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Bundle 4: Steeped in Saké

Just one kanji in this bundle includes a "saké" radical (oddly enough!), but saké flows liberally through all four essays, which collectively soak you in Japanese drinking culture. They showcase containers of alcohol, from tiny "choko" cups and wooden "masu" boxes to barrels of saké, and ways of measuring these liquids. The essays focus on the role of alcohol in celebrations (especially at the new year) and in rituals to honor the dead. Japanese expectations around drinking become clear, including the importance of refilling another person's glass and even the ritual of exchanging cups. Kanpai!
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酌
bartending
JOK: 1343
Learn to say, “I channeled the composer’s intentions,” “I took over my late father’s shop because that’s what he would have wanted,” and “You should take his youth into account.” See what the Japanese infer about you when you pour your own drink, rather than letting another person do it. And find out how, if someone screws up, the Japanese say in a joking way, “Show no mercy!”
升
measure
JOK: 1386
Find out why the Japanese drink saké out of small wooden boxes. Learn how their role has changed in Japan over time, and see how they have brought out the playfulness in designers. Learn when to interpret 升 as a unit of measurement or as a container, and distinguish 升 from 枡, 斗, 合, and 昇, which have overlapping meanings. Finally, see why 升 is popular in a Chinese context. By the way, the JOK Notebook entry for March 1, 2013, takes a close look at eight of the Japanese sentences that appear in this essay.
斗
Big Dipper
JOK: 1633
The dipper kanji helps you hold your liquor! That is, its core meaning is "dipper," a device to scoop saké. (It means "dipper" in the constellation sense, too!) Using 斗, we can also measure large quantities of that saké. By studying 斗, we find out about noshi. And that's not all! The 斗 shape is a ryakuji (a simplified form of more complex kanji), as well as a radical.
杯
cup
JOK: 1685
If you invite someone out for drinks, use saké cups, make a toast, and count how many drinks you've had, 杯 will come in very handy. And if you drink till you're tipsy and full in a cheap drinking spot filled with people, you'll need 杯 four more times. As if this kanji weren't useful enough, you can also use it when counting octopi (which you might do after enough drinks)!
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