Sake is one of the most popular drinks in Japan. Different rice and water are used in different regions, resulting in sake with different flavors depending on regions.
The relationship with the snow country culture can also be seen in the background of sake.
For example, some sake breweries make good use of the heavy snowfall in their brewing process, such as using melt water and Yukimuro (a insulted room that store massive amount of snow to mature and chill sake).
Rice, an important ingredient in sake brewing, also grows well thanks to the melt water from the snow that accumulates in the winter and melts in the spring. Therefore, some sake breweries benefit indirectly from the snow.
Even if snow is not directly involved in sake brewing, some breweries name their sake after snow-related words. Whether directly or indirectly, snow has an impact on sake culture.
Let's take a look at some of the breweries in Kenhoku area, Akita prefecture, Japan.
Where is the Kenhoku area?
In the kenhoku area, there are many places where visitors can enjoy nature, such as Shirakami Sanchi which are registered as UNESCO natural heritage sites, Lake Towada, and Hachimantai. In the winter, visitors can enjoy viewing snow monsters at Mt.Moriyoshi.
The kenhoku area is also famous as the birthplace of the Akita dog, including Chuken Hachiko of Shibuya.
The origin of this dog is said to be the Matagi dog, which worked with Matagi as a hunting dog in the Ou Mountains. (Matagi is people who specialized in hunting wild animals such as bears and antelopes in the mountains of the Tohoku region. ) In the Ani region, the Matagi culture still remains strong.
One of the most famous local dishes in the kenhoku area is kiritanpo, a hot pot dish that is well known in Japan.
Kazuno City
Kazuno city is a mountainous area, with Lake Towada in the north and Hachimantai and Mt.Yake in the south.
The representative festival Hanawa Bayashi, which is also recognized as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, is held in Kakaku City.
Kiritanpo, one of Japan's most popular local dishes, originated in Kazuno City.
Chitose Zakari Shuzo (千歳盛酒造株式会社)
Established in 1872. The company uses subsoil water from the Shirasu Plateau as brewing water.
The company's signature sake, "Chitose Zakari," was named in 1923 to wish for prosperity and longevity.
TEL: 0186-23-2053
URL: https://chitosezakari.jp/
Noshiro City
Noshiro City is located in the northwest of Akita Prefecture and has a rich traditional culture, including the Tanabata Festival and "the Nightless Castle in the Sky", where giant castle-shaped lanterns are pulled around.
URL: http://bunka.welcomenoshiro.com/
Kikusui Shuzo (喜久水酒造合資会社)
Established in 1875. Kikusui Sake Brewery uses a former underground railroad tunnel as a storage facility for sake, and is known for its unique storage facility.
It is made of bricks and is about 100 meters long, and is said to be kept at a constant temperature of 12 degrees Celsius throughout the year.
TEL: 0185-52-2271
URL : https://kikusuisyuzo.com/
Tour : https://kikusuisyuzo.com/?page_id=13
Odate City
The story of Hachiko, the loyal dog of Shibuya, is well known overseas. Odate City is known as Hachiko's hometown.
At traditional craft, Odate magewappa is also famous. (magewappa is a cylindrical shape made by bending thin seets of cedar or cypress. and is used for lunch boxes, rice containers, and shrine rituals).
Hokushika Corporation (株式会社北鹿)
Founded in 1944.Taking advantage of the snowy environment, Hokushika has a large scale snow storage system.
Six 10,000-liter tanks are used to store undiluted sake in its original state.
The annual removal of the tanks at the beginning of March has become a local tradition.
The idea for storing sake in the snow came from the traditional Tohoku method of burying vegetables in the snow for storing.
TEL: 0186-42-2101
URL : https://www.hokushika.jp/
Reference about Snow Storage (SAKE TIMES) : https://jp.sake-times.com/special/project/pr_hokushika_story003
Happo Town
Nearly 80% of the area of Happo Town is covered with forests.
The town's vast forest is part of the Shirakami mountain range, which is an area designated as Akita Shirakami Prefectural Natural Park.
From late November to December, the town is bustling with sandfish fishing.
Yamamoto Shuzoten (株式会社山本酒造店)
Founded in 1901. The brewery abolished the toji system and created an environment where all brewers can freely share their opinions. (Basically, the toji is the "chief production officer of the brewery" and oversees the entire process.)
On the website, you can see that the staff play their favorite music on a daily basis, and that the labels of the sake show not only the ingredients but also the producer's information. This brewery shows a lot of playfulness and humor.
TEL: 0185-77-2311
URL : https://english.yamamoto-brewery.com/
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