The new wine bar Dick Bruna TABLE is set to open in Kobe, Japan on July 17, 2020 at 11:00am (JST) where customers can enjoy various wines from around the world. Reservations are already open for both the bar and cafe tables, and if you book by July 16, you'll get an original coaster. Dick Bruna TABLE KOBE is themed around the popular children's author and graphic designer Dick Bruna (1927-2017) who is known for his popular character Miffy. This will be the first bar of its kind centred on Bruna. The bar has 4 floors which include a takeout counter, merchandise shop, cafe, wine bar, and event space. Dick Bruna TABLE will also be opening an online store for merchandise in the near future. It's a must-visit for any fan of Miffy and Dick Bruna's works.

Shiojiri is a city in central Nagano with a population of 67,000 (as of April 2020). As a tourist destination, it's a place that goes under the radar, but it's actually home to the best quality grapes for wine in Japan, and also boasts 17 wineries (as of April 2020). Shiojiri is a place with many tourist attractions, such as the historical town of Narai-juku whose streets still echo the Edo Period, Kiso-Hirasawa lacquerware, the Hiraide ruins which are one of Japan's three biggest ruins, Takabotchiyama which has become known for appearing in anime and Japanese drama series in recent years, the local dish "sanzokuyaki" (large fried chicken), and more.   In 1988, the city of Shiojiri began growing grapes at Shiojiri Station to promote the city's grapes and wine. It has gone on to become famous as the only station in Japan with grape production. They grow Merlot and Niagara grapes.   The station encourages volunteers to help pick the grapes. The first picks of this year's season began on May 29, and the efforts are being posted about on the city's official social media accounts and website. The Merlot wine made from the grapes picked in August last year is also ready and will be posted about soon too.

Sai Sai Jaran Jaran is a featured series here on MOSHI MOSHI NIPPON from the members of the all-female band SILEN SIREN (aka Sai Sai) who visit various hot spots in Japan and experience different things, the Sai Sai way.   Band bassist Ainyan enjoys a beer or cocktail, but she wants to step into the world of wine, so we will join her on her journey today as she goes to learn all about wine from the very basics. It's a clear sky today. Great weather for going for a drink during the day, am I right? We visited Fukagawa Winery Tokyo in Monzennakacho, an area located in Shitamachi, Tokyo. We were looking forward to going there because it offers the full wine experience, allowing visitors to see wine brewing up close to learn all about it. This experience is offered twice a day on weekends and national holidays at 14:00 and 16:00.   Fukagawa Winery Tokyo opened in Tokyo in 2016 as a winery where the ordinary person could go and see wine being made to fully understand its process. It has expanded its circulation in recent years and is now able to take in grapes from across Japan, including Tokyo, to craft many different wines. On the day we visited we saw the staff bottling up the wine. On average, the winery ships out around 30,000 bottles a year. The corks have illustrations of "Wine Man" on them, a character created by Fukagawa Winery Tokyo. Ainyan was fairly fond of him! Time to see how the winery works!   When you step inside, the scent of grapes is the first thing to hit your senses. The one in charge of Fukagawa Winery Tokyo is Kousuke Ueno, who was kind of enough to show us around. He taught us the process of wine making, as well as what types of grapes and tools they use. "This machine separates the grapes and stalks using the propellers. This method has been used for 150 years," explained Ueno.   There are periods when visitors can observe this machine being used to separate the grapes. It takes place between mid-August to November, so follow Fukagawa Winery Tokyo's social media for announcements and details. "Wow! It smells so good!" said Ainyan. We got to see a bucket where Cabernet Sauvignon was being made. They put in whole grapes with the skin on and add natural yeast for the fermentation process. The sweet smell of the grapes fills the air and makes you want to have a glass. Now for what Ainyan has been waiting for: taste-testing time! She learned everything about the wine making process, so it was time to taste and compare some different wines. The winery allows taste-testing until 17:00. You can try 3 types for ¥700. And of course, if there's one you tried that you really liked, you can buy it there and then. So sip, scrutinise, and select! "Please try this one first. It is wine, but it's like a lemon sour," explained Ueno, recommending that Ainyan first try the Yamanashi  Delaware Sparkling. Soak up all the notes of the drink by having a good smell first before taking a small sip. "Smells really good. This sourness really is like a lemon sour! I wonder why?" said Ainyan.   This wine uses premature grapes which gives the wine a sour taste. The sourness of this wine can play the part of lemons, so it's best paired with fried foods or meals with chicken in them. The second drink was the Yamagata Delaware Muroka. It's an unfiltered wine made from completely ripened Yamagata Delaware grapes.   Unfiltered means that the filtration process to take out visible solids and such is not used. This gives it a slightly cloudy appearance and an exquisite taste that's somewhere between wine and juice.

