$10 OFF TODAY

Join our mailing list and get $10 off coupon available on the online shop.
Let's try our artisan Sake which will change your view of Sake.




Subscribe by 15 Mar Deliver on 25 Mar
  • CONTACT
  • FAQ
SAKEMARU SAKEMARU
  • 0
  • 0
  • Subscription
  • Shop
  • Brewery
  • FEATURE
  • HIDEOUT
  • Blog
  • FAQ
  • Contact Us

A Sake Sojourn – Part 1

Wightman Ben
on Tuesday May 30th, 2017 in LEARN

Another new seasoned professional writer joins SAKEMARU, having studied and founded a periodical at the famed Newhouse School of Journalism before pursuing a career in marketing communications. He has contributed to the Singapore American Association’s “Living in Singapore” and a number of industry magazines. Currently working for Japan’s largest marketing agency network, he is naturally exposed to all things Japanese and has developed a love for sake. He is excited to share his passion for sake, as it still remains foreign to most gaijin.

For my 40th birthday, I knew I wanted to take a break from work and my kids for a long-awaited luxury tour around the Honshu island of Japan, specifically the Kanto, Kansai and Chubu regions. I knew I wanted to wine and dine in style and that meant one of my favourite beverages, sake, would be an important part of the trip.

Doing some initial research, I discovered there were really three primary sake areas to visit in the three regions I’d be traveling – Nara, Kyoto and Hyogo prefectures. I was used to the wine tasting tours popular in the Napa/Sonoma areas of the San Francisco Bay Area and in Australia, so I naively thought maybe sampling “cellar door” sake would be similar. However, as a Gaijin with no Japanese language skills, I quickly determined I’d need local Japanese help to visit sake breweries.

For this initial article, I’ll focus on the first sake brewery area I visited during my trip, Nada. The Nada area around Kobe has been called Japan’s sake “mecca,” in part because it’s home to the brewery producing Japan’s number one selling brand of sake, Hakutsuru. My wife and I arranged at tour through Voyagin and met the guide at the Hankyu Mikage train station for what was a well-planned walking tour to three nearby sake breweries: 1) Hakutsuru Sake Brewery Museum ; 2) Kiku-Masamune Sake Brewery Museum; and 3) Hamafukutsuru Sake Brewery.

The first stop was at the very large and industrial looking Hakutsuru Sake Brewery established in 1743 with its famous flying crane logo. It made a great start for our sake sojourn because it had a very large museum with English-language videos. However, we were told by our guide that the sake was considered to be of lower quality as it was mass produced leveraging modern technology. Regardless, Hakutsuru is renowned for innovations such as “draft sake” (Namachozo-shu), a new variety of rice (“HAKUTSURU Nishiki”) and sake-based cosmetics (Komeno Megumi).

We then walked to the more picturesque Kiku-Masamune Sake Brewery down the street, which is apparently an arch rival of Hakutsuru and prides itself on using more traditional seasonal brewing methods. Kiku-Masamune focuses exclusively on authentic dry sake with a “refreshing” flavor and “crisp, clean finish,” complementing all styles of cuisine. They use the painstaking Kimoto method which takes twice as long as compared to most brewers. Interestingly, they promote sake as good for health (which reminds me of the early Guinness toucan advertising campaigns) stating:

“Consumed in moderate amounts, sake is believed to (1) stimulate the appetite, (2) soothe the mood and relieve stress, (3) promote cheerfulness, and (4) facilitate a good night’s sleep as a nightcap. It also gives the skin luster, promotes beauty and prevents aging, and helps combat colds when used to make tamago-zake, a mixture of sake, eggs, and sugar. Based on these and similar health benefits, an old Japanese proverb describes sake as the best medicine.”

The last stop of our Nada sake tour ended up being our favourite, Hamafukutsuru Sake Brewery. However, having a Japanese guide with us was essential to communicate with the master brewer. The jovial gentleman was surprisingly serving as something of a brand ambassador working as a “bartender” in the onsite sake tasting part of the gift shop. He answered the many questions we posed through our guide, including what his mission was for making so many innovative sakes. His answer was he wanted more young people to drink sake and felt new variations would cause more Millennials to try sake over beer, wine and whisky. We greatly appreciated Hamafukutsuru’s wide variety of non-traditional sakes as well as the freshly pressed, unpasteurized namesake, which became a favourite during the whole Sake Sojourn. Look out for part two of Sake Sojourn next month where we visit the famous sake area just south of Kyoto.

