Sake is an alcoholic drink brewed from rice and water. It is quintessentially Japanese, but with its rich flavor, refined over centuries, it has recently achieved worldwide popularity. Brewers create sake's characteristic flavor using traditional techniques that date back to the 1600s. The master brewer is the boss of a brewery, and Philip Harper is the first foreign master sake brewer in Japan. Harper was born in 1966 in England. At the age of 22, while teaching English in Japan, he drank a glass of sake that changed his life. He has now been involved in sake brewing for over two decades. Harper's prize-winning sake is known for its fruity bouquets and for how it captures the sweetness of rice. Harper uses every ounce of his skill to make the sake he sees in his mind's eye a reality. His quest is to produce the ultimate Japanese sake.

Wild vegetables have long been served at the Japanese dining table. With their great variety and low calorie count, they have recently become popular as health foods. But they also play important roles in long-established annual and seasonal rituals. In the 18th century, during a period of famine, one feudal lord realized that although crops were not sprouting, wild vegetables were. He commissioned a guidebook that gave people life-saving advice on how to gather and eat plants found in the wild. Wild vegetables don't only grow in the wilderness; some people enjoy gathering them in urban areas. There are even schools that share traditional knowledge about wild vegetables with their students. On this edition of BEGIN Japanology, our theme is wild vegetables. We'll see how Japan's food culture has embraced what nature has to offer.