Living with the Sea in Okinawa - Where We Call Home
Ludo plans unique tours for visitors from abroad to experience the authentic Okinawan lifestyle.
One of the few remaining sabani crafters, Oshiro Kiyoshi teaches Ludo about the small wooden boat's appeal.
Ludo mans the rudder of a sabani boat in a 35-km race from a remote Okinawan island to the main island.
Though the firework displays Fjord plans differ with every event, they always amaze the audience.
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NHK
13 hours ago
- NHK
Aomori Nebuta float festival kicks off in northeastern Japan
The annual Aomori Nebuta Festival has kicked off in northeastern Japan. The iconic summer event features a procession of huge illuminated floats called "nebuta" that depict historic warriors. The procession began in Aomori City at around 7 p.m. on Saturday. Sixteen floats about five meters tall were paraded along a 3-kilometer route to the sounds of drums and flutes. Dancers called "haneto" leapt and shouted. Cheering visitors thronged the streets taking videos and photos as the floats approached. They also chanted along with the "haneto" dancers. A man who came from Ibaraki Prefecture said he had watched the festival on video before, but seeing it firsthand was totally different. He added that he wants to come again next year. A young woman from Tokyo said she liked the way "haneto" dancers, from small children to adults, jumped rhythmically. The festival runs through Thursday. Fireworks will light up the final evening, when the floats will be displayed on the ocean.
Japan Times
17 hours ago
- Japan Times
With a new distillery, Suntory makes a spirited move on gin market
Ever since gin distillery tours went vogue with the rise of gin and cocktail culture at the turn of the 21st century, the game of sniffing and identifying elements in little containers — in this case, gin botanicals — has become de rigueur for visitors. At Suntory Spirits' newly constructed Osaka Spirits & Liqueurs Craft Distillery, located within the existing Suntory Osaka Plant, this olfactory exercise is no exception. But the smells don't just come from the usual potpourri of juniper berries and citrus peels — there are also cherry blossom leaves, sencha (steamed green tea), gyokuro (high-quality, shade-grown green tea) and sanshō pepper, all of which help create the taste profile of Roku, Suntory's craft gin. First launched in Japan in 2017, Roku is now sold in approximately 60 countries and remains one of Suntory's most popular products with almost 90% of its sales coming from outside of Japan. It's almost impossible to walk into any top bar in London, Singapore and Hong Kong today and not spot the bottle, with its white label and eponymous kanji character for 'six,' sitting behind the counter. Since its launch in 2017, Roku gin has become a popular spirit in many of the world's top bars. | SUNTORY 'In the six years since it was launched, Roku has become the second most popular premium gin in the world, hitting sales of nearly 400,000 cases,' says Tetsuji Yano, senior general manager of Suntory Osaka Plant. 'In the long term, we aim for (Roku) to become the number one premium gin in the world.' The Osaka Spirits & Liqueurs Craft Distillery will focus largely on gin — and for good reason: According to a press statement from Suntory, Japan's gin market was estimated to be worth ¥25 billion as of 2024. The new distillery is part of Suntory's aim to capture the growing demand for gin, develop its Roku range and help drive Japan's total gin market to ¥45 billion by 2030. Suntory has spared no expense. Out of the ¥6.5 billion invested in increasing the production capacity at the Osaka plant, ¥1 billion was poured into the visitor experience at the Osaka Spirits & Liqueurs Craft Distillery. The Japan Times was invited to a press preview of the new distillery, which began operations in June but will open to the public in spring 2026. The distillery's four distillation pot stills, which help increase the plant's total production capacity by 2.6 times, are the new toys. A viewing deck, perched four stories high, allows visitors to overlook the stills that include a vacuum distillation pot for extracting the delicate aromas of cherry blossom leaves and a rectification pot for extracting fruit peels and purifying alcohol via repeated distillation. Each of the new distillery's pot stills is designed to accommodate the different extraction requirements of each botanical used for Roku gin. | SUNTORY However, gin geeks looking to go on a guided tour closer to those massive contraptions humming below may be disappointed: Suntory currently has no plans to introduce such an option. For now, it is the seminar and tasting room — a theater-like space consisting of two horseshoe-shaped tables that evoke a United Nations meeting — that will leave an impression. Seemingly taking a page out of teamLab's playbook, the venue features 360-degree-wide, thematic light projections, such as yuzu orchards or cherry blossoms to highlight the botanicals used in Roku. Here, you can sip your gin while immersed in a luminous, virtual world of nature. The tasting room will also showcase Roku's limited-edition seasonal releases, a line-up Suntory plans to grow. In May, it launched Noryo Tea Edition, a gin made with sencha and gyokuro tea leaves as key botanicals. Sold exclusively in Japan, Noryo took about two years to develop: The gin offers gentle umami notes and a soothing, herbaceous finish. As a gin and soda mix, it makes a refreshing libation for summer. Drink in the scenery: The seminar and tasting room features immersive light projections with visuals that showcase Roku gin's botanicals, such as cherry blossoms. | SUNTORY Suntory, however, is unable to disclose information about new Roku variants that will be launched for the distillery's opening to the public next year. It also did not elaborate on whether it plans to make any new whisky products — another growing segment — at the distillery: A spokesperson said they are blending and bottling some of their current whiskies at the plant, such as Kakubin. At present, from a visitor's perspective, the Osaka Spirits & Liqueurs Craft Distillery feels like a work in progress. Beyond sniffing games and the obligatory video presentation and guided tasting session, Suntory can afford to add a little more interactiveness and personalization to the visitor experience. The good news is Suntory still has till next spring to explore new ideas. Perhaps it can take a leaf out of some creative visitor programs in London's gin distilleries, such as Portobello Road Distillery, where, under guidance from an instructor, you get to create your own blend of gin and have it bottled and labeled right there and then as a souvenir. Throwing in a food and gin pairing session wouldn't hurt, too.
NHK
2 days ago
- NHK
Exhibition of manga legend Tezuka Osamu opens in Tokyo
An exhibition of late manga luminary Tezuka Osamu opens in Tokyo on Saturday. Visitors can take a closer look at his original drawings for works including "Astro Boy." The event is held in Toshima Ward at the restored Tokiwa-so apartment building where Tezuka and other manga artists spent their young days. Reporters were given a preview on Friday. There are more than 110 exhibits, including hand-drawn pictures for "Astro Boy," "Phoenix" and "Black Jack." The event highlight themes that run through Tezuka's works, such as the preciousness of life and the need to save the planet from environmental destruction. Tezuka Productions President Matsutani Takayuki says the artist's way of thinking transcended time and space. He also says he wants children to read Tezuka's works and feel what the artist was trying to convey. The exhibition runs through November 24.
