An unofficial guide to Yamaguchi Prefecture and its nihonshu
This particular sake has eluded me for a while. It's from Shunan City's Nakamura Sakaba, the last local kura on my list, BUT! It is yet another example of a brew labeled and sold by one kura, but made by another. So... Who actually made it? I don't really know. Seiriki Ginjo (aruten), Seimaibuai 60%... 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 →
This is a lovely Junmai Ginjo from Imada Shuzohonten in Hiroshima. The brewery has attracted some attention because they have one of the few women Toji in Japan. Miho Imada was recently profiled in Sake Today, in fact, so one can hope that this great kura will be getting more attention in the future. And... Continue Reading →
If anyone out there is in the eastern Yamaguchi area, I'm having a sake event! I'm hosting a very simple sake label-reading class and tasting at Tokuyama Station Library, and afterward we're going on a short tour of Hatsumomidi kura. You can sign up and get more info here: Facebook link Meetup Link It's free,... Continue Reading →
SO to finish up what I started in my last post, I'll talk this time about the third and final sakagura featured on this tour: Hatsumomiji (self-styled Hatsumimidi). This is a very interesting case, since Hatsumomidi is the only kura in Shunan to brew year-round in the Shikijozo style. The others all brew only in... Continue Reading →
Shunan city, which is just a short drive or train ride from me here, is home to a surprising number of sakagura. The local tourist association has decided to capitalize on that by setting up what they call Takushu: a taxi tour of the three kura closest to Tokuyama station. (The name is a pun... Continue Reading →
As you might have heard, recent flooding in western Japan has left thousands of people in emergency shelters, killed more than 200, and caused unimaginable damage across several prefectures. Yamaguchi is in the area of flooding, but luckily was much less harder hit than Hiroshima or Okayama. However, one exception is the Asahi Shuzo brewery,... Continue Reading →
On Monday, July 16 Japan had a national holiday, Marine (or Sea or Ocean) Day (Umi no Hi). While most people go to the beach to celebrate the day off, my family took the other way, and headed to the mountainous interior of Yamaguchi prefecture to a town/area called Mine. My wife wanted to go... Continue Reading →
Before I begin, I'd like to mention the recent flooding disaster in Western Japan. I live in the midst of one of the worst floods to hit Japan in decades. My family and I are safe and, mostly, unaffected, but the communities around us have been devastated. Dozens of lives have been lost, thousands of... Continue Reading →
Today is a bit of a departure--a really big one, actually. This sake is all the way from Sapporo, Hokkaido! I know this blog is dedicated to Yamaguchi and the surrounding areas, but when I saw this on offer from a shop I follow on Instagram, I just had to try. Hokkaido is not really... Continue Reading →
Yamaguchi Sake 