List of Hollywood Movies about the US Navy

Since I usually associate the US Navy with Japan due to Japan being the home of my first ship, I've tallied a list of movies made in Hollywood about the US Navy:

1.  A Few Good Men
2.  An Officer and a Gentleman
3.  Hunt For Red October
4.  Top Gun
5.  Flight of the Intruder
6.  The Last Detail
7.  U-571
8.  Letters from Iwo Jima

The Divine Wind Vault http://divinewindvault.blogspot.com (C)2006-11

Jizake- Japan's Regional Premium Sake

An American Expat with First-hand Industrial Experience-  Daniel J. Stone, founder of the Japanese-themed blog, The Divine Wind Vault, spent five years living and working in Japan coupled by working as a business developer for a Japanese food and beverage distributor in Los Angeles, California. To highlight his nationwide accounts, Daniel was the account manager for Costco Wholesale, Whole Foods Market and the United States Marine Corps Community Services. Through observing and embracing Japanese culture and cuisine, he educates industry buyers and customers on the subject.

He currently instructs English-language learners from all over the world at Clemson University and helps business professionals sell their self-serving message in the areas on English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and Cross-Culture Communications (CCC). For a quote, contact Daniel at stoneone19@yahoo.com

Here's a snipet regarding Daniel's experience in Japanese food and beverage retail sales:

Sake, Japan's national alcoholic drink is a rice wine. The term, Jizake meaning regional sake is premium sake brewed by independent micro-breweries often located in the rural countryside of Japan. The best sakes come from Niigata and Nada/Fushimi (present day Kyoto). Niigata is the rice growing capital of Japan and has the largest numbers of seasoned Toji, aka sake brew-masters. The Kyoto area is synonymous with the US's Napa and Sonoma area and historically was the cultural center of fine Japanese cuisine.

Presently, there are about 2000 sake breweries in Japan. About a dozen of these breweries are large, commercial breweries and another dozen are medium size breweries. The remaining 1,700 are small scale breweries that produce sake in small batches. These small scale breweries ignore the advances of modern technology and create their signature brew by hand using traditional methods and skills gained through years of experience. At last count, there are over 50,000 brands of sake.

The ingredients used in making sake are rice, water and koji. The rice used in making sake is different than the rice served at a meal. This sake rice is used exclusively for brewing sake. The rice kernels are much larger than ordinary rice, has a softer texture and a central core that has a large concentration of starch. Semi-hard water is best in making sake. This type of water is abundant throughout Japan due to the several underground spring waters filled by the plentiful rain. The annual average rainfall in Japan is over 60 inches. Koji, a microbe, is crucial in breaking down starch molecules in sugars.

Sake is made by polishing the rice. The more that is polished away, the more pure the flavor becomes. This type of polishing rids amino acids, fats and proteins and gets the starch concentration core. After it is polished, the rice is washed gently in cold water. The rice must soak before the next step. After it is soaked, the rice is steamed. During this steaming process, the key ingredient of koji is produced. Then sake yeast and water is added to the steamed rice. The flavor of the sake depends of the yeast. This is usually kept secret by the sake brew-masters. Then the sake is mashed. This causes the starch to break down the sugars and convents the sugars into alcohol. Next the sake is filtered, then pasteurized, then stored, then bottled.

Traditionally, sake making season starts in the fall and goes throughout the winter. Presently, sake is made throughout the year and stored in climate controlled storage areas by the large, commercial breweries. In the spring, the sake that was made the previous fall is bottled and shipped. In ancient times, the sake brew-masters were rice farmers who kept busy in the winter down months by making sake.

The alcohol content of sake ranges from 14-17% which is a bit higher than wine. Sake has the highest alcohol content among all naturally brewed alcoholic beverages in the world. This is made possible by the following:

1. Sake yeast which resists the breakdown in higher alcohol levels than with wines,
2. The rice polishing which produces a highly pure starch, which later becomes sugar, then alcohol,
3. The fermentation process that is unique to making sake.
Sake is graded by its polishing rate off the original rice kernel. The rice polish ratio is an intricate art.

Grade Rice Polish Ratio Characteristics
1. Dai Ginjyo (Super Premium) 50%+ Pure and refined, clean fragrance
2. Ginjyo (Premium) 60% smooth, floral and/or floral aroma
3. Tokubetsu Junmai (Special naturally pure brew) 60% Varies
4. Junmai (Natural Pure Brew) 70% Pronounced character

The percentages indicate what the actual rice kernel was before and what the size of it is now. If it was polished down to 50% then the inner core is steamed which has the highest concentration of starch. The higher content of starch the more pure it is and this reduces the chance of hangovers. If you receive a hangover from drinking sake, it is because you consumed a type of sake that was not polished many times.

There are four basic flavors of sake. They are fragrant, light, rich and aged.

