Melinda Joe is a food journalist based in Tokyo, Japan. She writes the Kanpai Culture column for The Japan Times, and her work has appeared in publications such as Condé Nast Traveler, Nikkei Asia, Eating Well, Newsweek, CNN, Departures and WSJ Asia among others. A certified sake and wine specialist, she has been a panel chair for the sake division at London’s International Wine Challenge since 2015.