2024年4月4日
April 4-6: Sake and gourmet tour to Ibaraki Prefecture for Hong Kong guests conducted
We have finally organized the long-awaited Ibaraki tour for our Hong Kong customers.
Once again, it was a three-day event with highly enthusiastic people, including people who had taken part in the Gunma tour in November who returned to take part again, and people who run restaurants and wanted to learn more about sake.
On the first day, we visited Tsuki no I Sake Brewery in Oarai after admiring the cherry blossoms that had just started blooming at Kairakuen in Mito. We learned from Toji Ishikawa how to make koji and kimoto, as well as the philosophy of "untargeted sake brewing," and tasted both cold and warm sake. We were all moved by the Motozuri song, which we were hearing for the first time.
On the second day, after enjoying fresh seafood at Nakaminato Fish Market, we went to Kasama to search for our favorite pottery. I also came across a fateful piece here, and resolved to go and pick it up as a reward someday. Afterwards, we visited Inaba Sake Brewery, where we learned about the company's history and commitment to sake brewing, which disregards cost, and enjoyed pairing it with spring flavors. In particular, cream cheese pickled in sake lees is not very familiar in Hong Kong, and everyone was unanimous in asking about the recipe, saying that the mild sweetness and umami of the cream cheese make it a wonderful snack.
On the last day, we visited Raifuku Sake Brewery, where we toured the brewery, tried direct drawing, and tasted their sake. They use a variety of rice and yeast, and by combining these they have created many different brands of sake. We saw the students tasting the sake seriously, trying to distinguish the differences between them. Finally, we enjoyed the cherry blossoms in full bloom at Amabiki Kannon Temple, which is also famous as a hydrangea temple.
Ibaraki has been so kind to me that I have always wanted to give back to the place, and I am very happy to have had the opportunity to share even a small part of the charms of Ibaraki, which is not yet well known overseas. Based on this tour, I hope to increase the content so that I can share even more of its charms.