Left: Unfiltered Yamagata Delaware / Right: Filtered Yamagata Delaware

For the third glass, Ainyan ordered the filtered Yamagata Delaware to test the difference between it and the unfiltered version. "The filtered one has a good balance of flavours and is refreshing. The unfiltered one has a smooth juiciness to it. They're both delicious, but I like the unfiltered one more!" said Ainyan. Her fourth glass was an unfiltered red wine: the East Bay Assemblage Red B. The grapes used are a combination from Hokkaido, Nagano, and Aomori. It really is an assemblage! "The red wine has such a different taste and colour depending on the type too! This dark red wine is close to what I usually drink!" said Ainyan with a happy smile. At the end of the session, Ainyan had tried 10 wines and bought two bottles! She was delighted with her experience, saying: "I was surprised how different each and every one of the wines I tried at Fukagawa Winery Tokyo were. I think I'm getting hooked on the appeal of unfiltered, natural wines."   With Christmas and New Year around the corner, now is the season to indulge in wine. If you're in Tokyo this December, pay a visit to Fukagawa Winery Tokyo for a full wine experience.     Writer：Yuki YokooPhotographer：Kayo Sekiguchi  

Japan’s favourite holiday Golden Week technically starts on Saturday 27th April. This year, the holiday stretches over a long 10 days and I’m sure there’s many of you who will be taking the bullet train to travel or to visit your families! That’s where Tokyo Station’s best bento lunch rankings come in handy!   Gransta   1st place: Shrimp, crab & salmon bento (Tsukiji Sushi Sei, Marusei) ¥1,250 (price after tax) This bento is packed with salmon and shrimp and pieces of crab meat. It’s quite popular amongst girls! 2nd place: Beef in sweet ankake sauce served with fried rice (KAMONKA) ¥741  (price after tax)3rd: place Ginger-fried pork bento (Asakusa Teppantei) ¥1,190 (price after tax)Ecute Tokyo1st place: Large hamburg steak with kinako pork katsu bento (TSUBAME GRILL DELI)  ¥1,280  (price after tax)You can enjoy both TSUBAME GRILL DELI's popular hamburg steak and pork katsu in one hearty serving!※ Limited to Ecute Tokyo, only 50 of these bentos will be sold every day.2nd place: Hifumi bento (Furusato ryouri Fukuzen) ¥1,350  (price after tax)   Extra:

Tokyo station bento: Nihombashi Daimasu, Tokyo  ¥1,680  (price after tax)

If you’re looking for the perfect Tokyo ekiben (station-bought lunch box), this is it! It comes in a box with a beautiful Tokyo station print and retro wrapping. The contents are also delicious and carefully made, packed with the special flavours of an experienced bento-making shop.   Pop by to discover these lunches and enjoy the holidays!    

NAKED Inc. and Namco Limited have teamed up to open a non-alcoholic bar that takes on the appearance of a picture book. Ehon no Naka no BAR opened on February 28th and will stay open for a limited period of time.

