after tasting it with the matcha.

Getting here:
About 3 minutes’ walk downw wthe slope from the bus stop to Nishichaya District. Salon de the Kawamura is located at the 2F of Amanatto.

Salon de the Kawamura
石川県金沢市野町2-24-7 2F

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19. Stroll along the main shopping street

Kanazawa is especially known for its disctinctive style of Oden, often called Kanazawa oden. Unlike the stronger soy-based broths common in eastern Japan or the lighter Kansai styles in western Japan, Kanazawa’s version has its own distinctive character shaped by the city’s seafood culture and local ingredients.

Not sure about you but I am a big fan of oden, especially cabbage roll, daikon and Mochi Kinchaku. Spotted this Kanaeki no Chikuwa at the station so we happily stopped by to do a quick dinner before a great supper that we were looking forwards but sadly they did not have my favourite mochi kinchaku.

Kanaeki no Chikuwa
石川県金沢市木ノ新保町1-1 JR金沢駅西口あんと 1F
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20. Learn about Saburomaru Whisky in depth

So glad to have had the chance to visit Saburomaru Distillery — this craft Japanese whisky distillery in Toyama Prefecture is one of the region’s hidden gems. Toyama is already one of my favourite prefectures for its stunning alpine scenery , and the distillery adds another great reason to visit. Saburomaru is especially known for its heavily peated whisky and its unique ZEMON cast-metal pot stills, which give the spirit a distinctive character unlike most other Japanese whiskies.

We signed up the Saburomaru Distillery guided tour that including tasting, priced at ¥5,000 per person. The guide walked us through the process and production in the facility and ended it with tasting on their whisky and sake from the coin tasting machine. We also had a great lunch inside the facility’s restaurant!

Getting here:
Saburomaru Distillery is located right in front of Aburaden Station, about 15 minutes’ train ride from Shin-Takaoka Station on JR Johana Line.

Saburomaru Distillery
富山県砺波市三郎丸208 〒939-1308　
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21. Walked through the “Little Kyoto”

Higashi Chaya District is one of the most atmospheric and beautifully preserved historic districts in Japan, often described as “Little Kyoto” for its timeless charm and traditional streetscape. Lined with Wooden machiya buildings and stone-paved streets, this district is filled with cafes, craft galleries, museums, wagashi sweet shops and gold leaf boutiques.

Kanazawa is famous for its gold leaf production; Higashi Chaya is one of the best places to experience that craft culture. And of course, we couldn’t resist getting the iconic gold-covered soft serve ice cream just for the gram! LOL absolutely extra but totally worth it.

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22. Warmest meal in Kushi Sakaba Daisho

It was a cold, rainy evening when we were hunting for dinner. However, every restaurant we went to didn’t accept walk-ins. We walked from the station through several streets, but every place required reservations. Eventually, we stumbled upon this standing yakitori bar, and they welcomed us in with the warmest hospitality.

Kushi Sakaba Daisho offers yakitori and delicious bar bites that pair perfectly with drinks. That night, I think we ordered almost everything on the menu. The beer was sweet and refreshing, and every dish was incredibly comforting. It ended up being the warmest meal we had throughout the whole trip — LOL.

Kushi Sakaba Daisho
石川県金沢市堀川町5-10
Opens daily from 5pm to 3am

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23. All-you-can-eat oden in Koronagirai

Koronagirai specializes in oden and robatayaki, and they offer an all-you-can-eat oden deal for just ¥500! Although the selection of oden items wasn’t very extensive, we happily went back for numerous refills of the daikon, which we absolutely loved.

Getting here:
About 2 minutes’ walk from Kanazawa Station.

炉端とおでん 呼炉凪来 金沢駅前店
石川県金沢市堀川新町2-48 サンファーストビル 3F

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24. Kanazawa Port Iki Iki Fish Market

A local seafood market near Kanazawa Port in Ishikawa Prefecture and known for its ultra-fresh seafood straight from the Sea of Japan! The market specialized in seasonal seafood such as snow crab, sweet shrimps, yellowtail and nodoguro; and it has lesser crowd and often patroned by the locals. Come at the right season and you will definitely find the snow crab (zuwai-gani) at the best value!

Kanazawa Port Iki Iki Fish Market
WO-52 Muryoji-machi Kanazawa, Ishikawa 〒920-0332
Opens from 9am to 4pm
Close on Wednesdays

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25. Yamato Koji Park

Located in the Ono district near Kanazawa Port, Yamato Koji Park is a small “fermentation theme park” operated by Yamato Soy Sauce & Miso Co., Ltd. Visitors get to learn about koji and fermented food in the “koji-kura”, taste miso and soy sauce, and even try the “koji hand bath”! Inside this park, there are also restaurants and café serving dishes made with malt and amazake made inhouse, and a souvenir shop to pick up the miso, soy sauce, amazake and dressings.

