The labels of the Window’s series feature beautiful illustrations by renowned Japanese artist, Ichiro Tsuruta, sure to catch your eyes.

The shochu craze in this country has not yet reached the level of that of sake, but it’s warming up now, especially amongst liquor connoisseurs and bar-goers.  Today, many shochu brands are available in the U.S. and new ones keep coming in.  Two refined barley shochus will debut in the U.S. market: Window’s Mugiichi and Window’s Migaki, both of which are honkaku (premium) shochus from prestigious shochu distiller, Komasa Jyozo Co., Ltd. in Kagoshima Prefecture.

Although they are new to this country—with plans to be released some time in February—the distiller has produced shochu and liquor for about 130 years in the mecca of shochu with an extensive variety.  Naturally, the quality of the two shochus is proven to be superb.  Window’s Mugiichi is smooth with a touch of sweetness and a fruity aroma despite the high alcohol content, about 24% by volume.  Its light, refreshing aftertaste is also enjoyable, making it a good introductory shochu for beginners.  On the other hand, Window’s Migaki boasts a well-rounded and fuller aroma with a spicy aftertaste.  This barley shochu is actually aged in new oak barrels for more than three years, giving it a slightly yellow tint and a pleasant vanilla fragrance.  If you try it with your eyes closed, the aroma would make you mistake it for Chardonnay.  Both shochus are made from barley but you can enjoy quite different taste experiences.

As with any other shochu, Window’s Mugiichi and Migaki are flexible table liquors that can accompany any kind of dish from the first course to the last.  But to appreciate the distinctive flavors of the two shochus, it is best to try it on-the-rocks or mix it with a little bit of hot water as an aperitif and digestif.

———————————————–———————————————–

Info: distiller Komasa Jyozo Co., Ltd.
www.komasa.co.jp
Distributed by JFC International

———————————————–———————————————–

Cultural blends are a New York signature, and the Port Authority neighborhood ramen shop, Tabata exemplifies this principle. Owner Maung Linn spent eleven years perfecting the art of ramen in a Chinese Restaurant in the Tabata district of Tokyo, which the restaurant is named after. The origins of ramen are in China, but its heart is in Japan; Tabata’s menu captures the best of both. With chicken broth as their base, Tabata’s steaming bowls differentiate themselves with layers of flavor. Signature Tabata Ramen is a creamy combination of coconut milk, spicy chicken, red onion and cilantro paying respect to Linn’s home country of Burma. Sutamina Ramen is a top seller, infused with garlic paste, Chinese chives, scallions and soft boiled egg. The Geki Kara Ramen, nicknamed Hell’s Kitchen, has a hot spicy broth that will kick out the winter chill. Just like the Chinese restaurants in Japan, Tabata serves a few classic rice dishes as well including: Tenshin Don and Chuka Don. With the utmost respect to Japanese standards and taste buds, Tabata delivers a level of variety that makes it an inexpensive and fun place to visit with a few friends to sample and share.

GEKI KARA RAMEN

Geki Kara Ramen isn’t nicknamed Hell’s Kitchen for nothing. The first bite is shockingly spicy, but the flavor is so good that by the second and third mouthful all pain melts away. Garnished with tender slices of pork and a marinated egg, this dish is an exciting flavor experience to the bottom of the bowl.

———————————————-

3 Best Sellers
Sutamina Ramen $9
Kyushu Ramen $9.75
Tan Tan Men $9

———————————————

The newly opened Midtown salon, MiNGLE New York on 55th Street was developed through a collaboration between two of the top Jap anese hairstylists currently working in NY: Mr. Shige Kosuda, known as the man that brought the Japanese straight-perm technique to NY, and Mr. Michio Shiramizu, a master stylist who has worked with many superstars in the hair and beauty industries. The collaboration not only brings the most skilled and creative hairstylists from all over the globe to one place, it also combines top-notch Japanese hospitality, service, and fashion to the mix, making it a must destination for those looking for a unique hairstyle.

“The concept of MiNGLE,” Mr. Shiramizu says, “is not to create a design just for the sake of aesthetics, but to create a total design that incorporates our customer’s daily routine and fashion sense with our own expertise and eye for fashion. We consider yesterday, today, as well as tomorrow, into our creations.” One of the most popular ser vices offered at MiNGLE is Air Wave Treatment, a new technology in hair perm that is all the rage in Asia. It guarantees a more natural, softer look than a traditional perm, and it is much gentler to the hair. The salon also offers an array of hair treatment and head spa options.

For a salon that gets written up in magazines like Vogue and Cosmopolitan, MiNGLE is luckily one of the most reasonable salons in the city. With the quality of service they provide, the prices are surprisingly affordable (Cuts $80+, Japanese straightening perm  $450+, Air Wave $200+) so you can look great all the time.

