TPA Shochu Tasting and Dinner
Friday evening I joined the Tokyo Professionals Association (TPA) for an evening of networking (?) in Ikebukuro. The TPA, as the name implies, is a rather loosely-defined group of “Tokyo Professionals” (e.g. - business people rather than, say, 
professional strippers) and strikes me as one of those groups that is primarily an income-generating vehicle for the organizers and secondarily a social/drinking forum for the members. Other such groups exist in this town, and I’m still not sure if the investment is worth the return.
At any rate, as these things go it was a pretty good deal at 5,500 yen for all you can eat and drink. The restaurant, 芋蔵 (Imo-zou) in Ikebukuro was very well appointed and offered a selection of over 300 shochu varieties. The menu consisted almost entirely of dishes from Kagoshima in Kyushu, including grilled gamecock (軍鶏, shamo) and black hog (黒豚, kurobuta), each of which was wonderful when paired with the assorted shochus we enjoyed that evening. I’ve been back once and wasn’t disappointed. Also, it’s very cheap, making it well-worth the trip up North…