As mentioned in last week’s posting, Expat Expo was held on November 25-26, 2022, at Hamamatsucho-kan, Minato Ward, Tokyo. Our second significant encounter thereat was with Mr. Yuki Ojima, a Japanese fluent in English who runs a business that we believe is poised to meet what will probably become a growing demand. Simply put, there are many sake breweries in Japan, some of which are not open to the public or are unable to provide information in English to foreign visitors. There is, of course, a growing interest in nihon-shu overseas among a largely upmarket cohort, and it is reasonable to assume that some foreign visitors to Japan will want to pop into a kura or two and acquire in-depth information on the sake production process. Ojima-san’s territory is Yamagata, a prefecture that boasts about fifty sake breweries, according to The Story of Sake, a pamphlet produced by his company. The Story of Sake, Ltd. has linked up with a number of them, including Mitobe Sake Brewery, which was established in 1898. We tried one of their brews (pictured below) and found it refreshing and complex. We think it is high time we visited Yamagata, perhaps when their delicious cherries are being picked!
Drinking Japan 