The Land of the Rising Sun is famous not only for its wonderful dishes, but also for drinks … What do the Japanese drink? Oddly enough, the same as in the whole world, however, with some exceptions.
Tea ceremony
For example, unlike European countries, the water in Japan is clean and soft. Such water can be drunk directly from the tap or from a well, without fears for your health. This is why tea in Japan is strong and healthy. We especially love green tea in Japan, which has many different varieties.
And yet, despite the interpenetration of cultures and the expansion of the range of drinks consumed by the inhabitants of modern Japan, in the minds of representatives of other countries, Japanese and tea are inseparable concepts, since in the “country of tea houses” tea is not just quenching thirst, it is a special ritual. Cha-noi (Japanese tea ceremony) is a special kind of creativity that requires silence, solitude and peace and allows you to enjoy the contemplation of nature and art objects, silent meditation and sophisticated communication.
Japanese tea growing flourished in the 12th century when it was discovered that high-quality Chinese tea can be grown in the southern suburbs of Kyoto (before that, the Japanese had been drinking low-grade local tea for centuries). Residents of Japan have a huge number of varieties of tea, but all of them can be divided into two main types – leaf tea and tea powder.
Unlike the more beloved Japanese tea green tea, almost every variety of which has an individual name, all varieties of black tea are called in one word – co-cha.
A cup of green tea, called o-tya, is a symbol of human communication in Japan, as it is served during almost all meetings. Green tea accounts for about 80% of all drinks consumed in the country. It is prepared quite simply: a small porcelain teapot is rinsed with hot water, pour the tea leaves into it, pour boiling water over it, cover the kettle with a lid and let it brew, then pour it into cups without diluting it.
Tea ritual plays an important role for the Japanese, it is carried out strictly according to certain rules, and is filled with a peculiar philosophical meaning. Other types of tea are not inferior in popularity, for example, it is widely known – Hoji-chi, Gengmai-chi, Mugi-cha, and Matcha tea is a frequent guest at the tea ceremony.
Alcoholic drinks
Of alcoholic beverages, beer is very popular: cheap domestic, more expensive – produced under the licenses of well-known foreign companies and the most expensive – imported. The Japanese do not refuse the wine brought for the first time to Japan by the Portuguese in the 16th century, they also drink whiskey, but nevertheless they prefer sake, which, as a rule, is preheated, although in some cases they are also cold.
Well, Sake gained the greatest popularity.
Sake is a Japanese rice wine that has a strength of 16-19 degrees. Surprising is the fact that sake began to drink a very long time, approximately from the time when they began to grow rice. It is from this crop that this amazing drink consists. Sake is cooked everywhere in its own way, so the drink in each locality has its own unique taste.
What is sake? It is believed all over the world that sake is the name of a special alcoholic drink made from rice and it (the drink) cannot be defined in any of the well-known categories.
But in Japan, this word refers to all alcohol in general. And what is called sake all over the world is actually “nihonshu.”
The end
However, for any drink there is a true connoisseur who will be able to appreciate its taste, because in the Land of the Rising Sun there are only the best divine drinks that have their centuries-old history.
