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“Oyama” & “Kuroemon” In-store tasting event @ Ikebukuro

You can taste Oyama, Kato Kahachiro Shuzo, Co., LTD. from Yamagata prefecture, and Kuroemon, Yukawa Sake Brewery co.,ltd. from Nagano prefecture.

 

Oyama (Kato Kahachiro Shuzo, Co., LTD.)

Founded in 1872 in Oyama, Tsuruoka city, Yamagata. It is a famous brewing district, and has been called “Little Nada of Tohoku.” Although it is small district, there ware 40 – 50 breweries at peak. However, at the present time only 4 breweries are all that remains including Kato Kahachiro Shuzo.

Designated a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy in 2014, Tsuruoka is blessed with a diverse food culture thanks to the nature’s bounties brought by an ideal environment and irrigation in the Shonai region.

Thanks to local cuisine such as the local vegetarian Shojin Ryori favoured by the Yamabushi at Dewa Sanzan and the living cultural assets of almost 50 types of heirloom vegetables passed down through the generations, Tsuruoka’s UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) membership in the field of gastronomy is thanks to how its unique, singular food culture has evolved and survived in parallel with other cultural assets, such as Kurokawa Noh and Dewa Sanzan’s mountain area.

Oyama Shinshu Sake Brewery Festival

Every February sees 4 sake breweries (Haneda, Dewanoyuki, Fuji and Kato) in the Oyama area of Tsuruoka open their sake brewery doors to visitors hoping to imbibe the latest batches of sake on offer at each brewery. These include Food stalls ensure there is plenty to eat too for those making the trip.

 

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Oyama Tokubetsu Junmai Tomizu 大山 特別純米酒　十水　とみず　720ml

Kato Kahachiro Shuzo, Co., LTD. Home page

 

Kuroemon (Yukawa Sake Brewery co.,ltd.)

Founded in 1650. Yugawa is located in Kiso Village, Nagano. Kiso Village sits in a valley surrounded by 2,000m tall mountains.

The location of the brewery is at 936 meters above sea level, first or second in Japan depending on how you measure it. This freezing environment is hardly ideal for brewing where the temperature drops to minus 18 degrees Celsius during the intense cold of December to February. However, here and only here in the village of Kiso, sake overflowing with hardiness and kindness is made possible from being cultivated by the tough in the cold brewing technology and know-how.

The village of Kiso is located at the mouth of the Kiso River which flows all the way to the Pacific Ocean. This bountiful well water used in the early processing stage is a valuable asset blessed by the nature of Kiso and is still preciously used today.

Yugawa Naoko, the 16th generation current family owner, defines their craft as, “tradition that changes with the times and connects us all.” Basing their sake around the flavor of delicious, well-rounded rice with a pure, nimble aftertaste, they produce two brands: Kisoji and 16th generation Kurouemon. Kisoji’s concept is together with the ancient days of Kisoji and from now and into the future, the name remains the same. Kurouemon aims unforgettable sake staying in your memory along with the sensibility of the creators who made it.

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KISOJI Junmaidaiginjo Yamada-nishiki 35 720ml 木曽路　純米大吟醸　山田錦　株式会社湯川酒造店　長野県　杜氏と蔵人の技が凝縮された極上の純米大吟醸

The ginjo aroma is fluity and taste is well-rounded rice with a pure. Nimble aftertaste as well as clear is so great!

Yukawa Sake Brewery co.,ltd. Home page

DATE AND TIME

2018/09/27 (Thu)～2018/10/03 (Wed) 10:00～20:00

You cannot go? Check out ichibansake Event Calendar

LOCATION

Ikebukuro Tobu Department Store B1F

1 Chome-1-25 Nishiikebukuro, Toshima, Tokyo 171-0021

Google map

Access

Directly connected to “Ikebukuro station”

Web site

For more information visit, 東武百貨店 池袋店 日本酒催事スケジュール

 

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“Hanagaki” & “Kumpeki” In-store tasting event @ Ikebukuro

You can taste Hanagaki, Nambu Shuzojo from Fukui prefecture, and Kumpeki, Kunpeki Sake Brewery from Aichi prefecture.

Hanagaki (Nambu Shuzojo)

Nambu Shuzojo is located in Ono city, Fukui. It is a castle town located in the Hokuriku region with more than 400-years of history. This town still holds a strong image of a castle town and it is well-known as “Little Kyoto.”

Ono City is surrounded by a magnificent natural environment. It has many mountains including “Arashimadake,” one of the selected “one hundred exquisite mountains of Japan.” Ono City has also been selected as one of the “one hundred exquisite towns with water wells in Japan” designated by the National Land Agency because the city has famous spring water, “Oshozu,” which was selected as one of the “one hundred exquisite waters of Japan.” Ono City’s impressive old scenery and its rich nature is also known as “Yui no Kuni.” Because of that in Ono city, there are 4 sake brewers which have existed for a long time.

Hanagaki Super dry (Chokarakuchi) Junmai is Sake Meter Value (SMV) 12+. The higher number, the drier. This is not added brewing alcohol, It is made by complete fermentation method of brewing. If you are super dry fan, you should try it.

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Hanagaki Junmai Chokarakuchi (Super Dry) 花垣(はながき)　純米酒　超辛口　　720ML ≪福井県≫

 

Buying proxy service (Goods from Japanese online shops and auctions). Buy from Japan with Zenmarket.Jp!

