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 1. Sake Is Brewed During the Cold of Winter
When the cold of winter reaches its peak, "Toji"(sake brewers) start warming up. Sake can now be enjoyed anytime of the year anywhere around the globe.However, at breweries where sake is handmade using traditional methods, brewing is limited to the coldest period of the year (from December to the end of February).
A Storied Tradition: "Brewing in the Cold Season"
 Founded in 1689, Obasute Masamune is a sake brewery in Nagano Prefecture that continues the traditional of brewing sake "in the cold season". Major sake companies produce sake year round, but Obasute Masamune only brews in the winter. Mild sake can only be brewed by fermenting the rice at a low temperature.
 Toji (sake brewers) spend 2 to 3 weeks cleaning the rice, sterilizing it and getting it ready to brew. The actual brewing starts in late November and ends in late February. During the season, Obasute Masamune welcomes visitors with advance bookings into their brewery to witness the process.
Sake for All Seasons
 Once the freshly brewed sake is ready at the end of February, the next thing to do is to drink it!In general, sake is shipped in autumn as it takes the entire summer to achieve its mild taste by ageing at low-temperatures. Since it is too rough and immature right after brewing, the best season to enjoy sake is said to be autumn.
 The young, fresh sake of winter and early spring provides a different drinking experience. Although sake is still young in the summer, cooling stabilizes the flavor, making it fresh and energetic.In autumn, mild and aged sake can be enjoyed after heating.
Exploring Takayama's Sake Breweries
 Takayama, nestled in the center of Gifu Prefecture, is a beautiful city famous for its distinct Edo Period (1600-1868) facades and great tasting sake. In fact, Takayama has all the ingredients needed to make a high quality sake: rice, water, and skill.
 From January 11 to March 31 (10am- 4pm), Takayama hosts sake tours of eight local breweries (kura).
This is a great chance to not only to how sake is made, but also to taste a variety of newly brewed sake.As an added bonus, the city will be giving small sake cups called "ochoko" or "guinomi" to each person who joins the tour as a souvenir so they can enjoy sake the authentic way at home.
A Marriage of Taste: Sake and Japanese Food
 Like wine, sake is best when enjoyed with delicious food, and the food that best compliments sake is, of course, Japanese. Choosing the right dish and sake combination can be daunting, but there is one place in Tokyo that provides the ideal setting; Takara. Located inside the Tokyo International Forum near Tokyo Station, Takara serves products from nine sake breweries together with seasonal Japanese food.
 Takara also hosts a variety of sake events throughout the year. These events can be very popular, so if you are planning on attending, reservations are strongly recommended. July and September are good bets because they are larger in scale and can accommodate more people. Be sure not to miss the exquisite combination of local food and sake in the heart of Tokyo.
A Sake Bath?
Drinking sake with delicious local food might be the best way to enjoy sake, but some people, especially women, enjoy taking a "sake bath." It is said that pouring two to three cups of sake in a warm bath keeps the skin moisturized!
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2. It's Cold Outside, but Chocolate Warms the Heart
Soon after the New Year holiday, supermarkets, convenience stores and department stores are filled with chocolates, chocolates and more chocolates. Looking around, though, men seem conspicuously absent from the sales counters. Can you guess the upcoming holiday?
"Giri-choco"?
 Of course, it's Valentine's Day. Valentine's Day is a very popular event in Japan, but the customs differ slightly from Western countries. First of all, generally it is a day for women to express their feelings to men and/or to express love or gratitude to their loved ones, male friends and male colleagues, but not the other way round. (*There is another event called "White Day" on March 14 when men give sweets, flowers and other gifts to women in return.)Another difference is the gifts given. Usually in the West flowers and cards are common gifts as well as chocolates, but in Japan chocolates are almost compulsory. Interestingly, the type of chocolate given differs according to the recipient. Chocolates given to bosses at work are called "giri-choco" (obligation chocolate), and tend to be reasonably priced.In contrast, good-quality chocolate (sometimes even handmade) is chosen for that special person. Japanese women
can sometimes be very selective about whom they give which type of chocolate toc
Show Your Feelings With Matcha (Green Tea Powder) Chocolate from Kyoto
 Give a gift idea for Valentine's Day that is uniquely Japanese: chocolate made with matcha (green tea powder).
Matcha is used in Japanese traditional tea ceremonies, an essential element of Japanese culture. In Uji (Kyoto), which is famous for its high quality tea, there is a teahouse called Itohkyuemon that sells Uji matcha chocolate and other rich Uji matcha flavored sweets for the Valentine's Day.
 For example, the "Kyoto Hannari (Kyoto's way of expressing refinement) Gift Set" consists of matcha chocolate and matcha pudding (or matcha truffles) arranged in a pretty bamboo basket. Itohkyuemon has 2 shops in Uji: its main teahouse in the town centre and another branch on Byodoin-Omotesando (street leading to Byodoin Temple). Even if your visit should come during other times of the year, the shops offer Uji matcha cheese cakes and matcha chocolates year round. Be sure to stop by their cafe for a treat after visiting the national treasure Byodoin Temple, whose image is stamped on the back of the 10 yen coin! |
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3. Entrance Examination Season
Though winter is the coldest time of the year, it is especially harsh and foreboding for 9th graders (junior high seniors) and 12th graders (high school seniors).The only thing on these studentsf minds are entrance exams.
If you visit Japan from January to March, you may encounter students heading to examinations. If you do, be sure not to utter taboo words such as gdroph, gfallh and gsliph, which can all mean to fail an exam.
Koala Bears Bring Good Luck?
 Along with the Valentine's Day chocolates, stores are stocked with items seen as "lucky" for those taking entrance exams.
Take, for example, the well-known chocolate cookie "Koala's March", which has a limited "lucky" version sold only during the entrance examination season.
It is popular among students since koala bears don't "fall" from trees even when sleeping!
God Of Scholarly Endeavors
 When everything else is done, the last thing to do is pray to the god of scholarly endeavors for good luck. Tokyo's Yushima Tenmangu Shrine, commonly called Yushima Tenjin, is a popular place for students this time of year. The shrine is dedicated to Michizane Sugawara, a famous 9th century scholar. Students visit the shrine and write their wishes such as "I hope to enter University A, B and Cc" on wooden plaques called "ema".
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