Starting February 1, 2023, visitors to Nagano will be able to experience an unforgettable winter experience at Hoshino Resorts KAI Alps. The Kamakura Footbath will invite guests to soak their feet in a warm bath as they sit in a traditional Japanese igloo while sipping local amazake and enjoying the snowy scenery. 

Soak your Feet Inside a Hot Footbath Inside a Kamakura

During February when snowfall is the heaviest, these kamakura, or igloos, can be spotted in the hotel’s courtyard. A private footbath is available inside each structure, which will keep guests from experiencing the cold wind. According to many, having a cool body and warm feet is the perfect recipe for a good night’s sleep and good health.

Taste Amazake from a Local Brewery

Kurazukuri Amazake is brewed at Hokuan Brewery in Omachi, Nagano. Made exclusively from home-grown, expertly polished sake rice, the sweet beverage has a delicate flavor similar to wagashi. Why not warm your body from the inside out with this traditional drink?

Enjoy the Winter Landscape Illuminated by Bamboo Lights

Around each kamakura are a sea of bamboo lanterns, popular in the area. Guests can gaze out at the cold winter landscape beneath the awesome peaks of the Japanese Alps while pondering what the spring will bring. 

Shiragiku Sake Brewery will release a special sake made exclusively to mix with soda water on October 1, 2022. The beverage will be available in Okayama Prefecture.

The company’s interest in creating a new sake culture led them to develop &Soda, a delicious sake made to be mixed with soda. This may be helpful for those who don’t know much about sake, or who may feel intimidated by the many different types. Being able to mix it with soda will make sake drinking feel more casual. 

Sake Made Exclusively for Mixing with Soda Water, ‘&Soda’

“Many people may like to mix sake with soda water or drink it on the rocks. By doing this, however, a nice sake may lose its flavor, and the drinker might be wasting a nice sake for the sake of a more easy-drinking beverage. &Soda was made exclusively to be mixed. Using Asahi Rice, a specialty in Okayama Prefecture, and water from the brewery, we’ve created a sake that has the proper aroma and sweetness. These characteristics will come through even after being mixed! The alcohol content has been increased to 18 percent, and the package will make the product easy to find and understand,” a statement from the brewery reads.

For more information on how to enjoy &Soda, please see the special website below!

Aiming to create a new kind of drinking culture, Aika in Gunma Prefecture has started preorders for SAKE COLA, a new cola liquor, on the crowdfunding site Makuake. 

People love cola for its strong carbonation, sweetness, and distinctive spicy flavor. SAKE COLA has a complex, multi-layered aroma and refreshing sweetness offering a unique taste that no one has tasted before.

In creating SAKE COLA, the company attempted to keep the authentic sweetness of sake. To this end, they decided to work with Rokkasen, a long-established sake brewery in Yamagata. 

Rokkasen’s authentic rice-based shochu Goujoppari is brewed in the cold like sake and distilled like a ginjo sake. It has a beautiful citrus aroma and tastes similar in sweetness despite having zero sugar.

Using Goujoppari as a base, malted rice is used to produce a mild, natural sweetness, and the spices added to the drink meld with the citrus scent to create a flavor defying imagination.

The flavor and aroma of SAKE COLA spread in the mouth, with the spices and herbs lingering on the tongue. The spices were mixed by Hayashi Oki, who studied in Alsace, France before working as a pastry chef at one of Tokyo’s top patisseries. 

Mace, the key spice, is characterized by its sweet and somewhat pungent aroma. It’s used to recreate the caramelized taste that is found in most cola.

Along with that, tonka beans, containing the natural sweeteners Vanillin and Coumarin, were blended into the mix to create a soft, lingering flavor. Customers are sure to enjoy it from the first sip to the last.

SAKE COLA can be enjoyed at any time. It’s perfect for enjoying as an aperitif, and it can also be enjoyed with a meal, like beer or wine. 

