Address: Miyagi-ken, Osaki-shi, Matsuyama Sengoku, Okeyaki 14
Tel: 022-955-3322
Fax: 022-955-4513
Open time: 9:00-18:00
Web site: http://www.ichinokura.co.jp
Total spent: 0 yen (transportation fee: 1300 yen)
Kura Kaihou is an annual event promoted by the beverage producer Ichinokura. Ichinokura’s sake (Japanese rice wine) is known all around the world,
as the company exports to many countries. Although this is an event that
happens only once a year, it is a great opportunity to see how the sake is made and taste many kinds of sake.
There are also music and dance presentations, as well as many workshops and traditional Japanese food shops.
According to Mr. Suzuki, who is the Managing Director, Kura Kaihou started in 1993 and was meant to be another way
to connect employees and customers: seeing the customers enjoying the sake, the employees become even
more motivated and proud to make high quality sake, which is exactly the company’s objective.
Mr. Suzuki also highlighted the sake’s strong point: normally, there is an ideal temperature
to drink the other beverages, but that does not happen with sake. Hot, warm or cold, people can drink
it the way they like!
Many foreigners believe that there is only one kind of sake, but actually there are many. Mr. Suzuki shared with us his favorites:
・Tokubetsu Junmaishu Karakuchi: special dry sake made without water or sugar.
・Suzune: sweet sake without sugar.
・Amazake: Non-alcoholic sweet sake made from the same rice of the traditional sake, but 60% filtered.
Lastly, Mr. Suzuki invites everyone to participate in the many events promoted by Ichinokura.
He also invites to visit the Ichinokura’s headquarters to see how traditional sake is made!
You can taste many kinds of sake!
One of the stages of the production.
During the tour, there are quizzes to test your knowledge about sake!
Containers and warehouses where the rice and the sake are stored.
Watakushi ha
Oishii osake
Nomi ni iku
The event takes place at the Ichinokura’s headquarters in Matsuyama (Miyagi Prefecture).
To make the high quality sake produced by Ichinokura, there are used high quality materials.
For this reason, this place was chosen to be the headquarters because of the quality of the
water found underground and because it is a region which produces rice.
The production process has many steps, including polishing the rice, washing and steeping,
steaming and cooling, mixing it with koji (a kind of fungi) and kobo (yeast) to make the moromi (final mash), filtering and sterilization.
To go to a sake factory was a unique experience. Besides learning interesting things, the sake was is very good!
The ones I liked the most are the same as Mr. Suzuki's, but Suzune is my favorite.
If you happen to be in the region when the event takes place, do not miss the chance to go!