Related products

  • NEW

    SHARAKU DAIGINJO SHIZUKU|Drawing for purchase

    $0.00
  • NEW

    DENSHU TOKUBETSU-JUNMAI|Drawing for Purchase

    $0.00
  • NEW
    Add to Wishlist loading
    加入收藏! 瀏覽「願望清單」
    這個商品已經加入收藏在「願望清單」裡面! 瀏覽「願望清單」

    MACHIDASHUZO 55 TOKUBETSUJUNMAI JIKAGUMI 2021

    $63.00
    Add to cart
  • NEW
    Add to Wishlist loading
    加入收藏! 瀏覽「願望清單」
    這個商品已經加入收藏在「願望清單」裡面! 瀏覽「願望清單」

    HOUOUBIDEN SAKEMIRAI JUNMAIDAIGINJO KIMOTO NAMA

    $98.00
    Add to cart
  • NEW
    OUT OF STOCK

    ISOJIMAN NAKAGUMI JUNMAIDAIGINJO 35|Drawing for purchase

    $0.00
  • NEW

    TENMEI FRESH BREW NAKADORI NO.1 NAMA GHENSHU

    $69.00
  • NEW

    MODERN SENKIN MUKU MUROKA NAMA GENSHU 2021

    $78.00
  • OUT OF STOCK
    Add to Wishlist loading
    加入收藏! 瀏覽「願望清單」
    這個商品已經加入收藏在「願望清單」裡面! 瀏覽「願望清單」

    DAISHINSHU JUNMAIDAIGINJO FRESH BREW MUROKA NAMA GENSHU

    $95.00
    Read more
  • OUT OF STOCK
    Add to Wishlist loading
    加入收藏! 瀏覽「願望清單」
    這個商品已經加入收藏在「願望清單」裡面! 瀏覽「願望清單」

    KASAICHIYO JUNMAIGINJO MOON LOVER

    $73.00
    Read more
  • OUT OF STOCK
    Add to Wishlist loading
    加入收藏! 瀏覽「願望清單」
    這個商品已經加入收藏在「願望清單」裡面! 瀏覽「願望清單」

    KOKURYU DAIGINJO

    $124.00
    Read more
  • OUT OF STOCK
    Add to Wishlist loading
    加入收藏! 瀏覽「願望清單」
    這個商品已經加入收藏在「願望清單」裡面! 瀏覽「願望清單」

    SAKAEMASU 55 2020 10TH VINTAGE MUROKA NAMA GENSHU

    $93.00
    Read more
  • OUT OF STOCK
    Add to Wishlist loading
    加入收藏! 瀏覽「願望清單」
    這個商品已經加入收藏在「願望清單」裡面! 瀏覽「願望清單」

    GANGI SEKIREI IWC SAKE 2020 Yamaguchi Trophy

    $155.00
    Read more
Previous Reading
Ramen gallery – Sake with Ramen? …Thumbs up!
Next Reading
Okameya – Authentic Kappou, Feel the Change of Seasons

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

YOU MAY LIKE

    • LEARN

    Unorganized Labeling and Grading Regulation of Sake

    Continue Reading
    • LEARN

    130 Years’ Self Cultivated Yeast – Brewer’s Interview by Asahara Shuzo

    Continue Reading
    • LEARN

    Sake High Ball Against Whiskey Soda

    Continue Reading
    • LEARN

    Koji Mai & Kake Mai

    Continue Reading

WHAT’S HOT

  • Perfect Guide to Select Good Sake for Hot Sake and A Fundamental of Making Delicious Hot Sake

    Perfect Guide to Select G...

    Continue Reading
  • Singapore Sake Sommelier Association Introductory Sake Professional Course

    Singapore Sake Sommelier...

    Continue Reading
  • SAKE is One of the Best Alcohol for Female from the Health Care Point of View?

    SAKE is One of the Best A...

    Continue Reading
  • The History of Brewing Method, The Difference of Taste by Methods "Sokujo, Kimoto, Yamahai, Bodaimoto"

    The History of Brewing Me...

    Continue Reading
  • Company
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
© 2017 SISI LTD
  • Subscription
  • Shop
  • Brewery
  • FEATURE
  • HIDEOUT
  • Blog
  • FAQ
  • Contact Us
Login/Register

What are you looking for?