Yamato Koji Park
4 Chome-I-170 Onomachi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 〒920-0331, Japan
Opens from 10am to 5pm
Closed on Wednesday

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26. Had the best breakfast in Onyado Nono Toyama

We splurged a little and spent a night here Onyado Nono Toyama, enjoyed a hot bath and drank milk and ate popsicle after the bath, slurped up the ramen from the night service and also had the best breakfast the next morning. The breakfast spread was amazingly filled with lots of dishes and fresh seafood!

Onyado Nono Toyama
1番1 Shimotsutsumicho, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 〒920-0917, Japan
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27. Finally, a trip up to Tokyo Tower!

Been to Tokyo many times and finally I made it up to Tokyo Tower! We picked the Tokyo Skytree on our first visit to Tokyo ten years back . Ten years later, I made it up to this iconic tower in Tokyo. Always wanting to come here after the romantic comedy – Last Christmas that was filmed in Tokyo and famously features the beautiful backdrop shots of Tokyo Tower. YAY, I was here!

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28. Eat Sushi in Sushi Labo

Here to another peng leng jeng sushi place in Tokyo. Shibuya Sushi Labo is a 14-seaters counter sushiya offers Edomae Sushi featuring tsumoto-style aged sushi. We had the lunch that is priced at ¥6,600 per person and everyone in my group were very happy with the experience.

Read more about my experience here !

Getting here:
This sushiya is located at the quieter side of Shibuya, about 10 minutes’ walk from Shibuya Station.

Shibuya Sushi Labo
東京都渋谷区渋谷1-6-4 せいこうビル 1F
Closed on Wednesdays

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29. Eat ALL TUNA in Maguro Mart

Maguro Mart is a tuna paradise for the tuna lovers, specializing in everything Tuna from bones to rare parts of tuna! And they are famous for the “Nakaochi”; the tender, rich and flavourful meats scraped from along the tuna’s backbone/ spine, and make your own tuna temaki with the given nori and sushi rice!

I once visited in March 2024, and this round we returned with the elderlies. We had the Standard 7 dishes Course, priced at ¥3,580 per person. Our tummies were fully filled with tuna that night.

Read more: TOKYO: Maguro Mart @ Nakano !

Maguro Mart
5 Chome-50-3 Nakano, Nakano City,
Tokyo 164-0001, Japan
Opening hours:
Weekdays: 5pm to 10pm
Sat & Sun: 4pm to 11pm

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30. Drink the rare stuff in Zakka + Sake Bar DEARYOU

Thanks to a sommelier friend’s recommendation, I discovered this hidden gem: Zakka + Sake Bar DEARYOU Omotesando, tucked away in a quiet alley near Omotesando. The front of the shop showcases handmade crafts and unique souvenirs, but the real treasure lies at the back—a cozy sake bar featuring an impressive selection of rare and highly sought-after bottles.

I was thrilled to find several names from my sake wishlist on the menu, including Aramasa, Juyondai, Ubusune, Heaven Sake and Sogga, along with a few special pours. Every bottle felt like a gem, even the tap water tasted exceptionally good!

Zakka + Sake Bar DEARYOU Omotesando
4 Chome-9-1 Jingumae, Shibuya, Tokyo 〒150-0001, Tokyo

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31. Slurp up different variety of ramen

We made a list of ramen to go, and there were a few we walk through by chance. Happily we managed to try out many types of ramen during this trip! Unagi, duck, oyster, clam, and shrimp… and everyone has their own personal favourite. As for mine, I will do them in details (please wait me!)
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1. Gion Duck Noodles

Gion Duck Noodles
Kyoto, Higashiyama Ward, Gionmachi Kitagawa, 329 1 階D号 〒605-0073

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2. Sugari

Sugari
Kyoto, Nakagyo Ward, Chigiriyacho, 178 〒604-8133
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3. Kitada

Kitada
570-3 Kitafudodocho, Shimogyo Ward, Kyoto, 〒600-8233

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4. 金澤濃厚甘えびラーメン 紅牡丹 Beni Botan

金澤濃厚甘えびラーメン 紅牡丹 Beni Botan
14-11 Showamachi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 〒920-0856

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5. Yamada no Unagi

Yamada no Unagi
Tokyo, Chuo City, Tsukiji, 6 Chome−21−4 築地大長ビル 1F 〒104-0045

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6. Ramen OYSTER and SHELL

Ramen OYSTER and SHELL
Tokyo, Chuo City, Tsukiji, 3 Chome−16−9 アーバンメイツビル １F 〒104-0045
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7. Tsuru Ton Tan Udon House Roppongi

Not a ramen but udon and it was so slurpy so delicious! Guess what?! We found Aramasa inside here! LOL

Tsuru Ton Tan Udon House Roppongi
Tokyo, Minato City, Roppongi, 7 Chome−8−6 アクソール六本木 7F 〒106-0032

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32. A little matcha, a lot of magic!