———————————————–———————————————–

MiNGLE New York
141 E. 55th St., (bet. 3rd & Lexington Aves.),
New York, NY 10022
TEL: 212-759-2397
www.salonmingleny.com

———————————————–———————————————–

Upon opening the door to Family Recipe, you feel as if you are in somebody’s home. Its simple wood interior perfectly matches the philosophy of chef/owner Akiko Thurnauer, which is to welcome customers into what she considers her personal kitchen and dining room and provide them with healthy, delicious food. Thurnauer’s offerings are based on her family’s home cooking. Her father traveled all over the world for work, and he often brought her back foreign ingredients that Thurnauer would then experiment with. She incorporates these two components of her upbringing, the familiar and the exotic, into the menu at Family Recipe. Thurnauer employs organic, local ingredients in her tapas-style dishes as much as possible, and there are options for vegans, vegetarians and meat-lovers alike. Daily Specials are made with ingredients that are in season, and lately one popular item is the Okonomiyaki Pancake. Other crowd pleasers are the wide variety of Multi Grain Rice Bowls, such as those made with uni, ikura or tobiko. Wine, sake and beer are all available, and there is also a Sake Tasting where customers can sample three new types.

Multi Grain Rice Bowl with Short Ribs

Healthy and hearty, Multi Grain Rice Bowls are top selling items. Hot sesame miso sauce nicely coats the umami flavor of the tender slow-cooked grass fed short ribs, and is perfectly accompanied by their Kale Salad and the appetizer Brussel Sprouts flavored with capers, shallots, miso butter, and pine nuts.

———————————————-

3 Best Sellers
Pork Belly Bun $12.50
Multi Grain Rice Bowl with Short Ribs $17
Okonomiyaki Pancake (Price may vary)

———————————————-

Considering all that has been going on in the U.S. and around the world, it may be easy to forget about Japan’s Tohoku earthquake last March.  But for those that were affected and still living in the aftermath, it is far from being a distant memory.  A project initiated by Ragueneau Sasaki sweets company owner and Tohoku native resident, Shuhei Sasaki, aims to specifically boost morale and encourage those still trying to cope and move on from the disaster.

Six confectionary manufacturers with factories and headquarters located in the Tohoku area have each created different sweets celebrating the regional delicacies of Tohoku’s six prefectures, in hopes to lift up spirits and support earthquake recovery.  Each confection highlights ingredients famous from each prefecture and showcases the unique specialty of every company, which includes Ragueneau Sasaki company’s “Scallops Pie” (Crispy pie crust with scallops extract) from Aomori Prefecture, Okashi-no-Kurata company’s “Akita Komachi Krunch” (A cookie, coated with the small arare rice beads and white chocolate) from Akita Prefecture, Guranba Kamaishi Factory’s “Iwate Menkoi Rusk” (Slightly sweet and buttery cookie) from Iwate Prefecture, Kotobuki Sanshokumonaka Honpo company’s “Sendai Miso Sablé” (Miso flavored cookie) from Miyagi Prefecture, Kineya Honten “La France Manju” (Pear flavored sweet bean cake) from Yamagata Prefecture and Kashiwa-ya company’s “Chocolat Chocolat” (Milk chocolate and azuki beans cake) from Fukushima Prefecture.

The developed product, called “Michinoku Shu”, literally means “United States of Tohoku”, as it unifies the prefectures with the companies aiming to create sweets that could not be achieved without the cooperation and joint effort of each region. Sold as a six pack, the sweets are now available for purchase in-store and online in Japan.

———————————————–———————————————–

Info: Ragueneau Sasaki www.rag-s.com

———————————————–———————————————–

Eager to become a piece of art herself, she decides to offer her body as a canvas to the most renowned tattoo artist of the time, Horiyoshi, and unwittingly puts her life at risk. The intimacy between the artist and his canvas, built through hours of tattooing, blossoms into a passionate and dangerous love.  Against conventions, the two protagonists develop an unusual trust for each other.  As the ink permanently penetrates Isabella’s skin, she realizes that Horiyoshi will forever be a part of her.

Japan has a long history of tattoo culture and skin-carving was not looked down upon until the 17th century, when they served as markers for criminals. A few centuries later, international visitors viewed them as a permanent souvenir from an exotic place. Despite the active westernization right after the Meiji Restoration, physical contact between a Japanese man and a western woman was in itself a dare to conventional society.

Schorr’s extensive historical research (both in Japan and the U.S.) about the Meiji era and the Japanese art of tattoo translates on stage with noticeably accurate scenery and costumes. The set design is supported by a soaring and memorable score and allows this audience to travel into an unknown, sensual and edgy world alongside Isabella.

