You can substitute honey for the sugar - use a little less. Don't use normal baking sugar, it tends to set in a layer and not dissolve. Get big lumps of candied sugar from a Chinese or Japanese grocer's if possible.

Choose firm, unblemished, unripe green ume. They should be "green apple" color, not yellowish.

Wash and dry, allow to dry completely.

If you are using rock sugar (kouri-zatou in Japanese), layer the plums and sugar in a wide-mouthed jar.

Pour over the vinegar, and set aside to mature in a cool, dark place for a year or two or three...

You can drink this within a few months, especially if you used the full amount of sugar and the smaller amount of vinegar, but the less sugar you use, the longer you should allow the drink to mature. Of course, the sweeter drink tends to be more popular with children.

Some people remove the green plums in the autumn and store the liquor alone. I leave the plums in for at least a year, and in the following spring, add several handfuls of ume blossom to the jar. The following autumn, I remove fruit and flowers and set aside for one more year before drinking.

Don't discard fruit - it is often used in poundcakes, or simply split and stoned, and served with green tea.

To make umeshu, simply use shochu (white spirits, 35% alcohol) at around 2 parts shochu to 1 part ume.

Umeshu can be served "on the rocks", but either ume shu or ume vinegar drink can be drunk with a little hot water, or in a tall glass, 1 part drink to 2 parts water and ice.

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