Matcha or matcha latte is definitely a must when come to Japan. LOL. Throughout this trip, we had 3 brands – Kyo ha Matcha de Kimeru and GOKAGO in Kyoto, and Hatoya in Asakusa, Tokyo.

GOKAGO at Kiyomizu was insanely long queue. It took us about 1hour for our cup of matcha latte, from queueing to pay and until we got our cuppa. But we were informed about that at time when we made our order.

Kyo ha Matcha de Kimeru
京都府京都市中京区柏屋町171

GOKAGO
京都府京都市東山区清水2-258

Hatoya Asakusa
東京都台東区花川⼾2-14-3
Opens from 9am to 5pm

The post JAPAN TRIP 2025: 12D11N in Nagoya, Kyoto, Kanazawa, Toyama & Tokyo first appeared on My Story.

Koji Restaurant

Koji Restaurant is a relatively new dining spot in TTDI, specializing in Japanese-italian flavours with a thoughtful crossover, where technique and ingredients from both cuisines complement each other.

Their menu is short but very highly focused, offering curated selection of delicate small bites and appetizers, carb-based dishes like pastas or rice that carry a strong fusion identity, protein mains, and of course refined desserts.

Thanks to my friend who threw in an ad hoc request for dinner, we had a great chat paired with well-executed dishes and wine over the dinner.

First thing first, wine for us and we found surprises in this wine! Not sure if we were too thirsty or the atmosphere drove our tastebuds differently, we found a hint of ume from this white! Lovely.

Uni Toast (RM 65)
Nori emulsion, yuzu powder, caviar
Fancy toast jam-packed with umami flavours. I like that nori emulsion that was beautifully coated over the toast and softly hinted with yuzu scent, and of course topped with the sweet and creamy uni.

Cold Capellini (RM 98)
Scallop crudo, uni, akaebi, ikura, white truffle oil
Cold, sweet, briny and umami; with contrasting textures —silky noodles, creamy seafood, and those little bursts from the ikura. Clean but indulgent at the same time.

Hamachi Carpaccio (RM 65)
Jicama salsa, orange, capers, citrus dashi
A bright delicate dish built around thinly sliced raw yellowtail, sandwiched the orange that gave an extra juicy acidity and sweetness, finished with the citrus dashi that gave a citrusy, lightly acidic note and a subtle savoury depth.

Unagi Kamameshi Claypot Rice (RM 98)
Shiitake, gobo, ikura, pork lard

Savoury, slightly sweetened, smoky with a bit of charred flavour. Ohhh lovely Kamameshi, we opted for the unagi one and the grilled unagi was rich with soft buttery texture; combined with shiitake, burdock root, pork lard and ikura. Love it. I must say the flavour combination was really good, coated every bit of plump short-grain rice. But the rice grains was softer than what I expected, I would prefer it chewier. Anyhow, it was good! Not to mention, the crispy scorched rice and the addition of pork lard, elevated the whole claypot rice!

48 Hour Beef Shop Rib (RM 150)
Salsa crudo, di Pomodoro, tempura shishito, chives
Beef cooked low and slow for an extended time until intensely flavourful and fork-tender. Love it! The flavour of the beef was quite heart-wowing. Side with tempura shishito which was lightly battered and deep fried into crisp and salsa crudo to cut through the heaviness of the dish with its brightness and acidity.

Molten Matcha Cake (RM 45)
Strawberry compote, strawberry gelato
A warm-cold dessert built around the earthy bitterness of green tea and the bright sweetness of strawberries. Sounds like a strawberry matcha latte to me but it was built into a cake!

Koji Restaurant
125, Jln Aminuddin Baki,
Taman Tun Dr Ismail, 60000 Kuala Lumpur.
Opens from 6pm to 11.30pm
Closed on Tuesdays

The post Koji Restaurant @ TTDI, Kuala Lumpur first appeared on My Story.

This April, I have my bucket list ticked!!!