Like whiskey, it can also be enjoyed while relaxing after a meal. At Christmas time, it can be added to warm red wine or served as an affogato with ice cream and a splash of liqueur. How would you like to try this unique creation?

Celebrating the 10th anniversary of her major label debut, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu is having a busy year. The artist will perform at this year’s Coachella, one of the largest music festivals in the United States, and released her first full-length album in three years ‘Candy Racer’ in October 2021.  On January 16, Kyary embarked on the largest tour of her career, ‘Kyary Pamyu Pamyu 10th ANNIVERSARY JAPAN TOUR 2022 CANDY WAVE,’ which will see the singer performing 30 shows across Japan. In conjunction with the nationwide tour, the “LOCAL POWER JAPAN Project” was launched to energize Japan through the appeal of regional towns and cities, and has been attracting major attention. After concluding her performance in Kumamoto on March 6, Kyary is now collaborating with a local business in the area.

In the center of Yamato, a city in Kumamoto, lies the Tsujun Bridge, an important cultural property. The local Tsujun Brewery derived its name from this landmark and has been in business for 252 years. A special collaboration logo has transformed the breweries logo into an homage to Kyary’s 2014 third original album, Pika Pika Fantajin. Commemorative T-shirts featuring the new logo are also on sale! 

A special beverage inspired by Kyary is also available. Despite coming from a brewery, this amazake is alcohol-free!

While the beverage is branded with Kyary’s likeness, this particular Ama-no-Tamuzake Hotarumaru is a big seller for the brewery. Made from Kumamoto rice and purified at a nearby shrine, this sweet beverage is sure to lift your spirits, just like Kyary’s music. This drink is also more nutritious than other alcohol, containing no sugar or additives, and can be enjoyed by children. Each purchase also comes with an original shopping bag, making it the perfect souvenir!

Sake Boys, a VTuber project that reimagines alcoholic beverages as cute virtual personalities, held a team competition on February 25, 2022. Information about the new male trainees has also been released! Those who did well during the competition will be recognized as fully-fledged Sake Boys. 

Teams

Kuro Team

[From Left: Kuro (Kensho Ono), Alfie (Ryo Muraoka), Rico (Daiki Kobayashi)]

Kuro, a cat who happens to be the God of Alcohol, leads this team. The feline always does things by the book, but the other members hope to improve their skills by taking on tons of new challenges!

Shiro Team

(From Left: Yasaka (Sonosuke Hattori), Draft (Daisuke Mannami), Shiro (Toru Itoga), Shaoxing (Mizuki Chiba)]

Fellow God of Alcohol Shiro tends to do whatever he wants, and this team isn’t exactly what you’d call ‘cohesive.’ This group sticks together for the sake of music, as they often are in charge of music projects and singing videos.

Chacha Team

[Left: Cassieh (Akira Orihara), Trights (Masaru Ino), Soubi (Norihito Hase), Chacha (Yu Mizushima)]

Led by God of Alcohol Chacha, this group is made up entirely of geniuses. With lovely voices, these boys are in charge of talk radio.

Sake Boys includes characters inspired by alcohol from around the world. These are the perfect VTubers to watch while enjoying a drink, and will keep you from feeling lonely or sad if you’re at home drinking alone! Personifying these characters has been a joy for this talented cast and aims to bring joy to those still having trouble with the current state of the world.

On the Sake Boys YouTube channel, viewers can enjoy the many unique talents of these 11 members, including singing, chatting, quiz shows, and cooking. As the name would suggest, they also explain the intricacies of brewing! Be sure to check it out! 

 © Imagineer Co., Ltd.

UNITED ARROWS has released its first craft beer in collaboration with Be Easy Brewing, located in Hirosaki City, Aomori Prefecture. The brew is available at the UNITED ARROWS BOTTLE SHOP, which sells select alcoholic beverages from both Japan and abroad. ‘Apple Pie Ala Mode’ went on sale starting January 2 at the UA BAR on the first floor of the UNITED ARROWS Harajuku flagship store, H BEAUTY AND YOUTH, and the California General Store. 

