Enjoy Sake Making in Tokushima
All sake enthusiasts are welcome to come along!
Despite the pandemic, we have been visiting sake breweries every month. If you follow Sake Lovers Japan on facebook or instagram, you might have seen us streaming live and posting photos and videos from sake breweries.
My business partner, Yuki Imanishi, has visited over 350 sake breweries and knows about 60% of the sake breweries in Japan. She is one of the geekiest sake lovers I know. Also, there is not a day that she doesn’t drink sake. Her blood consists mostly of sake, I believe.
Yuki is one of the true sake enthusiasts I respect. Determined to spread the love of sake, we launched a company called Sake Lovers Inc in 2018, and running a website on sake called sakegeek.com together.
A couple of years ago, we came across a unique sake brewery in Tokushima — Miyoshikiku. The brewery’s slogan is “Walk on the wild side.”
Mamiya-san is a rock-n-roller. He loves music. He plays guitar. He has a large collection of LPs. He ferments the sake in the tank with music pouring out of a Bose speaker. He only has one Bose speaker to put in front of a tank but collects samples of the moromi that was fermented with and without music. He believes that music helps the fermentation and wants to provide scientific data and proof that music makes a difference.
The labels on the bottles of Miyoshikiku sake are so unique, it’s not like the typical sake labels you see at the stores. Some bottles don’t even look like sake.
He said he faced bullying from the sake industry since he didn’t have a typical sake background. He didn’t go to Tokyo University of Agriculture where many daughters and sons of the brewery owners study. Even though he was born in a sake brewery family, he didn’t have have the desire to become a brewer. When his mother told him that they are going to close the business, that’s when he thought seriously about coming back since his mom didn’t want to close the brewery.
Ever since he decided to come back, he’s studied hard. He studied at National Research Institute of Brewing and even worked there.
During the Golden Week holiday, we are invited to join a sake making experience at Mamiya-san’s brewery. You are welcome to tag along.
I’ve been visiting Niigata, Iwate, and Okayama for sake making every year. This is my first time participating in sake-making in Tokushima.
I expect an experience you’ll never forget. I am planning to visit around Shikoku and perhaps visit some temples and shrines for Ohenro Pilgrimage after the sake making. I hope you can join me.
Since I have never been to Shikoku, I’d appreciate advice anyone can offer as to where to visit!
Thanks in advance!
