Tokyo Jizake Strolling (Nihonsakari Tasting Event)
2025-11-19
By Ryuji Takahashi
In the Japanese sake industry, “Hiyaoroshi” and other events are held this time of the year*. Our sake shop hosted a tasting event for Nihonsakari Co., Ltd., a major Japanese sake brewery. Major sake breweries produce sake year-round; thus sake is often not recognized to be seasonal.
However, this tasting event was organized to determine if sake enjoyed in the fall is different in flavor and ambience.
Founded in 1889, Nihonsakari not only brews sake, but also manufactures cosmetic products just as popular as their sake products. Five different types of sake products were brought to this tasting event for sampling: “Souhana Junmai Ginjo” by the official purveyor to the Imperial Household, “Junmai Daiginjo Draft,” rumored to have won a blind tasting against a popular sake brand from Yamaguchi prefecture; “JAPAN Soda,” widely available in convenience stores and supermarkets; crispy, dry, and refreshing “Fresh Namachozo Sake” (once-pasteurized sake stored unpasteurized to preserve its fresh flavor), and “Jurakudai Junmai Autumn” by Sasaki Sake Brewery in Kyoto prefecture, for whom Nihonsakari Co., Ltd. operates as a sales agency.
Guests purchased samples with tickets for 200 JPY per glass and a set of 5 tickets for approximately 45 ml of sake. Guests expressed their desire to pair Souhana - its balanced flavor is the selling point – with food or enjoy as hot sake. Both the price and quality of Junmai Daiginjo Draft wowed guests upon learning a major sake producer offers such exquisite, reasonably priced sake. JAPAN Soda is sweet and fizzy, atypical of sake and easy to drink, thus easy to drink too much, one guest commented. Fresh Namachozo Sake is most suitable to be served in local sushi restaurants or tempura restaurants, many guests commented.
Guests were surprised to learn that Sasaki Sake Brewery, producer of premium sake brand Jurakudai, is also the childhood home of famous Japanese actor Kuranosuke Sasaki. Flavor-wise, many guests commented that Jurakudai is refreshing, suitable for pairing with various fall fishes. There’s a reason we’re serving sake brands by major sake breweries in recent tasting events. Sake fans who enjoy major sake brands also enjoy jizake (local sake), while jizake fans tend not to enjoy sake brands by major breweries, convinced that major sake brands are not delicious - a biased opinion based on their lack of understanding.
In fact, many guests were moved by the delicious flavors of major sake brands during this tasting event. Major sake brands and jizake are both sake. Major sake breweries improve techniques to produce sake while also supporting several jizake brands. If major sake breweries withdraw from the sake industry, jizake brands will also decrease in numbers. Therefore, would true sake fans not enjoy both major sake brands and local sake brands?
However, this tasting event was organized to determine if sake enjoyed in the fall is different in flavor and ambience.
Founded in 1889, Nihonsakari not only brews sake, but also manufactures cosmetic products just as popular as their sake products. Five different types of sake products were brought to this tasting event for sampling: “Souhana Junmai Ginjo” by the official purveyor to the Imperial Household, “Junmai Daiginjo Draft,” rumored to have won a blind tasting against a popular sake brand from Yamaguchi prefecture; “JAPAN Soda,” widely available in convenience stores and supermarkets; crispy, dry, and refreshing “Fresh Namachozo Sake” (once-pasteurized sake stored unpasteurized to preserve its fresh flavor), and “Jurakudai Junmai Autumn” by Sasaki Sake Brewery in Kyoto prefecture, for whom Nihonsakari Co., Ltd. operates as a sales agency.
Guests purchased samples with tickets for 200 JPY per glass and a set of 5 tickets for approximately 45 ml of sake. Guests expressed their desire to pair Souhana - its balanced flavor is the selling point – with food or enjoy as hot sake. Both the price and quality of Junmai Daiginjo Draft wowed guests upon learning a major sake producer offers such exquisite, reasonably priced sake. JAPAN Soda is sweet and fizzy, atypical of sake and easy to drink, thus easy to drink too much, one guest commented. Fresh Namachozo Sake is most suitable to be served in local sushi restaurants or tempura restaurants, many guests commented.
Guests were surprised to learn that Sasaki Sake Brewery, producer of premium sake brand Jurakudai, is also the childhood home of famous Japanese actor Kuranosuke Sasaki. Flavor-wise, many guests commented that Jurakudai is refreshing, suitable for pairing with various fall fishes. There’s a reason we’re serving sake brands by major sake breweries in recent tasting events. Sake fans who enjoy major sake brands also enjoy jizake (local sake), while jizake fans tend not to enjoy sake brands by major breweries, convinced that major sake brands are not delicious - a biased opinion based on their lack of understanding.
In fact, many guests were moved by the delicious flavors of major sake brands during this tasting event. Major sake brands and jizake are both sake. Major sake breweries improve techniques to produce sake while also supporting several jizake brands. If major sake breweries withdraw from the sake industry, jizake brands will also decrease in numbers. Therefore, would true sake fans not enjoy both major sake brands and local sake brands?
*Hiyaoroshi is a seasonal style of Japanese sake traditionally released in the autumn.
A type of seasonal autumn sake, pasteurized only once, aged over summer, and released in the fall with a smooth, balanced flavor.
