Need help form someone who can read japanese

[Torham234]

Hello Everyone.

Today I have received a very peculiar gift. I finished a work for a very good client of mine, and as a gesture of good will, he gave me a bottle of sake. This is in UK, and he got the bottle from his daughter who lives in Japan. I have gladly accepted the gift, but when I got home and had a good look at the bottle, I have realized that It had golden flakes floating in the sake!!. So now I want to really know more about this bottle before I drain it down.

Can someone who can read japanese give me some more info on what I actually have? Is it safe to drink the gold? Is there some special way I should enjoy this drink?

Thank you for any info you can give me.

Here is a picture.

[Megalodon 720]

I don't know, I tried with something like this but that didn't work.

[Rainbowtrout]

Hmm... If we can find out what text it's written in, that would help.

[KerbMav]

Load up a pic of the bottle?

Gold is supposed to just pass through the body when eaten in limited amounts - expensive desserts exist that are decorated with thin gold foil.

[christok]

Gold is non-toxic as long as you're talking about the metal rather than gold salts. I've seen (and tasted) gold leaf in drinks before.

My Japanese is terrible but the picture middle-left lists the ingredients, including rice, rice "kouji" (fungus used in the fermentation process) and gold leaf.

[Torham234]

I was pretty sure that the gold was safe to drink, since it being a very inert element. I wasn't quite sure if there wasn't some sort of straining ceremony attached to the gold leaf drinking...

I just some random looking up sake stores, and this one comes closest in color to my bottle...

[Torham234]

Gold is non-toxic as long as you're talking about the metal rather than gold salts. I've seen (and tasted) gold leaf in drinks before.

My Japanese is terrible but the picture middle-left lists the ingredients, including rice, rice "kouji" (fungus used in the fermentation process) and gold leaf.

Can you tell what alcohol content the sake has? I can see 60%, but that seems too high for a wine...

[christok]

Can you tell what alcohol content the sake has? I can see 60%, but that seems too high for a wine...

I'm not absolutely certain but I think the last bit (that's on the left, traditionally Japanese is written in top-to-bottom columns with successive columns added from right to left) does say "60% proof".

Although commonly called "rice wine", sake is not a wine. It's fermented grain, which makes it a beer. I think it must have been distilled to reach 60%, though I don't know enough about sake to say if it is commonly done.

[Seret]

Is it safe to drink the gold? Is there some special way I should enjoy this drink?

Totally safe to drink. Gold flakes in alcohol is actually not that unusual.

Sake is best drunk slightly warm IMO.

[rtxoff]

That must be an expensive bottle of sake :-)

[Godot]

I don't know, I tried with something like this but that didn't work.

http://www.lingvozone.com/languages/Language%20Information2_files/image001.gif

Well, japanese always is a mixtue of Kanji (that are japanized chinese signs) and Kana (Hiragana or Katakana, in this case, as almost always, Hiragana)

So if you just use a table with Hiragana you are missin the all important Kanji signs

And nope, I cannot translate it as well ... while I introduced myself to a few basics of the japanese language many many years ago,

I didn´t even get to the proficiency to read the Tokyo Shinbun (which would require the knowledge of 2000+ Kanji signs )

[KerbMav]

It's fermented grain, which makes it a beer. I think it must have been distilled to reach 60%

Is this really the defining quality of beer?

And is beer distilled? I do not think so. It would be a liquor then.

Also I think a wine does not get heated at any part of the production process.

Lastly, sorry for my stupid question for a picture of the bottle, some picture hosting sites get blocked in my office at work.

[christok]

Is this really the defining quality of beer?

It is a sufficient but not neccessary condition. Wikipedia has the definition if you're interested.

And is beer distilled? I do not think so. It would be a liquor then.

Sake is normally a fermented rice beer. The question is whether it is normal to distill sake, and whether the Japanese still call the resulting drink sake. Furthermore, beers which have been freeze-distilled are usually still refered to as beers. Your pedantry is kinda unneccessary. But then again I guess I did start it.

Lastly, sorry for my stupid question for a picture of the bottle, some picture hosting sites get blocked in my office at work.

I wouldn't call the question stupid. Posting on gaming forums at work, however...

[KerbMav]

It is a sufficient but not neccessary condition. Wikipedia has the definition if you're interested.

I went there the instant I pressed Reply.

Sake is normally a fermented rice beer. The question is whether it is normal to distill sake, and whether the Japanese still call the resulting drink sake. Furthermore, beers which have been freeze-distilled are usually still refered to as beers. Your pedantry is kinda unneccessary. But then again I guess I did start it.

I am not pedantic, I am curious!

I wouldn't call the question stupid. Posting on gaming forums at work, however...

You saw NOTHING!

[Torham234]

Hmm, so still no one who can actually read it. I guess was expecting at least some Japanese playing KSP...

As for the percentage, This bottle states :

Grade: Honjozo

Seimaibuai: 65%

Acidity: 1.4

Amino Acitidy: 1.5

Nihonshudo: +1

Alcohol: 15.5%

So, I think its something to do with the grading/production/composition of the sake, rather than the alcohol content. I could easily tell if I open it, but I am kind of saving it for the right occasion...