I flew to Tokyo for the Craft Sake Week 2026. It was an incredible event which I had been eyeing on for the longest time, for some years. It featured 130 handpicked sake breweries, each showcased through rotating daily themes, alongside top-tier restaurants serving exclusive pairings.

Thanks to my ultimate buddies who decided to tag along to this event. We had a great fun time during the event and also during our trip! (We are still bffs after the trip #iykyk LOL). Thanks to Jean who take charge on purchasing the ticket. After some calculation, we decided to go for Starter Set C that was priced at ¥8,900; came with a sake glass and 39 coins and then to top up the 100 coins package later.

We attended on Day 5 – The Connoisseur’s Choice – and it absolutely lived up to its name. We sampled a wide variety of sake including limited edition brew specially crafted for CSW2026.

The event started from 3pm to 10pm on weekdays and 12pm until 9pm on weekends. We arrived at the event space at around 3.30pm and snatched an empty spot. While we were deciding which one to start first, the staff from DAINA dropped by. Hence, we spent our first 4 coins on their DAINA Junmai Ginjo Yumasasara (unpasteurized), from Kikunosato Shuzo, Tochigi Prefecture. First sip, we were sold! It was the first wow-ing on our palate and very memorable. We saved the last few coins on this before leaving the place!

DAINA Tojosan Yamada Nishiki (Unpasteurized), Junmai Ginjo Yumasasara (Unpasteurized) and Chokarakuchi Junmai

Happily asking for autograph.

I really like everything we had on this Day 5’s theme. They are all my favourites. LOL, I know I am greedy, but they are all superb and I really love it. However, I must highlight this range by Matsui Sake Brewery from Kyoto Prefecture. I managed to try their regular range during my last trip in Kyoto, and I really love it. The appearance of the bottles is amazingly stunning too, colourful and vibrant. Their sake too, are amazingly heart-wowing.

During this event, they showcased three types and two of them were only available exclusively for the event – KAGURA Roca Sparkling 2026 type and KAGURA Junmai Daiginjo Unfiltered Undiluted Unpasteurized (this cost 9 coins!!). The sparkling sake was a wow, but the 9 coins Junmai Daiginjo wow-ed me the most, as well as the Spring limited Junmai Daiginjo KAGURA East wind Unfiltered Undiluted Unpasteurized.

Left to Right: Spring limited Junmai Daiginjo KAGURA 東風 KOCHI Unfiltered Undiluted Unpasteurized,KAGURA Roca Sparkling 2026 type and KAGURA Junmai Daiginjo Unfiltered Undiluted Unpasteurized.

Happily asking for autograph, again!

And of course, we had many more of the others too. While I was too busy trying, chatting and partying, some of the photos I have tried may not be in the post.

KACHIKOMA from Kiyoto Sake Brewing, Toyama Prefecture; Daiginjo, Junmai, and Junmai Ginjo

We also fancied this Summer Blue from Takachiyo Shuzo, Niigata Prefecture.

豊醇無盡 たかちよ 扁平精米無調整生原酒 Summer Blue, 髙千代 扁平精米 無ろ過生酒 AQUAMARINE, 豊醇無盡 たかちよ ちよらー専用試験醸造酒 ABDUCTION06 活性生原酒 NIGORI SPARKLING

Munched on some snack bites to go with the sake. Cemembert with special Nori Sauce was great! Very umami.

Golden Ginger Gyoza

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YUKI NO BIJIN from Akita Jozo, Akita Prefecture: Junmai Ginjo Yamadanishiki 6号酵母 超辛, Junmai Ginjo 改良信交 and Junmai Daiginjo 技巧

HARUKASUMI from Kuribayashi Shuzoten, Akita Prefecture: Black Label Origarami (Cloth Filtration, Unpasteurized), Green Label and White Label (Unpasteurized).

KARAHASHI from Homare Sake Brewery, Fukushima Prefecture: Ultimate Cerulean, Ultimate Rose and Aizu Homare Junmai Ginjo Fukunoka Usu-nigori.

Chiebijin Evergreen and Chiebijin Dolce from Nakano Shuzo, Oita Prefecture

GASSAN from Yoshida Sake Brewing, Shimane Prefecture: Shunyo 70, Mizuki Junmai Ginjo and Junmai Daiginjo (Unpasteurized)

Happy to bump into Master Sake Sommelier Joshua Kalinan from Singapore too!

If I had more time in Tokyo, I’d definitely make multiple trips back to Roppongi Hills to check out each day’s unique theme. A must-visit for any sake lover!

The post TOKYO: Craft Sake Week 2026 @ Roppongi Hill first appeared on My Story.