A type of seasonal autumn sake, pasteurized only once, aged over summer, and released in the fall with a smooth, balanced flavor.
東京地酒散歩（日本盛の会）
日本酒業界では「ひやおろし」のイベントなどが開催される時期だが、日本酒メーカーの中でも大手に入る日本盛の試飲販売会を当店で開催した。大手メーカーは常に酒を製造しているので春夏秋冬の酒のイメージが無い。
しかし、やはり秋に飲むと雰囲気は違うのかどうか知りたいという思いでの開催。日本盛は１８８９年（明治２２年）創業。現在は日本酒だけでなく、化粧品製造も行っており、日本酒と同じくらい人気である。今回は、日本酒を5種類用意。宮内庁御用達の「惣花純米吟醸」、ブラインドテイスティングで山口県の某人気ブランドに勝ったという噂の「純米大吟醸生酒」、コンビニやスーパーマーケットなどで幅広く扱われている「ジャパンソーダ缶」、淡麗で爽快な味わいの「新鮮生貯」、そして日本盛が代理販売を行っている京都佐々木酒造の「聚楽第純米酒秋あがり」。試飲はチケット制で一杯２００円。5枚綴りのチケットを購入してもらい約４５ｍｌのお酒を味わうことが出来るようにした。惣花はやはりバランスの良さが売りなだけあってか、食事と合わせて飲みたいとか、燗にして飲みたいなどの声が上がった。純米大吟醸生酒は、値段とクオリティに皆びっくりで、こんな華やかでリーズナブルな酒が大手メーカーにあるのかと驚いていた。ジャパンソーダ缶は、甘くて炭酸感があって日本酒を飲んでいる感じが無く飲みやすいので飲みすぎてしまうという意見が出た。新鮮生貯は、想像通り町の寿司屋とか天麩羅やなどで出てくると良いねという感想が多かった。佐々木酒造の聚楽第は、俳優の佐々木蔵之介さんの実家という話で皆驚き、味わい的にはスッキリしていて秋の味覚と合わせたいという人が多かった。最近、大手メーカーの酒を扱うイベントを行っているのには理由がある。大手メーカーの酒を飲む人は地酒も飲むのだが、地酒の愛好家は大手メーカーの日本酒を飲まない傾向にあり、地酒愛好家の中には大手メーカーの酒は不味いと思っている人も少なくない。しかしそれは偏見であり、認識不足と言えるだろう。実際、今回のイベントで参加者は皆美味さに感動していた。大手も地酒も同じ日本の国酒であり、同じ日本酒なのである。日本酒造りの技術を向上させているのは大手メーカーであり、地酒銘柄を幾つか支えているのも大手メーカーである。大手メーカーが酒事業を撤退すると地酒も減るのだから大手も地酒も飲むのが日本酒愛好家ではないだろうか。
しかし、やはり秋に飲むと雰囲気は違うのかどうか知りたいという思いでの開催。日本盛は１８８９年（明治２２年）創業。現在は日本酒だけでなく、化粧品製造も行っており、日本酒と同じくらい人気である。今回は、日本酒を5種類用意。宮内庁御用達の「惣花純米吟醸」、ブラインドテイスティングで山口県の某人気ブランドに勝ったという噂の「純米大吟醸生酒」、コンビニやスーパーマーケットなどで幅広く扱われている「ジャパンソーダ缶」、淡麗で爽快な味わいの「新鮮生貯」、そして日本盛が代理販売を行っている京都佐々木酒造の「聚楽第純米酒秋あがり」。試飲はチケット制で一杯２００円。5枚綴りのチケットを購入してもらい約４５ｍｌのお酒を味わうことが出来るようにした。惣花はやはりバランスの良さが売りなだけあってか、食事と合わせて飲みたいとか、燗にして飲みたいなどの声が上がった。純米大吟醸生酒は、値段とクオリティに皆びっくりで、こんな華やかでリーズナブルな酒が大手メーカーにあるのかと驚いていた。ジャパンソーダ缶は、甘くて炭酸感があって日本酒を飲んでいる感じが無く飲みやすいので飲みすぎてしまうという意見が出た。新鮮生貯は、想像通り町の寿司屋とか天麩羅やなどで出てくると良いねという感想が多かった。佐々木酒造の聚楽第は、俳優の佐々木蔵之介さんの実家という話で皆驚き、味わい的にはスッキリしていて秋の味覚と合わせたいという人が多かった。最近、大手メーカーの酒を扱うイベントを行っているのには理由がある。大手メーカーの酒を飲む人は地酒も飲むのだが、地酒の愛好家は大手メーカーの日本酒を飲まない傾向にあり、地酒愛好家の中には大手メーカーの酒は不味いと思っている人も少なくない。しかしそれは偏見であり、認識不足と言えるだろう。実際、今回のイベントで参加者は皆美味さに感動していた。大手も地酒も同じ日本の国酒であり、同じ日本酒なのである。日本酒造りの技術を向上させているのは大手メーカーであり、地酒銘柄を幾つか支えているのも大手メーカーである。大手メーカーが酒事業を撤退すると地酒も減るのだから大手も地酒も飲むのが日本酒愛好家ではないだろうか。