Nambu Shuzojo Home page

Kunpeki (Kunpeki Sake Brewery)

Founded in Aichi Japan, Kunpeki Sake Brewery has a history of more than 100 years in sake brewing. It is located in Konan city. In this city, there are 3 sake breweries. They use the Kiso river’s underground flow water for brewing sake.

Their sake is conscientiously prepared and brewed in small batch. Every step of sake making is accomplished by united efforts of the whole family. The yeasts are carefully screened and selected, only the ones that are approved by their master brewer are used for brewing in their brewery.

In Konan, every year from the mid April to early May at the Mandaraji Park, Konan Wisteria Festival is held. Japanese wisteria mesmerize people by its mysterious beauty and fragrance. The wisteria pergolas set up in the park have around 60 wisterias from twelve species ranging from early to late bloomers, and visitors get to enjoy a variety of forms of wisterias, from brightly colored wisterias in purple, crimson, white and so on, and from long, elegant flower clusters to short, pretty wisterias.

If you are to come Japan from mid April to early May, why don’t you enjoy tunnels of wisteria in full bloom while drinking sake?



Booking.com

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Kunpeki Junmai 勲碧 手造り純米酒1800ml

 

Buying proxy service (Goods from Japanese online shops and auctions). Buy from Japan with Zenmarket.Jp!

Kunpeki Sake Brewery Home page

DATE AND TIME

2018/09/20 (Thu)～2018/09/26 (Wed) 10:00～20:00

You cannot go? Check out ichibansake Event Calendar

LOCATION

Ikebukuro Tobu Department Store B1F

1 Chome-1-25 Nishiikebukuro, Toshima, Tokyo 171-0021

Google map

Access

Directly connected to “Ikebukuro station”

Web site

For more information visit, 東武百貨店 池袋店 日本酒催事スケジュール

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“Michizakura” & “Hanatomoe” In-store tasting event @ Ikebukuro

You can taste Michizakura, Michizakura Shuzo. from Gifu prefecture, and Hanatomoe, Miyoshino Brewery. from Nara prefecture.

Michizakura (Michizakura Shuzo.)

Michizakura Shuzo is located in the northern part of Nakatsugawa city Gifu. It is near the border of Nagano prefectures. Nakatsugawa was a post town on the Nakasendo Highway and the city authorities have done much to preserve this Edo period heritage on the original road leading through town, which now has a number of Japanese sake shops, confectionery stores and restaurants housed in restored, wooden buildings and warehouses (kura).

A severe winter climate is a very good environment for sake brewing. Water draws spring water from their own forest mountain. Sake rice is from their own rice field and local contracted farmer. The total production is just 200 Koku. It is a micro brewery size.

(A Koku is a unit of measure of the production output of a sake brewery. One Koku is equal to 180 liters of sake or one hundred isshobin sake bottles.)

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Michizakura Junmai 三千櫻　純米酒　1800ｍｌ　15～16度

Michizakura Shuzo. Home page

Hanatomoe (Miyoshino Brewery.)

Miyoshino Brewery is a small family-run brewery established in 1912.
Nara prefecture, where Miyoshino Brewery is situated, was the ancient capital of Japan during the Nara period (710-794 A.D.) and it is also considered the historical heartland of sake.

The brew master at Miyosino Brewery, Hashimoto stepped up to take the reins of his family business after studying at the famed Tokyo Agricultural University and at Kenbishi sake brewery. He changed the course of the brewery after developing a passion for the old fashioned ways of brewing, espcially the yamahai method of slow fermentation and the use of in-house, naturally occurring yeasts. They also brought back the rare, original method of sake production called “bodai or mizumoto”––this method starts with raw rice and water which produces its own lactic acid due to naturally occurring bacteria and yeasts.

Hashimoto says “I want to make sake that brings out the umami of the rice and at the same time is high in acidity––these features make it core compatible with food. The rice is local, and the yeast and lacto bacillus are native to his kura (brewery). So what you taste is a reflection of the local landscape and climate: Hanatomoe’s own. It cannot be made anywhere else!”

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Hanatomoe Mizumoto Junmai Genshu 花巴　水もと純米　無濾過生原酒　酵母無添加　７２０ｍｌ　２０１８年３月醸造　２９ＢＹ

 

Hanatomoe revives the “mizumoto” or “water brewing” method of produc- tion, using no added lactic acids or yeasts. Instead, the uncooked rice is steeped in water producing naturally occurring lactic acid. The resulting sake is high in acidity like tart green apples, yet is well-balanced and complex. Full-bodied, rich koji-rice driven aromatics, broad sweetness with an earthy base. High acidity is perfect for pairing will all foods!

Miyoshino Brewery. Home page

 

DATE AND TIME

2018/09/19 (Wed)～2018/09/25 (Tue) 10:00～20:00

You cannot go? Check out ichibansake Event Calendar

LOCATION

Seibu Ikebukuro B1F

〒171-0022 Tokyo, Toshima, Minamiikebukuro, 1 Chome−28−1

Google map

Access

Directly connect
Ikebukuro Station South Exit, Exit 38, Exit 36

Web site

For more information visit, 今週の酒と肴