But what particularly incensed the Japanese is that their sake, hallowed for its purity, was being tampered with.

ECONOMIST: Mumeo Oku

Sake has enjoyed increased popularity in the U.S. as more and more Japanese restaurants stock a wider variety and offer sake lists, but it still does not get the respect it deserves.

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Along the way to the holy site, shops sell everything from Japanese books to handcrafted teapots to sake, while restaurants and stalls serve up fresh noodles, baked goods and a wide range of seafood.

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Be on the lookout for sake and craft beer from Japanese brewers, too.

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The son of a vaudeville performer, he pioneered "eatertainment": showcasing knife-juggling chefs and opening new restaurants with a flourish of Japanese drummers, priests and a barrel of sake broken for good luck.

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"I almost walked away from the deal, but he convinced me in a small Japanese restaurant in San Francisco with a glass of sake, " he says.

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For the sake of maintaining relationships among members of the keiretsu, or corporate groups, Japanese bankers lend a lot of money to big, strong companies.

ECONOMIST: Money for nothing

Built by Japanese colonialists in 1914, the distillery, one of the island's largest, produced sake and plum wine until its closure in 1987.

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So whether you see the blossoms or the vomit, a half full cup of sake or a half empty can of beer, the future of Japan is in the hands of the Japanese, not the New Economy gurus we read about in TIME, Newsweek and Fortune.

CNN: ASIANOW - TIME Asia | Letter from Japan: Economic Binge