Welcome to Issue#118 of SIN.
The heat is still on as the country slides through O-Bon season, a time of year when many head back to their hometown to pay respect to passed family members and ancestors.
It also means school holidays, so there are a lot of people out and about at this time of year, including the ever growing number of overseas visitors taking advantage of Japan’s struggling yen. Heat, crowds, and doomsday warnings of a potentially devastating earthquake on the way and you've got a week that’s better spent in the air-conditioning of one’s living room, nursing a stiff nama-genshu, waiting patiently until everything settles down just a little bit.
And now for the news…
Omachi To The World!
Okayama- JA Okayama has its sights set on the overseas market, having just held its first Omachi Sake event outside of Japan in Taiwan this month. The seminar was the result of collaboration with local importers and sake producers, which brought in 200 restaurateurs to learn about the history and characteristics of Omachi while enjoying 37 different sake made with Omachi.
Omachi is widely believed to have been discovered by a local farmer in Okayama at the end of the Edo Period in 1859. Sake made with Omachi soon became popular and it was even utilized (albeit under a different name) as one of the parent strains in the development of Yamada Nishiki. Omachi began to fade from view around World War II, when the planting area decreased due to the national policy of planting high yielding rice varieties. This continued even after the war, leading Omachi to become extremely rare.
However, by the 1980s sake breweries and farmers began reviving the rice due to its high quality and unique characteristics. In recent years, breweries using Omachi have increased significantly in tandem with its popularity among sake drinkers; the most staunch of which refer to themselves as “Omachist”.
A follow-up event is planned for August 26 in Hong Kong. The event will also pair Omachi sake with Harezushi, a local Okayama dish made similar to chirashizushi, where a bowl of sushi rice is topped with a variety of locally sourced seafood and vegetables.
With sake exports for 2023 sitting at JPY41billion - expected to be up 1.8 times compared to 5 years ago - JA Okayama together with the Okayama Prefectural Sake Brewers Association are hoping the event, similar to Japan's Omachi Summit event, will help raise the profile and appreciation of sake made with Okayama-grown Omachi and inspire a global following of Omachists.
Source - Sanyo News
JG: The Omachi Summit, wherein brewers from all over Japan submit their sake made with Okayama-grown Omachi rice for a tasting competition and big party, will be happening later this month (the judging) and early next month (the party). Indeed, Omachi fans are everywhere, some hidden, some out in the open. We all love that decidedly herbal, sweet-acidic flavor set.
赤磐雄町
Sake Celebrates A True Japanese Legend
Nagano- In commemoration of one of Japan’s most enduring icons, lifestyle company Onion Shinbunsha, has collaborated with a six breweries to release a limited edition GODZILLA 70th Anniversary Junmai Sake Set on its EC site, naganosake.jp on July 16.
The set features six brands of sake from Nagano Prefecture with popular Godzilla films depicted on the labels.
The special set includes: “Shin Godzilla” by Kikusui Shuzō, “Godzilla -1.0” by Daisekkei Shuzō, “Godzilla vs Mothra” by Takaten Shuzō, “Godzilla 2000 Millennium” by Chikuma Nishiki Shuzō, “Godzilla” by Nanawarai Shuzō, and “Godzilla vs King Ghidorah” by Kutsukake Shuzō.
Listen to this episode with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Sake Industry News to listen to this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.
