Warm welcome to Sake.
Super Happy News!! Traditional Saka Making was designated as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage on December 5, 2024. I think you can't leave Japan without trying Sake?:)
On Sake here's another fantastic story. Junmai Ginjo Fukuju made by a sake brewery in Kobe, one of the best sake capitals, was served at a banquet after the 2018 Nobel Prize Award Ceremony in Sweden for the 8th time, five years straight. So I think in myself that Junmai Ginjo Fukuju might be one of the the world's best sake.
As you probably know, Sake which usually contains 15-16% alcohole is getting more and more popular overseas as well, and its exports are increasing year after year. The export amount was nearly 10 billion JPY (about 90 million USD) in 2012, and about 19 billion JPY (about 175 million USD) in 2017.
You can drink it either warm or cold based on your taste. It might be better to enjoy it warm especially in winter, and cold in summer. When it comes to luxurious sake such as Junmai and Ginjo, cold sake at room temperature is a must. I think sake tastes best all year round when it is cold.
We have an old saying i.e. sake is the best medicine. As the proverb goes, one of the recipes for good health and longevity might be moderate drinking.
Now it's almost SAKE TIME. Sure you will be like, "Unbelievable, super awesome!" So let's drink to your wonderful/special trip in Japan. "KAMPAI (CHEERS) !!"
Nara is allegedly the home of Japanese sake. They say sake was brewed in Nara for the first time during the 15th century. (Shoganji Temple in Nara: the place of Japanese sake origin)
Fushimi and Nada, among others, are noted as the centers of sake breweries in western Japan. Here's some information about the genuine taste of Japanese sake.
Fushimi is located in the southern part of Kyoto, about 10-minute ride from JR Kyoto Station. There are over 20 sake breweries. Fushimi sake is characterized by its amakuchi or mild sweetness high in sugar, as often called "Onna-zake (women's sake)" using a bit soft underground water. Here in Fushimi, you can try a sake with a smooth taste.
Nada is located in the eastern part of Kobe and in Nishinomiya city in between Osaka and central Kobe, about 15-minute ride from JR Osaka Station or JR Sannomiya Station in central Kobe. There are over 20 sake breweries in there. Nada sake is characterized by its karakuchi, dryness low in sugar, as often called "Otoko-Zake (men's sake) using hard underground water welling up from Mt. Rokko.
Back in the late-Edo Period, early 19th century, it is said that some 80 per cent of sake consumed in Edo (currently Tokyo) was Nada sake, bought from Kobe port to Edo by sailboat. Most probably then Shogun also savored Nada's highest-class sake. So it's literally well-worth a go.:)
You will see a Sugi-tama (a ball made of Japanese ceder branches) hanging from the eave of a sake brewery, which is initially green in October/November. It's a sign announcing the fresh sake of the year is now READY for YOU.
(Ceder ball in the picture above is a symbol we often see at the entrance of a sake brewery or liquor store)
Good news for boozers or sake lovers. Sake breweries can currently be seen not just in Japan, but all over the world, like New York, Canada, Chile, New Zealand, Taiwan, Paris, Spain, Italy, and so on.
So it might be safely said that today sake is being tasted throughout the world. Actually sake goes well with ANY cuisine. Would you like some sake as an appetizer, and during meals as well?
Here's a shot of my wonderful guests exploring a long-established sake brewery in Kobe.
Here's a little more information about umeshu. Umeshu is a fruity liquor made from fresh plums fermented in distilled liquor with sugar for about a year or so. Its alcohol content is lower than sake, between 8 and 15%. It has a good reputation among women, as well. The best way to taste it is adding ice, or mixing it with water. In winter you can also drint it warm. Canned umeshu, with the alcohol content already made thinner down to around 4% or even zero%, is usually available at convenience stores.
In my childfood, my parents often drank home-made umeshu, still legal, for "health reason." Once in a while I begged them for a small juicy plum in the bottom of bumeshu-bins, which was my "tasty territory." I made it and remain healthy.:)
So much for Sake. Coz I'm getting a little bit tipsy. I might have dug too deep into Sake.:) So again "Kampai (Cheers) to your super happy and memorable travel!!" Enjoy.:)
