An unofficial guide to Yamaguchi Prefecture and its nihonshu
I could have sworn that I had posted before about the Kikisake Ressha, which runs from Iwakuni Station up into the mountains along the Nishiki River, ending at Nishiki-cho, but I can't find it, so I guess this is my first! As mentioned, the train follows the course of the Nishiki river, which is Yamaguchi's... Continue Reading →
From Left to Right: Chiyomusumi Goriki 50 Junmai Ginjo (Chiyomusubi Shuzo, Tottori); Gassan Junmai Ginjo (Yoshida Shuzo, Shimane); Sake Hitosuji Honjozo (Toshimori Shuzo, Okayama) ; Kamoizumi Junmai (Kamoizumi Shuzo, Hiroshima) ; Gokyo Daiginjo Saito no Shizuku (Sakai Shuzo, Yamaguchi) On Saturday, November 21 the Hiroshima Tax Bureau sponsored an online seminar to show off sake... Continue Reading →
On October 3, I was finally able to attend a sake event, the first since the pandemic hit. It was the fourth annual Jizake Yokocho, an event I attended last year--in a much different atmosphere. The scene last year. Until now, Jizake Yokocho was a wide-spread event with kura from all over the Chugoku region... Continue Reading →
Shunan city sake brewery Hatsumomiji Shuzo, makers of popular brand Harada, held a small festival on November 16th and 17th to celebrate their 200th anniversary. Since I'm a fan of not only their sake, but the brewery staff as well (I've toured it twice and have met many of them several times at events), I... Continue Reading →
Shunan City's Jizake Yokocho 2019 October 12, 2019 saw the third annual Jizake Yokocho, when Shunan City hosts sake brewers from all over Japan in the area near Tokuyama station in an open-air event. This year saw sakes from 50+ breweries lining the covered arcade street of Minami-ginza. Sake from all over! The system is... Continue Reading →
After a long hiatus, I am back, and I have oh so much to share! Autumn has come to Japan, finally, and with it the opposite end of spring's Shinshu events. This is the season of Hiyaoroshi (aka Akiagare, etc.), which is sake that has been left to age over the summer after the spring... Continue Reading →
The tax office in Hiroshima sponsors a yearly sake tasting and networking event, and this year they included 50 spaces specifically for foreign residents of Japan. The sake world is looking more and more outward, and from the top down the whole industry is focusing more on international appeal. The opening ceremony tasting demonstration. The... Continue Reading →
The Yamaguchi Sake Awards 山口県新酒鑑評会 is the prefectural step on the way to the Japan Sake awards 全国新酒鑑評会 and this year they were held on April 14. I was able to go to the awards dinner on the evening and got a chance to taste a gathering of all the best sakes in the prefecture,... Continue Reading →
On January 19, I was finally able to get a sake tasting class together, after two failed attempts last fall. 6 drinkers gathered at Kokushu 国酒 in Shunan, Yamaguchi, where we tried a total of for sakes, before going on a tour of nearby Hatsumomiji Shuzo. Kokushu is a sake specialty izakaya with a great... Continue Reading →
Saturday, October 27th was Shunan city's 2nd annual Jizake Yokocho local sake Fair. 16 sakagura from all over Yamagata were there offering their wares, including some rarities I've never seen anywhere locally. A group of friends and I went to give our lovers a workout, and it was pure fun. None of the kura were... Continue Reading →
Yamaguchi Sake 