Rascal + Thorn Tour of Japan – March 2023

In March of 2023, my good friend Charles Grabitzky led a Rascal + Thorn whiskey adventure through Japan. In my previous trips, I’d only been to Tokyo and points north. On this trip, we ventured south. Our journey took us along this route:

Tokyo – Chichibu (A) – Tokyo – Kyoto (B) – Yamazaki – Kyoto – Hitoyoshi – Akashi – Fukuoka – Nishiki – Hitoyoshi – Fukuoka – Nagasaki (C) – Fukuoka – Kagoshima (D) – Fukuoka – Tokyo

Day 1 – Tokyo

Cherry blossoms at Shinjuku Gyoen, immersive art exposition at TeamLab Planets, whisky at Aloha Whisky Bar.

Day 2 – Chichibu

I’ve now visited Ichiro’s Malt Chichibu Distillery twice. The first time was in 2018; and it was one of the true highlights of the year. Well…on this visit in 2023, we had a magical experience in the tasting room like none before. A big thanks to our guide, Soma, for the opportunity to taste not only 4 superb single casks (including a 12-year Pedro Ximenez cask that blew me away), but also the Hanyu Card Series Colour Joker. I never imagined I’d have a chance to try this rare and magnificent whisky.

Day 3 – Kyoto

We passed Mt Fuji on the Shinkansen (bullet train) from Tokyo to Kyoto. When we arrived in Kyoto, we stayed at the BnA Alter Museum Hotel- each room is a comprised of its own unique art exhibit. My room had 5-Yen coins glued to the walls, ceiling and floor. And it came with a glue stick and bucket of coins, in case we wanted to add to it. Another guest room for our group had a strobe light and water drop exhibit. Walking around Kyoto, we saw more gorgeous cherry blossoms.

Day 4 – In and around Kyoto

Kizakura Sake and Beer: We were told that the aquatic creatures were naughty. The leader is called Kappa. I guess I was a naughty boy, too.

Fushimi Inari Shrine / Unagi dinner / Bar Luckenbooth

Day 5 – Another fun-filled day in and around Kyoto:

Nijo-Jo Castle in the morning

Yamazaki Distillery in the afternoon

House of Kinobi gin tasting room in the evening, followed by another night of fantastic whisky at Bar Luckenbooth.

Day 6 – Southern Kumamoto Prefecture

Today’s journey took us down into the southern part of Kumamoto Prefecture, where we visited 2 shochu distilleries with a stop for lunch in between at Penguin Restaurant. Shochu is a distilled spirit, usually made from rice. The shochu from Rokuchoshi Shochu was fantastic.

Day 7 – Greetings from Nagasaki

Nagasaki was Japan’s first trading port with Asia and Europe, with Portuguese traders dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries. The Dutch made an enclave on man-made Dejima Island from the 1640’s to 1800’s. In the late 1800’s, a Scotsman named Thomas Baker Glover helped bring the Industrial Revolution to Japan. The Glover Garden is a park now. Formerly it housed various business entities.

Day 8 (The Last day) – Truly Special Visit to Two Wonderful Distilleries

We began our day at Kanosuke Distillery, a gorgeous facility with the Mellow Bar tasting room, where jazz music played on the turntable as we gazed out onto the East China Sea.