Be Easy Brewing offers a selection of unique and constantly changing beers using ingredients found in Aomori like apples, strawberries and Tsugaru rice. From IPAs to wheat ales, the company is always experimenting with different styles. This strange collaboration was born after UNITED ARROWS expressed a fascination with the high quality and incredible taste of Be Easy Brewing’s beers.

‘Apple Pie Ala Mode’ is a Berliner Weisse with a slightly sour taste combining apple juice, cinnamon, and vanilla. 

A part of Hoshino Resorts, KAI Alps is an incredible hot spring inn located in Omachi, Nagano prefecture, at the foot of the Northern Japanese Alps. In February 2022, the hotel will allow guests to book the Shinshu Snow Hut Experience, where visitors can enjoy the winter in a traditional snow-packed hut surrounded by bamboo lights. This area is one of the snowiest places in the region, and the locals have plenty of knowledge when it comes to getting through the cold.

Nagano prefecture is often called the ‘Space prefecture’ for its beautiful starry skies. Inside the snow hut, guests will be surrounded by lights, and bamboo lanterns will light the way. These gentle lights are perfect for the white of winter, despite the cold. 

Exclusively for this package, a kotatsu (heated table) will be placed inside the huts, and guests can wear traditional local clothing perfect for the weather. Sweet sake made at the Hokuan Sake Distillery in Omachi City and local rice cakes with Nozawa pickled greens, a Shinshu specialty, will also be served up. 

How would you like to partake in this traditional experience?

Popular social media character ‘Yosi Stamp’ has collaborated with liquor store  ‘KURAND’ to produce a limited edition drink. The ‘Yosi Stamp’s 100% Milk Liquor,’ which features a brand new ‘Yosi Stamp’ illustration on the label, will be available to pre-order for a limited time until November 7 at 17:00.

The natural milk liquor is free of preservatives, colorings, and additives, and comes with a unique illustrated label, where the rabbit and chick characters have been transformed into cows! For a limited time, customers will also receive a free ‘Yosi Stamp’ original glass, so be sure to nab it while you can.

Karuizawa Hoshino Area, a place known for bringing nature and culture lovers together, will be offering a new one-day hot spring spa plan from November 4, 2021, until March 19, 2022. This is the perfect way to unwind from the stresses of the past year while getting away from crowds and responsibilities. Because it’s only one day, it’s perfect for those who can’t take a long vacation, but who are still desperate for some relaxation! The package will include access to hot spring baths, body care, a choice of lunch and drinks, and plenty of skincare amenities.

Tonbo-no-Yu Hot Spring, open since the Taisho era, will serve as the main location for the getaway. The springs themselves are bicarbonate and chloride springs with soft and thick waters in which to achieve the perfect soak and detox. Getting out of the water will leave a veil of salt on your skin, moisturizing it and cleansing every inch of your body. The open-air bath is surrounded by trees, while the indoor baths offer excellent views through oversized windows. 

Five Luxuries to Enjoy on the One-Day Getaway

[Power Up] Proper Bathing Instructions for the Best Hot Springs Experience

For those looking to maximize their hot spring experience, a comprehensive bathing guide will be provided to all guests, including breathing exercises and techniques for a great facial massage. The plan includes rental towers, and guests can feel free to enter the springs as many times as they like. At the reception desk, guests will also be given a bottle of Apple Vinegar Water to help them stay properly hydrated while soaking. 

[New] Gentle Skin Care while Relaxing in the Spring

Those participating in the one-day plan will be given OSAJI amenities to use during their stay. The brand is made up of safe and organic products approved by dermatologists, to be applied before and after bathing. 