Fragrant- Abundant in floral fragrance, low in acid. Fruity, young and refreshing. Goes well with lightly seasoned foods such as fresh seafood, smoked salmon, steamed vegetables and tofu.
Light- clean aroma, moderate levels of acid, brisk flavor with a dry aftertaste. Goes well with fresh seafood, sushi, broiled fish, chicken, tempura, light pasta and sandwiches.
Rich- robust flavor. Goes well with rich and creamy dishes such as teriyaki seasoned foods, steaks and caviar.
Aged- Mellow aroma with a unique, spice-nutty taste that is similar to sherry. Goes well with BBQ, deep fried dishes, meat sauces and spicy dishes.

Misconceptions of Sake

A misconception is that all sake is sweet. Another is that sake should be served hot. The truth is that sake can have a fruity flavor by it dry, snappy character. Also, sake can be served hot and this is common in the winter or done to rejuvenate sake that has been opened and on the verge of going bad. Premium sake is best served cold at room temperature. The heating process would compromise the flavor.

Other misconceptions are that sake has a shelf life similar to wine. In general, an unopened bottle of sake is good up to 18 months when kept in a cool dark place. Once it is opened, it should be chilled and kept for a couple of weeks. This hold true for all sakes except a kind of sake called Ko Shu aged Sake. Also, regional sake is so expensive in the US due to transportation and import duty fees. Of course, these things are factored in to the price but the core of the price is the rice used in making the sake. Rice sake is grown in limited regions of Japan and is difficult to cultivate.

The Divine Wind Vault http://divinewindvault.blogspot.com (C)2006-11

My Travels in Pictures- Hawaii's O'ahu, 2009: Places to visit

Waikiki Beach



Rainbow in Honolulu



Diamond Head



Polynesian Culture Center



Hanauma Natural Preservation Park



Rainbow at Ala Moana Beach, looking towards Eiwa Beach



Hawaiian-born, Chad "Akebono" Rowan's statue, Waimānalo, HI



Kaneohe Bay



Ala Moana Beach, looking towards Diamond Head



Shopping at Hard Rock Cafe, Honolulu



The Divine Wind Vault http://divinewindvault.blogspot.com (C)2006-11

Hawaii 2009- Video Clips

Hanauma Bay, Hawaii- August 2009


Waimānalo, Hawaii- August 2009


Kaiten Sushi Bar, Kuru Kuru Sushi, Aiea, Hawaii- August 2009


The Divine Wind Vault http://divinewindvault.blogspot.com (C)2006-11

My Travels in Pictures- Hawaii's O'ahu, 2009: Places to eat

Places to eat on Hawaii's O'ahu Island:

Zippy's, a chain store with affordable cuisine featuring main dishes craved for by the locals with sides of white rice and macaroni salad.


Zippy's featured dish, garlic miso chicken with white rice and macaroni salad.


Zippy's chili and white rice with fried chicken. Hawaiian's like their chicken sweet.


Rainbow Drive-in, located not too far from Diamond Head has a excellent breakfast plate.

Rainbow Drive-in's Scrambled eggs over white rice with slices of grilled Portuguese sausage.
Rainbow Drive-in's breakfast place same as above with soy sauce and sugar based barbecue beef.


A tall glass of pale ale made by Big Wave at The Colony located in the Waikiki Hyatt Regency.


Yellowtail nigiri sushi at The Colony.



If you are going to eat at a steakhouse, there is only one way to eat. A fillet minion with a loaded baked potato.



A breakfast item of smoked salmon slices over tomato slices with a toasted bagel on the bottom.
Various Hawaiian, Mainland US and Japanese dishes at the Polynesian Culture Center.

Restaurant Suntory, in the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Mall in Honolulu. Suntory is known as a beverage giant in Japan. Years ago, they were in the fine dining teppan yaki business.




Suntory beer, a rare find outside Japan.

White fish sashimi with a garden salad and dipping sauces to be used for the cooked items to follow.

Surf n' Turf consisting of shrimp, lobster, beef and vegetables. Beef was a hybrid of American black angus and Japanese wagyu, known as washugyu.

Miso soup, fried rice and Japanese pickles.

Kozo sushi in Kaneohe Bay. This chain can be found in California under the name, Sushi Boy.

Smoked salmon nigiri sushi.

Combination nigiri sushi (L to R) tamago, octopus, shrimp, squid and tuna.

Kuru Kuru Sushi in Aiea/Pearl City. This place features kaiten style service where the sushi dishes are prepared in the back of the restaurant and brought to the waiting customers via a conveyor.


Salmon nigiri sushi with hot tea with the conveyor in the background at Kuru Kuru Sushi.

The Divine Wind Vault http://divinewindvault.blogspot.com (C)2006-11