For director Johanna McKeon,“the play is a perfect cross-breeding between the traditional Noh theatrical form and legitimate, American musical theater.” While the characters struggle to make sense of a reality dictated by the strings of duty, the powerful voices of their heart rise against their will. The 19th century tattoo parlor becomes a nest where their two worlds will inevitably collide and merge.

While set in Japan’s Meiji era, Tokio Confidential brings to light relevant concepts to a contemporary audience: interracial relationships, underground art culture, anti-war message… The New York Off-Broadway scene has rarely presented Japanese-themed musical plays. Tokio Confidential opens a fresh and imaginative breach into a new form of theater that gathers different styles, ideals and aesthetics.

Playing for only two weeks from February 5th until the 19th at the Atlantic Stage 2, Tokio Confidential is an unmissable love story, brilliantly orchestrated around a Noh-inspired stage design and a timeless musical score: a perfect outing for Valentine’s month.

———————————————–———————————————–

Atlantic Stage 2
330 W. 16th St. (bet. 8th & 9th Aves.)
New York, NY 10011
TEL: 212-691-5919 / www.atlantictheater.org

———————————————–———————————————–

Chinese Take Out UN-like Any Other

Shih Lee, nicknamed the “United Nations Cafeteria”, stands as proof that you don’t have to go all the way downtown to get remarkable Chinese cuisine at reasonable prices. This twenty-one year old, secret Midtown hot spot for UN staffers relies on its slow, home-style cooking to provide comfort to customers living in a foreign land. As testament to the restaurant’s popularity, its walls are covered with post cards from adoring fans around the world.
“Our menu is much smaller than our competitors’ because we want to focus on a few things and do them really well,” explains Manager/Owner Mr. Lee, who greets regulars by name while handing out spectacular, heartwarming dishes like a Philippine style adobo Pork Stew; made from rich chunks of pork belly cooked for hours, creating a thick, almost sweet sauce. Customers use their hands to nibble Stewed Ox Tail, another labor-intensive dish resulting in soft, succulent flavorful meat. Shih Lee’s classic American Chinese dish General Tso’s Chicken could easily be called the best in NYC with its light, crispy batter, glistening auburn sauce and choice between white meat, dark meat or both. Another popular dish is the Fried Butter Fish that is only served on Fridays and is guaranteed to sell out. Shih Lee is a real food lover’s restaurant serving unconventional bits like tripe, pigs’ feet and ears. Much of the restaurant’s success is owed to Chief Chef who has been running the kitchen for the past sixteen years.
The $6.75 lunch special keeps the doors busting during mid-day, but local connoisseurs know that it is the ideal place to meet friends for a filling dinner before a night on the town.

Quality and care are the key ingredients that set Shih Lee apart. The General Tso’s Chicken blows the competition out of the water while the Braised Beef Noodles warm the heart and tease the tongue.

Shih Lee’s Pork Stew is a guilty pleasure because it’s that good that you don’t care about calorie content.

© 2010 Dream On Productions

Cast Me If You Can (Wakiyaku Monogatari) is a light-hearted film that will put you in a cheerful mood. The quirky, romantic comedy set in Tokyo is made by up-and-coming Japanese writer and director Atsushi Ogata, who was raised in the U.S. and a graduate of Harvard College and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.  Released in Japan October of 2010 and acclaimed in many international film festivals, it will finally arrive in the U.S. January 2012 in DVD format.

This cute and playful movie is about a perpetual supporting actor, Hiroshi who is a constant victim of mistaken identity, experiencing many misfortunes on his quest to finally land a leading role and get out from under the shadow of his famous playwright father.  His trouble with mistaken identity gets him in trouble with the law and even jeopardizes his chance to finally star as the lead in a Woody Allen remake.  As Hiroshi struggles to clear his name, he meets muse and aspiring spitfire actress, Aya, who dreams of pursuing acting in New York, and learns that “Love can be a catalyst for losing yourself or for rediscovering yourself”.

Just like Woody Allen movies in which the city of New York plays an important role, the city of Tokyo and its suburbs are the vital backdrops in Cast Me If You Can. Riverbanks, convenience stores, cafés, parks, and even the spooky-lit railroad underpass, without touristy or iconic locations and buildings, successfully reproduce the real lifestyle of Tokyoites.

Starring Toru Masuoka and Hiromi Nagasaku, who are supported by veterans like Masahiko Tsugawa, Keiko Matsuzaka and Akira Emoto, this feel-good movie is sure to capture the hearts of Japanese and Americans alike.  The english subtitled version is now available via amazon.com.

———————————————–———————————————–

Info: www.wakiyakuthemovie.com
For purchase, go to www.amazon.com/Cast-Me-If-You-Can/dp/B0060ANYRA

———————————————–———————————————–