What we’re drinking: Nanbu Bijin

After a long day on the set of Japan Booze, Blind or Tokyo Bites, when meeting to write or plan the next step for Japan Eats, amid the vicissitudes of fortune, there is one constant; one thing in which Marcus, Christopher, and I can always find comfort, solace, and enjoyment: The Beautiful Southern Lady.

Or, perhaps more poetically, the Southern Belle. Nanbu Bijin.

Nanbu Bijin is a classic Yamada Nishiki Daiginjo sake brewed in Southern Iwate, which I suppose means this belle is Southern only if you see the boundaries of Iwate prefecture as the limits of what matters. If that’s the way they think up there, though, it’s working.

This slightly dry sake is widely available both in liquor stores (at around 2000 yen for a sho of 1.8L) and in izakaya or bars (for 600-700 yen a serving), where it serves as a decent cheap to mid-range tipple, making it one to have if you’re having more than one (sorry, Schaefer!), which you’ll want to do. After all, who doesn’t want just one more Southern Belle after a long day? Or an easy day? Or any day?