sake brewery | Japanese Countryside Travel Notes

2024-10-26

First texture, fermented food

I don’t think there are many Japanese people who can read this (宍粟) about Shiso City. There are many difficult-to-read place names in Osaka, but it is called Yokozuna of the West (the strongest sumo wrestler in the west side), based on the sumo ranking. So, the Yokozuna of the east is Sosa City. This (匝瑳) is also a completely unfamiliar character.

Now, the name Shiso comes from the fact that it is rich in ingredients. Although it is famous for its fermented foods, it also promotes itself as the birthplace of Japanese sake. Akasai Valley, which is located in the same city, is promoted as the Oirase Valley in the west, but I don’t think there are many Kansai people who have ever been to Oirase Valley, so Kansai people have no objections to this point, probably. However, there are probably quite a few Kansai people who disagree with the idea that it is the birthplace of Japanese sake. It seems like there are a lot of people in this area who exaggerate things.

shiso city (1)

Well, in this town, such a famous sake brewery is serving lunch in a building from the Edo period, so I stopped by. In particular, the soup made from sake lees had a strange flavor that I can’t describe in basic tastes such as sweet, spicy, or salty, and even now when I think back on it, it was delicious. The Ibo River basin, which flows out of the Akasai Valley and runs from Shiso to Tatsuno City, is a treasure trove of miso, soy sauce, sake, and fermented foods. In addition, since it’s the Ibo River, one thing you shouldn’t forget is the somen noodles.

shiso city (2)

shiso city (4)menu in japanese

shiso city (5)

By the way, I tried to take a walk around Shiso City, but a linear rain band had just appeared and it was pouring down so I couldn’t walk around the city at all. I stopped by just for lunch, but it was worth it.

2024-04-30

Where there is famous water, there is famous sake

A sake brewery in Daigahara, a post town on the old Koshu Highroad, produced a famous sake called Shichiken. The brewed water in the backyard that you can drink freely is soft and delicious. There is also sake that is similar to champagne. Would you like to eat koji(malt) dishes at the attached restaurant, or have cold soba noodles at the soba restaurant across the street? In either case, good water is the deciding factor.

shichiken3 pine tree

shichiken2 inside

shichiken4 restaurant

shichiken6 lunch

shichiken5 natural water

soba kubota

Whiskey brewing and tasting

suntory3 tasting

Japanese Sake is not the only type of brewing that uses delicious water. The Suntory Hakushu factory is located towards Kobuchizawa from the post town. You can tour here, but the most fun part is the tasting. Advance reservations are required to tour, but be sure to take advantage of the hourly free shuttle bus from Kobuchizawa Station. Drivers are only boring. In case of the Suntory Yamazaki factory in Osaka, it is near the station, so you can easily go for a tasting. The founders of both Suntory and Nikka Whiskey were closely related.

yatsugatake

suntory6

suntory1 entrance

suntory2 brewing was once alchemy

suntory factory1 mashing

suntory factory2 fermentation

suntory factory3 distillation

suntory factory5 storage

suntory factory6 aging

suntory factory4 in the forest

suntory lunch1

suntory lunch2

suntory4 tasting

suntory5 drinking

(reference) Yamazaki Suntory Factory

yamazaki railroad crossing

yamazaki tasting board

2024-03-23

The small town Obuse thrives on chestnuts

When we arrived at the center of Obuse town, a large group of young tourists got off the large bus. It seemed like they were on a graduation trip, but it’s rare to see so many young people coming together in groups at tourist destinations in Japan. Japan’s tourist spots are now filled with energetic old people or foreigners who have benefited from the weak yen. This site, however, is disseminating information to non-Japanese people.

obuse scenery (4)

obuse scenery (5)

obuse scenery (6)

The first thing I noticed in Obuse was that each house and plot of land was large, and it was far more spacious than in Tokyo. Also, since there is no shopping street itself, there are no shuttered streets that are often seen, and there are no abandoned houses. Perhaps because of this, it has the feel of a rich country town. This area is also an alluvial fan, and fruit trees such as grapes and chestnut trees are cultivated on the farm.

obuse scenery (2)

obuse scenery (20)

obuse scenery (3)

This town does not give the impression of being depopulated or deserted at all. Although it only has a population of 10,000 people, it is famous as a chestnut production area that has continued since the Edo period. During the chestnut harvest season, long lines form in the morning for the seasonal fresh chestnut sweets, but you can enjoy chestnut sweets all year round along with delicious Italian cuisine at Evolve, which is a sister store to the famous store.

evolve lunch (1)entrance

evolve lunch (2)

evolve lunch (3)

evolve lunch (4)

evolve lunch (5)

evolve lunch (6)

evolve lunch (7)

evolve lunch (8)chestnut sweet

There are sweets shops all over the place, and you can enjoy all kinds of chestnut sweets. I wonder if the young group who got off the large bus came looking for these or rare sake from this region, but I couldn’t trace them after that.