I hope your week is off to a good start and that you're enjoying the summer.
We have a couple of exciting things to share. Please read on.
First -
I am so happy to be an official BALMUDA partner and supplier, and this time it is the fan.
The NatureWind Studio is the fan that pulled BALMUDA back from the edge in 2010, and it has finally arrived in America. The US model is not simply the Japanese one with a new name. The guard was redesigned for stricter US safety standards, with narrower gaps between the spokes, a thicker build, and screw-fastened construction Japan does not use.
There is a limited-time 15% code for our readers in the article. Shhhh... it works on anything at BALMUDA's US store, not only the fan. If the Toaster has been calling your name, now you know.
Second -
Japan has its own red wine grape, and unlike almost every famous variety in the world, it has an author.
Kawakami Zenbei was born in Niigata snow country in 1868, where rice failed so often that people had a phrase for it: three years, one harvest. He spent his life crossing vines to build something that could survive the climate. 10,311 crossings in all. Number 3,986, made in 1927, became Muscat Bailey A.
It smells like strawberry candy and drinks dry, and it is now the most planted red wine grape in Japan. We do not carry one yet, and I say so plainly in the guide, but if you care about Japanese wine this grape is half the story.
Third -
There is a new video up on History of Katana.
Part two of the sharpest swords ever made, and the stories behind the cuts: blades said to have gone through armor, through stone, and through steel. Part one was one of our most watched, so we went back for the rest of them. Watch it here.
Fourth -
This is the final week for Natsu, our seasonal summer coffee.
It is a medium-dark roast built from Brazil, Colombia and Indonesia, and it only exists while summer does. Once this run is gone, it is gone until next year. If you have been meaning to try it, this is the week to do it.
Thank you, as always, for reading.
With love and gratitude,
Kei Nishida
& the team from Dream of Japan
