An unofficial guide to Yamaguchi Prefecture and its nihonshu
Harada Junmai Daiginjo, Rice Choshu Yamadanishiki Tokujo, Seimaibuai: 40% I rang in the New Year with a bottle of Hatsumomiji Shuzo's super premium Harada Junmai Daiginjo. This one is made with Yamadanishiki sake rice grown locally in Yamaguchi prefecture (the historical name for this area is Choshu). The rice is also ranked Tokujo, which is... Continue Reading →
Yaoshin Shuzo brewery's main label Gangi has an ever increasing variety of sublabels, and this particular one was offered for Father's Day 2020. It came wrapped in a Gangi logo tenugui towel with a matching "mask cover." As I am a sucker for limited editions and added items, I had to get it (though I... Continue Reading →
An ode to a perfect sake.
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 →
New year's in Japan is a big deal, more like Christmas in the USA than anything. Most everyone gets a long holiday, families gather together to celebrate the day, and lots of sake is drunk. Lots and lots of it. This is a time when sake is not only a nice way to lubricate those... 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 →
No, you're not having deja vu. This is one more review of a Kinfundo Daiginjo Tobindori...with a difference! If you read my earlier review a similar sake, you'll have a basic understanding of what Tobindori is. If not, here's a recap: Sake, after fermentation is complete, is pressed in a number of ways. It can... Continue Reading →
In the cup this time is a limited Junmai Daiginjo from Shunan city's own Yamagata Honten. This bottle is named after and dedicated to Yoshida Shoin, a historical figure from Hagi, Yamaguchi, who was somewhat influential in the Meiji Restoration as a teacher of many of the more famous figures. The man himself died young... Continue Reading →
Yamaguchi Sake 