The year is moving fast and we almost reached the end of brewing season, which also means there are plenty of events and festivals starting to pop up now. Also, the Cherry Blossoms will start to bloom soon, which means Kyoto (and really all of Japan) is going to become extremely busy. That for one, makes our local lives a tiny bit more difficult, but also lets us share our love for all things Japanese in particular sake with many interested visitors, which I am looking forward to!
Fushimi Sake Festival
Fushimi sake festival is finally fully back after 4 years!
As expected the tasting event was long sold out and the queue to get in was massive (it took me 35 minutes at least ) and the system of only choosing 3 sake was a bit novel (with so many to try) but worth it nevertheless, especially with some limited sake available.
However, the real highlights are the open breweries, which are basically mini sake festivals, where you can try their sake, mingle and meet the brewers. Unfortunately, I only managed to visit two, but two of my favorites @kitagawahonke_fushimi and @tsukinokatsura_sake . So if you are planning to attend this sake festival next year, make sure to start early to make the most of it...
Kanpai!
Joyo Shuzo Plum Festival
Spring is here and what better way to enjoy it than at a “Plum Blossom Festival” at a local sake brewery?!?
This was the first time visiting @joyo_shuzo in the south of Kyoto and what amazing timing! Although we are all into cherry blossoms, historically Japan also celebrated plum blossoms and although lesser known these days, they are just as beautiful as their more famous counterparts. Plus they are blooming about a month earlier than their famous counterparts, but you can enjoy them without the crowds...
With plenty of great sake from Joyo Brewery as well as @tsukinokatsura_sake and @eikun_saitoshuzo and great food, including these dried fish we could “grill” ourselves (hence the lighter). Needless to say, this was the perfect Sunday.
Sake Enthusiat Catch-up Kyoto
One of the best parts of living in Japan is being surrounded by other sake lovers and enthusiasts. Now being in Kyoto more permanently it has been a joy to meet up with them to enjoy a couple of beverages. Especially as generally for these "catch-ups" everyone brings a bottle or two (or three) they tried and found exceptional in one way or another.
So aside from great sake, we also learn about the story of the sake and why it was special enough to make it to our little tasting. This time around however, we had to resort to an indoor gathering and what better place than Jam +Sake Bar!
Kobe Brewery Visits
On my way to a Hyogo sake festival, I spent a day exploring Kobe and headed to two of the breweries that are easily accessible and open for "sake tours". Although it is fair to say, both of them do not offer actual brewery tours where you end up walking around inside a brewery, but rather small museums, tastings, and in the latter a demonstration.
First up was Sakura Masamune with a quick lunch at their small restaurant. On the menu was a sake kasu curry, which was indeed as delicious as it sounds. A stroll through their small sake museum and then a tasting at their shop.
Second, and why I actually came to this neighborhood, was a visit to Kikumasamune and a tour of their Meister Factory. The Meister Factory was created to bring back the art of making kioke (wooden barrels) and on the tour you get to learn the history and also see some craftsmen and women make these right in front of you, which is pretty cool. Unfortunately, no photos are allowed.
I also quickly popped into their main tour and museum, which was as good as sake brewery museum go and of course, I did a quick tasting on my way out.
Oka Sake Shop Organic Sake Tasting
I was lucky to be introduced to Oka Sake Shop, which focuses on organic sake, not just from the region but in general, and invited to a pot-luck-style sake tasting.
Although this was not a public event, they do organize events and brewery visits and are actually the reason for my trip to Hyogo, as the Yamana Sake Brewery Tour was organized by them.
Their sake selection is quite exquisite, with plenty of funky sakes including Doburoku on the shelves and in their fridges, so this shop is worth saving on your maps and visit when spending some time in Kobe.
Yamana Sake Brewery Tour & Festival - Hyogo
And now for the main event and such an amazing day out visiting @yamana_sake_brewery in Hyogo for their sake festival including a brewery tour!
Great to get to see the actual brewery before heading to the more public side of the festival full of food stalls and of course sake to sample. Loved the atmosphere and space, with plenty of places to sit and chat with the people next to you, while enjoying the fare even more so, with the brewery staff including Toji and Kuramoto mingling with the crowd.
For more info on the brewery check out https://okutamba.co.jp/
Where to drink in Kyoto
Another Kyoto gem I discovered recently while walking around my neighborhood is Sugidama Sake!
