Tokyofoodcast

Sake of the week #030: Masumi Yamahai Zukuri Junmai Ginjo

In September, I visited Keith-san, marketing manager at Masumi in Suwa, Nagano. When he mentioned a new Yamahai Zukuri Junmai Ginjo, how could I resist getting a bottle to try at home! Even when the transaction meant possibly missing my train back to Tokyo, I had to grab a bottle that had only been released a few days before.

We finally had a chance to try it this week. Having been aged for two summers, this Yamahai had a deep note of honey balanced by a gentle acidity leading to a clean finish. We enjoyed it first by itself and admired the golden color.

San’in Trip: Day Four-Izumo-Land of Myth and Faith

Then, we were off to the Izumo Grand Shrine which is believed to be the oldest shrine in Japan. And, it is rich with myths and legends. In October, all gods from throughout Japan gather at this central location. What do they do? They hold conferences and discuss various topics such as liquor production, marriage ties, and the yield of grain during the previous year. Where do they stay? There are special guest houses on the premises to host gods while they visit the shrine! Even today people believe in the uber-power of the kamisama here and pay a special visit.

Sake of the week #029: Sawa no Hana Junmai Ginjo Hitogokochi

Funny how just a slight change in the weather and temperature can change your cravings. The days are still pretty hot, but it has cooled down in the evenings quite a bit lately. For the first time this fall, I was craving creamy, hearty pasta. So, I mixed a jar of artichoke cream sauce with sake kasu, sauteed onion, butter, flour and non-fat milk to dish up with some big tube pasta.

Then the drink choice. I had already poured a good amount of Shichihonyari Junmai we had in the fridge from a couple nights ago in the sauce and it was almost gone. So which bottle to open? Sawa-no-hana Junmai Ginjo Hitogokochi was my pick.

San’in Trip: Day Four-A Glimpse of Samurai Culture in Matsue

Tucking our feet under the comfortably warm table, we listened to the boatman singing old rowing songs and looked out at the the moss-covered walls or an elegant white heron resting in the middle of the still, green water. Time seemed to slow. Then, the skipper said “now we are coming up to a series of low bridges and make sure you duck”.

Sake of the Week #028: Sagaminada Tokubetsu Junmai is my new local

One reason why Sagaminada caught my interest is that they are almost my second “local”. Work takes me out to Machida and Sagamihara everyday, so these guys are my nearest sake brewery. They really have respect from their community.

San’in Trip: Day Three-Fished out! And Monsters Too!

After the crabfest at Gyosantei, we started our third day at a hotel which also serves as a dormitory for sailors by the port of Sakaiminato. Although not a soul besides us seemed to be wandering the harbor or the streets on that sunny spring morning, the clear sky at this working port town was filled with the “clang, clang, clang” from the shipyard echoing through an otherwise very peaceful neighborhood.

Sake of the week #027: Kikuyoi Junmai Ginjo Matsushita-mai 50

Then it hit him. Hit him like a ton of bricks, it did.
“Holy shit! Sake brewing! What the hell have I been
thinking! It has been with me my whole life!”

Sake of the Week #026: Gangi Hiya Oroshi kicks off fall

Though Gangi can be quite stylish and subtler than this bottle, since it is hiya oroshi time, this one was brasher. There was a really good bitterness or nigami that I couldn’t quite put my finger on.

Sake of the week #025: Shichihonyari Junmai Daiginjo Wataribune Kibune Jikagumi

“I thought I was done with nama and I had moved on, you know, but with this one…”

Tokyofoodcast’s San’in Trip: Day One

The day I returned from visiting Chiyomusubi in Sakaiminato in January, we opened a bottle of Tamagawa Tetsukezu Genshu from Kinoshita Shuzo. This was bottled directly from the giant accordion of a pressing machine, or Yabuta. It was so bubbly and lively. I happened to also bring back some Matsuba Kani from Tottori that day. The sake itself was great, but with the crab, that was just soooo good. That’s when I pulled out a map of Japan to see where Kumihama, Kyoto is.

“It’s on the Japan Sea coast and not far from Tottori or for that matter, Shimane is pretty close.” After going to a tasting of Shimane sake, I was really impressed by the region. Thus, my first casual thoughts boiled and bubbled over the next few weeks to finally emerge as a plan for a grand tour around San’in in March.