By Yuri Yuhara
“What is the principal ingredient of a good
sake? Water.” This is what Mr. Ryogo Kitahara, Director of Shichiken Brewery,
told us when we visited his family’s sakagura, a traditional Japanese sake (nihonshu)
brewery located in Hakushu, a district of Hokuto City, Yamanashi Pref., during
the Open Brewery event.
With almost 270 years of history, Shichiken
is the only sakagura that makes sake with Hakushu water, which runs Mt.
Kaikoma, part of the Japanese Southern Alps, a UNESCO Eco Park. Hakushu area is
famous for its high quality water, being the place where major mineral water companies
produce their water, and where one of the Suntory’s Whisky most famous distilleries,
Hakushu, produce the world renowned whisky of same name.
Not only the water used in Shichiken's products is from Yamanashi. In order to make a true jizake (local sake), about 95% of the rice used for making sake at Shichiken is grown by local partner farmers, also using Hakushu’s water.
And to connect even more with the local community, Shichiken holds its Open
Brewery Days every year, when visitors have the chance to taste all their
products, visit the storehouses, learn about sake production, buy limited
edition sake and enjoy dishes from awarded local chefs.
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| Restaurant Ai to Ibukuro |
The 2019 Open Brewery Days will take place
from March 2nd to 10th, from 9:30am to 3:30pm.
Participation fee is only 1000 yen, and it includes a sake cup, a small bottle of sake (limited edition) and tickets for tasting 7 types of premium sake..
Except for the premium sake listed in the tickets, you can taste unlimited times all other sake produced at Shichiken, and also enjoy the water used for brew it.
Shichiken was built in the old
Daigahara-shuku, one of the stops of the Koshu Kaido road where a small town flourished
in Edo Era. In 1880, this historical building was the accommodation of the
emperor during his passage through Yamanashi, and today visitors can see the
room where the Emperor stayed, and relax at the next room, where the old style Kura
Café works. If you visit Shichiken during the Open
Brewery Days, don’t forget to take a look!
More info
https://www.sake-shichiken.co.jp/onakaya/ec_shop/sakagurakaihou.php
How to get there
https://goo.gl/maps/PheDjL9XrBN2
How to get there
https://goo.gl/maps/PheDjL9XrBN2
Bus tour for those who don’t want to worry
about how to get there (and come back)
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