Hello everyone. I’m Yoon, the manager of the Yakiniku restaurant “Jan” in Otsuka. Thank you very much for your continued patronage of our store.
As we enter June in 2026, we are starting to feel the signs of summer little by little. The temperature has risen sharply during the day, and the number of days that feel damp and humid is increasing with the sound of the rainy season.
Do you ever find yourself at the end of work or at dusk on a holiday when you think, “I just want to drink something cold and refreshing!” or “I want to quench my thirst with the finest carbonation!”?
We would like to recommend our store to such people.“Super Carbonated Highball”is.
In this blog, I, the manager, Yoon, will be passionately talking about why Jan’s highballs are so delicious and the exquisite meats that go perfectly with them.
We’re sure you’ll be hungry, so please stick around until the end.
[The secret behind Jan’s highball being “super carbonated”]
“Beer for now!”Of course, it’s the best, but recently the number of customers who order “highball first!” has really increased. That’s why at Jan, we are extremely particular about the quality of our highballs.
It’s not just about mixing whiskey with carbonated water.
The most appealing feature of our highballs is the “super carbonated” water that is poured from a dedicated server. The moment you pour it into the glass, the large bubbles crackle and pop. When you take a sip, you will feel an intense refreshing sensation that pierces the back of your throat and spreads throughout your entire body. In order to achieve this super carbonation and deliver it to our customers in the best condition, there are several important points.
The first thing to consider is temperature. Carbon dioxide gas has the property that the colder it is, the more easily it dissolves in liquid, and the harder it is to escape. For this reason, at Jan, we always keep the cooling settings of our servers at the optimum level, and our glasses are kept chilled in a special refrigerator to the point of frosting.
Next is “how to pour.” Pour into a chilled glass with plenty of ice, strictly adhering to the golden ratio of whiskey and soda. At this time, if the soda hits the ice directly, the carbonic acid will be blown away by the impact. Therefore, the professional technique is to pour slowly, but quickly and carefully, along the edge of the glass. Finally, use the muddler to gently lift the ice once from the bottom to the top. The key to maintaining strong carbonation is not to overmix.
With just this one effort, you can create a superb highball that retains the fizzing feeling until the last drop.
A super carbonated highball that you pour into your dry throat after a long day of work is truly blissful. Every time I hear from a customer, “Jan’s highball is different from any other!” or “It’s highly carbonated and delicious till the end!”, I am truly glad that we have continued this commitment.
■Excellent compatibility with super carbonated highball! Jan’s carefully selected menu■
Now, once you have prepared the finest highball, it’s time for the main ingredient, the meat. Needless to say, the rich flavor of yakiniku fat and the refreshing feeling of a highball are the best pairing. They are an unbeatable duo that brings out the best in each other. Here I would like to introduce some menu items that I particularly recommend.
1. Tongue Salt First of all, it’s tongue salt. Jan’s “Thick Sliced Jotan Shio” uses only the softest and fatty part of the tongue (tangen). When carefully grilled on a wire rack, the outside is crispy and the inside is surprisingly juicy. Add a little lemon juice, bring it to your mouth, and the moment you bite into it, the flavor of the meat juices overflows. Try pouring a super carbonated highball into it right away. The umami of the tongue, the sourness of the lemon, the rich aroma of the whiskey, and the intense carbonation create a wonderful harmony in your mouth.
2. Kuroge Wagyu beef short ribs
Kalbi is the king of yakiniku. At our restaurant, we use high-quality Kuroge Wagyu beef that has been procured through strict connoisseurship. This short rib, characterized by its beautiful marbling, is served with our homemade sweet and salty sauce. When placed on a net, a light sizzling sound is heard and fragrant smoke rises. The smell of the sauce burning is enough to get you drinking. The sweetness of the rich fat of the short ribs, which melts in your mouth, is washed away by the sharp carbonation of the super carbonated highball, resetting your palate. Thanks to this, you fall into the strange illusion that you can keep eating the next bite, and the next bite, and the next bite forever.
3. Assorted fresh hormones
Hormones are something that we must not forget when accompanying alcohol. We have an assortment of the best parts of the day, such as zebra butterflies and mullet butterflies. The chewy texture unique to hormones and the rich flavor that overflows the more you chew. At Jan, we carefully prepare our products, so there is no characteristic odor at all. The feeling of filling your mouth with fatty offal and being instantly refreshed by the strong carbonation of a highball is truly a luxury for adults.
