Three small cups sit in a little tray on the bar in front of me. Each of them is filled with a taster of a different brand of shochu, a Japanese alcohol. Drinking it is an experience which, like wine, is best described as an art. Taking my time, I sip from the first cup, letting the smell and flavor permeate my senses. It’s excellent. It should be. Certified shochu advisor Kotaro Yamamoto picked it for me.

Chef and owner of Kotaro’s (which is the name of the bar and the owner), Kotaro fell in love with shochu at the age of 25. “It’s really pure. The process of making it cleans out all the impurities. Unlike beer, shochu’s not bad for your health. That really got me interested.” He had been working as a restaurant chef ... Read More

Pousse Cafe, I will always miss you. I only knew you for ten short months, but the happy memories I have of us together are so many that it feels like our friendship was much longer than that. And though we are gathered here today on what is ostensibly a tragic occasion, I would like to use this moment to reflect on some of those happy memories.

I remember when I first met you in March, before the cherry blossoms had begun to bloom. You lived so very close to my apartment; I passed you every day on the way to work, but it took me a while to muster up the courage to formally introduce myself. Actually, it was how your large-screen TV, which I could see clearly through your wide store-front windows, was used primarily to play old-school Famicon games tha... Read More