I saw these two girls at a music festival in Tokyo and pestered them for a photograph. Do you think they were trying to tell me something?
I’m guessing the two girls didn’t meet by coincidence. I wonder if they felt the need to stand next to each other all day.
3 Comments | 
Cool, Crazy, Fun, Girls, Japan, Tokyo | 
Permalink
Posted by Roaf
Here’s a sign I spotted outside a bar in Yokohama. Presumably the sign is supposed to say “Shot Bar.” Either that, or they’re refreshingly honest.
8 Comments | Alcohol, Crazy, Japan, Yokohama | Permalink
Posted by Roaf
Here’s a picture of a Thai food stall with a preposterous name. I took the picture last year at the annual Thai food festival in Yoyogi park, Tokyo. (“Ming Pooh” is British slang for “stinky excrement”, fact fans.)
7 Comments | Crazy, Fun, Japan, Tokyo, Weird | Permalink
Posted by Roaf
I recently learned of a cocktail known as “The Japanese Cocktail.” Nobody knows how the cocktail received its name (including my local Japanese bartenders, who’ve never heard of it) but it appeared in the first ever bar-tending book, “How To Mix Drinks” (1867) by Jerry Thomas.
Suffice to say, it probably isn’t actually Japanese. According to DrinkBoy.com, “The Japanese Cocktail is a wonderful cocktail that is very easy to make. It’s slightly sweet almond flavor makes it a very approachable cocktail for almost anybody.”
Here’s the recipe:
* 2 ounces brandy
* 1/2 ounce orgeat (almond syrup)
* 2 dashes Angostura bitters
Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.
Sounds good! Unfortunately, orgeat and Angostura bitters are not easy to get hold of in these parts, so I won’t be trying it anytime soon.
Another cocktail, which I have actually tried, is “the Japanese Slipper.” It’s quite easy to get the ingredients for this one, (including Midori, a sweet melon cordial made by Suntory.)
Here’s the recipe from the International Bartenders Association (IBA) website:
JAPANESE SLIPPER (cocktail glass )
3.0 cl. Midori
3.0 cl. Cointreau
3.0 cl. Lemon juice
Add all ingredients into cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake well and strain into cocktail glass. Garnish with a slice of honeydew melon.
The Japanese Slipper is rather sweet and fruity- a little girly for my taste. Much more up my street is “the Kamikaze,” another cocktail which I highly doubt originates in Japan, but is guaranteed to get the party started. Here’s the recipe for that, also from the IBA site-
KAMIKAZE (cocktail glass )
3.0 cl. Vodka
3.0 cl. Cointreau
3.0 cl. Lemon juice
Add all ingredients into cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake well and strain into cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.
Why not try all three inauthentic Japanese cocktails in a row to jump start your evening? Might be a laugh.
12 Comments | Alcohol, Cocktails, drinking, Fun, Japan | Permalink
Posted by Roaf
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