[Power Up] Improve Gut Health with Healthy Beverages

When guests get out of the bath, a warm brown rice amazake will be waiting, shown to improve the intestinal environment and boost natural immunity. By using brown rice, the drink contains larger amounts of Vitamin E and dietary fiber than traditional amazake. This tasty drink will be served at Cafe Hungry Spot, adjacent to the springs. 

Relieve Stiff Joints with Attentive Body Care

At Tokoyo, located within the Harunire Terrace in the Karuizawa Hoshino Area, guests will get a 30-minute body care treatment with their choice of foot massage or shoulder and neck massage. Unwind and let go of all of your stress. 

Choose From Six Different Restaurants for Lunch

For lunch, six restaurants in the Hoshino area are at your beck and call, from Japanese cuisine to Italian. There’s no need to make reservations in advance; choose what you’re craving the day of, and don’t stress! 

Want a bottle of sake that’s been to space? Liquor Innovation is opening a lottery through October 16 to snag a bottle of ALIENS GALAXY 2021, and as you would imagine the number of these items is extremely limited. 

ALIENS GALAXY 2021 started brewing on October 1, 2005, also known as ‘Sake Day.’ Using Kochi-grown yeast and rice, this brew then spent ten days orbiting the Earth on the Russian spacecraft Soyuz. This is only the second year ALIENS GALAXY 2021 will be available, after an incredibly positive response in 2020. With a refreshingly light and dry taste, the sake is a great example of Kochi’s dry sake culture, and showing up to a party with this in hand is sure to have people talking! 

Far Yeast Brewing Co., Ltd., a craft beer maker that shares original Japanese beer with the world  beer, will be opening their first directly managed overseas store in Taiwan. The Far Yeast Taiwan Craftbeer Gasteopub will be celebrating its grand opening in Taipei City, Taiwan on October 16 2021. 

The Far Yeast Taiwan Craftbeer Gastropub is the fourth directly managed store following the Tokyo-Gotanda, Shizuoka-Atami, and Fukuoka branches, as well as the first overseas location.

The Far Yeast Taiwan Craftbeer Gastropub” will have 15 taps, offering not only the core brands Kawa KAGUA and Far Yeast, but also their special Japanese craft beer that can’t be found anywhere else in Taiwan. You can enjoy the beer alongside a selection of modern Japanese-themed meals.

Far Yeast Lychee Haze 

To commemorate the opening, the company has brewed the Fruited Hazy IPA ‘Far Yeast Lychee Haze’ in collaboration with Taiwanese brewery UGLY HALF BEER, using Taiwanese lychee to flavor. The drink will be pre-released in Japan, available from  September 30 with preorders opening from 13:00 on September 21.

The combination of Nelson Sauvin hops with a grape-like aroma and the tropical scent of the citrus and coconut Sabro hops compliment the gentle and sweet flavor of lychee, enticing all craft beer enthusiasts to Taipei.

Far Yeast Taiwan Craftbeer Gastropub is expected to have an international customer base, as the gastropub is located in Taipei’s East District, an area with a high population of foreign nationals and business people. Now that overseas travel has become much harder, the new branch will allow customers to enjoy the varied tastes of Japanese craft beer and the richness of Japanese food.

Three delicious desserts are coming to The Westin Tokyo for a limited time! Beginning October 1, visitors to the hotel can enjoy a collection of premium parfaits filled with seasonal ingredients and western liquors unique to the executive bar, simply named The Bar. These will be available until November 28, on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and holiday nights only.

Chocolate Parfait with Figs and Red Berries

Chestnut and Apple Parfait

Chestnut and Hazelnut Mont Blanc Parfait

The chocolate parfait includes whole figs and bright red berries, and is finished with rich port. Calvados was added to the Chestnut and Apple Parfait, allowing guests to enjoy a refreshing combination of nuts, fruits, and mascarpone. The Mont Blanc Parfait includes a fragrant rum from Martinique, and has a richer dessert flavor.

The executive pastry chef carefully layers each parfait by hand, and these unique treats combining flavors of both east and west can only be found at The Westin Tokyo!