While the front of the shop serves as a sake retailer, the back in a cute standbar. As with many of these Tachinomies I have recently been to they also work with a ticket system - you spend 1000 yen and get 5 tickets that you can use for both sake and food.
Loved the rather quirky sake selection and although tapas style dishes only, the food was delicious! Don't expect big grounds and a busy bar here, as this is super local, but in fact just the way I like it!
Hanatomoe Brewery Tour - Nara
Joined Hanatomoe Brewery for a tour and sake tasting and was blown away (although this was no surprise as the brewery is a long-time favorite of mine)! However, it took me a little by surprise when I realized we also had the chance to try some of Hanatomoe’s vintage sake.
Lined up were sake from 2010/11/12/13, both with sediment and without for us to freely sample and of course with the opportunity to try them at different temperatures. What a treat and so worth the travel!
As a final "performance" we also got to see Hashimoto Toji take apart one of their wooden barrels. I have recently seen how these traditional wooden barrels are made, which is an absolute art form and so impressive to see, so it was interesting to reverse the process and take one of them apart.
Master of Sake Graduation: Maia Lai & Yamamoto Honke
Exciting to see another "Master of Sake" graduate from SSA's newest sake program where participants immerse themself for two months at a sake brewery to learn how to brew, understand the process from A-Z, but most importantly make friends, and become part of the local community!
Maia was doing her "apprenticeship" at Yamamoto Honke in Fushimi and I was lucky to join her for her graduation ceremony - cannot wait to see what she is going to do in the Future...
Adachi Noujo Craft Brewery Tour - Osaka
This month was full of "I finally made it" and another one on my list was visiting @adachi_noujo.yoshi at his craft sake brewery in Osaka!
It was great to catch up with him and of course, see the brewery which he built from scratch by himself, but also see the nice cafe/bar space to drink his and a few other selected sake overlooking the brewery as you do so.
Definitely worth a visit if you are in Kansai with a bit of spare time, as the only downside to his place is, that it is a bit of a journey to get there...
Moriki Shuzo in Mie Brewery Tour
Certainly a highlight of the month was a very special sake brewery visit of @japanese_sake_moriki with the wonderful @rumizisenxi !
Located in Iga, a small town in Mie, it is one brewery that is not as easy to get to and as such has been on my wishlist to visit for a long time. I met Rumiko many times and always enjoy chatting with her, so finally meeting her at her brewery was a bit of a dream come true.
Great to get a tour of Moriki Shuzo, which looks so small when you arrive, but is nothing the like once you walk in.
And then of course the tasting, I have been to Rumiko's events before tasting 6-7 of her sake as part of a pairing dinner, but this was almost better as I got a little explanation of each sake and was able to taste them all side by side, including some Mie limited sake - truly special!
A visit to Koujiya Amekaze
If you do not know Koujiya Amekaze, they have specialized in producing koji since they were founded in 1689. They produce a variety of Koji-centered products such as miso, amazake as well as small batch of Doburoku and you can buy most of their products right there in the shop!
Although we popped in unannounced the guys at Koujiya Amekaze took us for a small factory tour, including a look into their Koji room and of course their various levels of aged miso buckets.
Such an amazing visit and such a great place if you are into fermentation and/or are looking to get some unique products all made on site.
Sake World Summit in Kyoto
Another one that will be a regular event on the Kansai Sake Calendar - Sake World Summit (@sake.world.japan)! 🎊
With 54 Sake booths featuring sake from all around Japan (and 15 restaurants joining on the gourmet side), people flocked to Kyoto yesterday to try some of the “hottest” brands including some of our favorite Craft Sake Breweries, as well as a chance to try some brews from @islandersake, who made it to Kyoto all the way from Hawaii!
The event also dealt with various topics considering the future of sake and explored trending topics such as aged sake as well as exploring new technologies. They introduce “Sake NFT’s” which not only serve as digital tokens of your favorite sake brand but also double as an ordering- and storage- system of the NFT’s respective sake (@sakeworldnft.en ).
Sounds complicated? Yes, it does, and frankly, I am still a bit unsure of the benefits... The organizer claims that the biggest feature of this service is the opportunity to create new markets for distributing sake between individuals, which in this case would not need a liquor sales license to do so…
An interesting point of few and solution to circumvent that problem, certainly something I would like to find out more about, but sure time will tell.
Comments