Sake tasting in Fushimi

Every year around this time, the company I work for make all employees to undergo medical checks. As I drink almost every day, I had uneasy feeling of the result of  alcohol related score from blood test. Nothing was wrong last year. And nothing is wrong this year after all.

So I took a day off on Friday to visit Fushimi, southern part of Kyoto city famous for Japanese Sake(rice wine) brewing as I felt relieved of medical check. Fushimi Inari shrine is famous for its thousands of red gates, but this Sake brewing part of Fushimi is quite far from Fushimi Inari shrine. I had been to this part of Fushimi only twice, and I had been to Kizakura brewery on both occasions. Kizakura itself is Sake brewery, but I was more interested in its micro-brewed beer of Cologne stye and Dusseldorf ALT style. And I had never tasted Sake on the past visit. As my interest has been changing from the foreign to Japanese, my main purpose of this time is to learn and taste Sake.

The reason why Fushimi had been famous for Sake brewing is that it has quality underground water. There are a lot of temples and shrines for water related beliefs in this part of the city. I visited Gekkeikan Okura memorial hall. There you have to pay 300 yen entry fee, but get 180 ml original Sake as a gift, which means you can get more than you pay. You can look at the process and history of Sake brewing, and after that you can do free Sake tasting. This free Sake tasting is tasting a small quantity of three types of Sake, but quantity given was too little for me. So after Gekkeikan Okura memorial hall, I liked to do Sake tasting of quantity. About 5 minites walk to the north, I visited Fushimi Yume Hyakushu(translated roughly as Fushimi dream 100 people). As it was still before 11 in the morning, nobody was there. Tasting three types of Sake costs 750 yen, but as I don't know much of the brand, and there were several sets offered. I asked the staff to give me Sake of dry character. Three Sake with Japanese pickles came and a smalll note was given for appropriate procedure to appreciate the Sake. Smell, look the color, and finally taste. I felt I could tell some differences in color and taste, but can not tell what it was.

Final Sake stop was Tori-sei brewery restaurant. It opens at 11:30, but soon after the opening, the customers flooded in. This place must be famous for locals and tourists. I was lucky to get a seat at counter. I ordered another dry Sake of their brand and Yakitori grilled chicken in skewer. The chilled Sake was quite good with chicken.

In the past, I have tried to add Sake in my drinking repertorie of beer, wine, sho-chu cocktail, and whiskey. But each time, it did not last as Sake taste was not so good. But Sake tasting in Fushimi this time is quite good. There is a possibility that I had been tasting non quality Sake before. Fushimi is just a short train ride from Kyoto city center, so I like to come here from time to time, to taste genuine Sake. Beside, Fushimi has several interesting historical spots.

Consumption of Sake has been in decline, and even the millenniums' tradition can not beat the rule of economy. Failure of transfer of this tradition is quite a blow to not only culture but to economy. Kyoto has top quality ceramic industries in ancient and modern. Ancient is for Kiyomizu-yaki ceramic ware. Modern is for ceramic capacitor and ceramic insulator that makes your smartphone tick. This two aspect of cermaic industries in Kyoto is closely related. I like to believe the same would become for brewing. Sake brewing tradition may lead to the new application of bio-technology and life science in the future.

Gekkeikan Okura memorial hall

Canals and boats are part of Fushimi cityscape