Though more and more sake is being stored in bottles these days, most sake is still stored in tanks after produced in winter, and then bottled for shipment when it perfectly creates a well-balanced fl

The role model of sake brewing rice is Yamada Nishiki, which was born in 1936 at the Agricultural Research Institute in Hyogo prefecture where Nada, the region producing excellent sake, is located. It

Kamenoo (meaning “turtle tail”) rice was found and improved by Kameji Abe, an experienced farmer, in Amarume town (currently known as Shonai town), Yamagata prefecture. Having a good taste and advanta

In the Edo period (1603-1868), people living in the gorgeous city of Edo (now Tokyo) used to call what has brough from Kansai areas including Kyoto and Osaka prefectures “kudarimono”(kudaru meaning go

The words marriage and pairing are used for a harmony between sake and food (including snacks, appetizers and others). Marriage comes from a French word mariage meaning marriage, which then came to be

Year-round brewing has been increased nowadays, but most of sake is brewed in the period from fall through spring. After each brewery finishes pressing the last moromi of a particular season, calculat

Koshiki is a large tub used to steam rice. The sake brewing begins with rice polishing, rice washing, and then rice steaming in a koshiki with a large amount of vapor for about an hour. After that, th

Just as men, women have played important roles in sake brewing since the old days. This is supported by a theory that the word toji, a brew master, comes from a word representing an honorific title fo

The most common sake vessel used over drinks is ochoko, a small sake cup. The word choko comes from various Japanese roots including the meaning of “a little thing” and “plain”. By the way, choko incl