The bar is conceived around the concept of your movements initiating events that move you to the core. Aimed at working women in their 20s and 30s, they serve food, drink and healing.

 

Themed on a mysterious forest locked inside of a picture book, NAKED bring the world of the book to life with projection mapping and sensing technology. The interactive images projected change with people's movements.“

Place your hands on the table to bloom flowers or hold them out to create ripples in a lake. When you put your plate on the table, birds will approach you. And there's plenty more where that came form. Enjoy a 'mocktail' (non-alcoholic cocktail) and you're plunged into an immersive digital world.

 

Immersive yourself in an extraordinary environment that'll really have you thinking you're inside of a picture book.

 

Tokyo Station is a station used by many tourists. When you visit Tokyo, of course, you will want to buy some souvenirs. But you may wonder, what souvenirs are “good” Tokyo souvenirs?

In this article, the staff of MOSHI MOSHI BOX Harajuku Tourist Information Center, who love to travel, will introduce to you some recommended souvenirs which can be bought in and around Tokyo Station.

“Ohana no Babaroa Ball Cake”recommended by our Spanish staff, Luki.

Yuriさん(@yuri.pf)がシェアした投稿 - 8月 22, 2015 at 10:02午前 PDT

I am sure that this gift is suitable to be given to women who loves flowers.

The product uses eatable flowers and has a gorgeous looking/splendid taste.

 

 

“Torotoro Yaki Cup Cheese” recommended by our Hong Konger staff, Minimal.

chiroruさん(@chiroru_ribon)がシェアした投稿 - 9月 16, 2017 at 7:14午後 PDT

A very popular product where some days about 4,000 pieces are sold in a day! The combination of the melty cream cheese and crunchy cookie tart is awesome.

You can enjoy the product by heating it or cooling it.

 

“Siretoco Doughnut”recommdend by our Chinese-speaking staff, Banako

みっさとぅーさん(@miiisatwu)がシェアした投稿 - 1月 31, 2018 at 4:46午前 PST

Many cute animals are place on top of a doughnut and of course, the doughnuts taste good.

Each animal is very cute and there are Tokyo Station-limited variations!

 

 

“Tokyo Banana - Banana Yogurt Flavor” recommended by the Miss ID Semi-Finalist, Midori.

*mayu*さん(@ranunculus_love)がシェアした投稿 - 2月 5, 2018 at 11:40午後 PST

Did you know that a new version of Tokyo Banana (a very famous sweets item of Tokyo), a collaborative item with the panda cub in Ueno Zoo called Xiang Xiang, was released!?

The flavor of the product is banana & yogurt. Eating this item will feel a bit “mottainai”to eat. That is, it looks too cute to be eaten because the illustration of the panda cub is so cute!

 

 

 

“Gomatamago” recommended by our English-speaking staff, Ellie.

yo.312☁︎さん(@y.daisk_)がシェアした投稿 - 1月 31, 2018 at 5:17午前 PST

This sweets item is a standard souvenir of Tokyo. The black sesame paste, and black sesame jam are wrapped inside a castella sponge cake and the whole cake is coated with a white chocolate.

The splendid harmony of the 4 layers is addictive. The shape of the product which looks like an egg is very cute♡ The name, Gomatamago means, “goma” = “sesame” and “tamago”=”egg.”

 

 

“Tokyo Hiyoko” recommended by the director of MOSHI MOSHI BOX, Shiota.

Tokyo Hiyokoさん(@tokyo___hiyoko)がシェアした投稿 - 1月 26, 2018 at 4:29午前 PST

A standard Tokyo souvenir dessert comprised of a sweet bean jam wrapped in a soft dough.

Don’t miss the various of flavors which are sold for a limited time offers!

 

 

How did you like our MOSHI MOSHI BOX staff recommended Tokyo souvenirs? Please refer to this article when you are not sure which Tokyo souvenir to buy. Let’s have fun in Tokyo!