Shochu is an alcoholic beverage that originates in warm climes, so it goes well with foods from places with a warm climate. For example, shochu goes well with meat dishes such as chicken or pork and sautéed or deep-fried dishes. Kyushu cuisine includes many dishes with sweet seasoning and bold flavors, so shochu goes particularly well with such dishes. Shochu also goes well with Western dishes that use butter, cheese or cream. How about trying shochu aged for many years with something like chocolate? Spicy Southeast Asian dishes are also recommendations. If you are going to be eating Japanese dishes with flavors engendered by dashi (seafood stock), soy sauce or miso (soybean paste), or delicate dishes that rely on the inherent flavor of their ingredients, then you are probably best to wash them down with Japanese sake or the clean taste of kome-shochu or mugi-shochu.