5. homemade cold noodles
Cold noodles are a must to finish off your meal after enjoying the meat. The chewy noodles are perfectly entwined with the refreshing special soup made by slowly simmering beef bones. Refreshing cold noodles served with plenty of vinegar will cool down your flushed body. In fact, the combination of this cold noodle’s refreshing soup and highball is also secretly gaining popularity.
[The city of Otsuka and what Jan values]
Although the city of Otsuka is adjacent to large cities such as Ikebukuro and Sugamo, it has a nostalgic, warm atmosphere full of humanity. The Toden Arakawa Line runs rattling around, and new buildings are lining the station, but just down the street you’ll find old-fashioned shopping streets and quaint individual shops. I love the atmosphere of Otsuka, where old and new intersect in a pleasant way.
Jan has continued to operate in the city of Otsuka, with the warm support of the local community and those who travel from far and wide to visit. A yakiniku restaurant is not just a place to fill your stomach. We believe that it is a special space that brightens up important moments in our customers’ daily lives, such as family gatherings, conversations with friends, work parties, and dates with lovers.
The other day, we had a regular customer who comes to our store every weekend. As soon as he is seated, he always orders with a big smile on his face, saying, “Yun-san, this is your usual super carbonated highball!” Seeing them drink half of the cold highball that was brought to them in one go and take a deep breath and say, “Ah, I’m glad you worked hard this week!” makes me feel good. It’s a heart-warming moment to realize that we prepare meat every day and serve alcohol in the best condition so that we can see the smiling faces of our customers as they say “delicious” and “fun.”
■Manager Yoon’s passion for meat and behind the scenes of preparation■
Since this is a great opportunity, I would like to tell you a little bit about my obsession with meat.
The key to the taste of Yakiniku is the freshness of the meat and the cutting technique. At Jan, we source fresh meat daily from trusted wholesalers. But it’s not just about purchasing. When the meat arrives at the store, we carefully check it with our own eyes and carefully assess the quality of the meat, the fat content, and the marbling.
Meat is a living thing. Even if the meat is from the same part, the quality of the meat and the way the fibers are contained will vary slightly depending on the individual. Therefore, instead of just mechanically cutting the meat according to the manual, we carefully cut each piece by hand, considering the thickness and size that will make the meat the most delicious. For example, you can insert a hidden knife into areas that have slight streaks to make them softer and easier to eat, or cut fatty areas a little thinner so that they don’t become greasy. Every day, I hold my knife seriously while imagining the texture of the food the moment it enters the customer’s mouth and the way the flavor spreads when they bite into it.
In addition, the “sauce” that brings out the flavor of the meat to the fullest is also an important element that can be said to be the lifeblood of Jan. The homemade rubbing sauce and dipping sauce that we have maintained since our founding are a unique blend of several types of fruits and flavored vegetables based on soy sauce, and are carefully aged over time. This is our proud sauce, which was created in pursuit of an exquisite balance that does not interfere with the natural flavor of the meat and goes well with the rice and alcohol.
The combination of the meat mixed with this secret sauce and the super carbonated highball is truly cosmic deliciousness, so we strongly recommend that you try it at least once.
[We look forward to your visit]
Before I knew it, my love for highballs and meat was overflowing, and this blog became quite long. Thank you to everyone who patiently read this far.
As summer approaches, the season is approaching where cold drinks become even more delicious. After work or on your day off, if you think, “Today I want to eat a lot of delicious meat and drink ice-cold sake!” or “I want to soothe the fatigue of the day with delicious food!”, please come to Jan in Otsuka without hesitation. We look forward to your visit with our super carbonated highballs, which I confidently recommend, and the best meats that we have carefully prepared.
You can enjoy a highball by yourself at the counter, or enjoy the meat with your family and friends. Jan will always give you a warm welcome. Enjoy the best Yakiniku experience in Otsuka tonight. All of our staff are looking forward to seeing your best smile!
Details regarding store information and reservations are below. It can get crowded on weekends, so we recommend making reservations early. Please check it out.
・Japanese black beef specialty Yakiniku Stadium Jan Otsuka main store
・Address: 1F SK Building, 2-11-1 Kita-Otsuka, Toshima-ku, Tokyo
・Telephone number: 03-3910-9065
・Click here to make a reservation:https://tabelog.com/tokyo/A1323/A132302/13168261/
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