About Sake: Can We Make Good Sake At Home?

In connection to my previous post introducing a sake event on Feb. 10th, let's talk more about Japanese Sake. 

As for the question in the title "can we make good sake at home?", it is actually out of question since brewing sake at home is illegal in Japan. However in terms of technical possibility, can we brew good sake at home? 

I would say it is not impossible but very difficult. Actually making sake is different from making wine although both are using the same technique of alcoholic fermentation. Grapes, the ingredient of wine, are originally sweet so that yeasts can work on the fermentation immediately, but the situation is different for sake. Since rice grains don't contain enough sugar initialy, in order to make sake, rice grains need to be steamed and incubated with Koji-bacteria. After this process enough sugar is produced and ready for the alcoholic fermentation, so making sake requires two steps of biological reactions. 

In addition, sake ingredients must be treated under sterilized condition during the two processes. That's why most Sake breweries are hanging a sacred rope of Japanese Shinto at the entrance as shown in the lower right hand side photo. Places for sake brewing must be very clean.

Moreover, though it sounds simple when we hear the ingredients of sake are basically water and rice, actually the ingredient rice for sake is not the usual rice we eat. Since the rice needs to get bacteria to increase sugar contents, special kinds of rice are used for sake, and it is called "Saka-Mai (sake rice)". The "Saka-Mai" grains have a white core in the center with a spongy structure containing only starch. Please compare the two photos of rice grains in the lower left hand side. They are both unpolished rice grains, and the "sake rice" has a whitish core in the center though "Usual Rice" looks just semi-transparent brown. Apparently the "sake rice" kinds are not tasty when cooked to make a usual meal.

Thus making sake is not an easy task for unprofessional people. Even in old times when bottling were not available, people didn't try to make sake at home and they went out to buy sake at sake breweries. How did they bring sake back home? This would appear an eco-friendly way nowadays: they rented big ceramic containers from the breweries to bring sake home and kept it until they finish the sake. So old-days ceramic sake bottles always had the name of the sake breweries to show the lender as shown in the lower center photo.

Do You Like Sake? A Japanese Sake Event Is Being Held at Roppongi, Tokyo

From February 5th, a Japanese sake event is being held at Roppongi, Tokyo. It will continue until this Sunday, February 14th. A total of one hundred local sake breweries will be introduced during the 10 days, and people can taste sake from 10 different breweries each day for a fee.

To join the event, people buy a starter set for 3500 Yen, which includs a small glass for cold sake and a small cup for hot sake as shown in the lower left hand side photo and 6 tokens. Then they can exchange the tokens for sake tasting or some appetizers. Also additional tokens are available for perchase, for the price of 1500 Yen for 6 tokens,  2500 Yen for 11 tokens.

In Japan there are tons of local sake breweries all over the country and the situation is similar to that of local beer breweries in the U.S.A. The tastes of sake are very different in each Sake breweries so that it is fun to try Sake at different breweries. The local sake breweries generally start brewing sake every fall after the harvest of rice, and winter is the season of freshly brewed Sake. Therefore a sake tasting event in winter is like "October Fest" for beer.

The cost for tasting in this event is 3 tokens for a glass of cold Junmai-Daiginjo/Daiginjo sake, 2 token for a glass of cold Junmai-Ginjo/Ginjo sake, and 1 token for a glass of cold Junmai sake/a cup of hot sake. These Daiginjo, Ginjo, and Junmai are classifications for sake. Although the cost is very different between them, it doesn't mean Daiginjou is the highest class/the best tasting sake and Junmai is a low class/tasteless sake. 

Actually the differences between them are mainly the extent of rice polished which is the main ingredient. Japanese sake is made of rice and water and "Daiginjo" is using rice grains polished to 50% or less of weight, in other word it is using only core of rice grains which are 50% or less than 50% of the whole grain. For Ginjo, rice grains are basically polished to 50-60% or less of the whole grain, and for Junmai rice grains are  basically polished to 60-70% or less of the whole grain. 

Thus, the difference of the price between Daiginjo, Ginjo, and Junmai basically reflect the cost for the rice because to make Daiginjo sake would require 1.5 times or more rice grains than Junmai sake. However, the tastes of the three types are in fact very different from each other, since constituents of inner core and outer core of rice grain are different. 

Therefore, which one a person likes most would depend on personal preferences, so I hope you will have a chance to try different kinds of sake and find your favorite!

A Great Night View Spot Close To Tokyo, Yokohama Bay Area in Kanagawa Prefecture

The area around the Port of Yokohama (Yokohama-Kou) is one of the popular spots for a night view close to Tokyo. The Port of Yokohama has been a very prosperous port for commerce and there are many modern buildings for business and shopping as shown in the upper left hand side photo. 

However, the area is also a historic town since the Port of Yokohama is one of the first ports opened for foreign trade at the end of Samurai era. Japan closed its door from early 17th century to 1858 and the Port of Yokohama was opened for international trade in 1859. Therefore the area shows a strong influence of Western culture since opening of its ports and many historical Western style buildings remain today. The upper right hand side photo shows a historical building called "Former Yokohama-Shokin Bank Building" built in 1880. The building is Kanagawa Prefectural History Museum now and a nice historical atmosphere can be enjoyed at night. Many old Western residences are scattered in the area, as well.

In addition, near the Port of Yokohama, there is the biggest China Town in Japan called "Yokohama China Town (Yokohama Chuuka-Gai)" as shown in the lower two photos. There are lots of Chinese restaurants and shops and it is also known among Japanese as one of the famous sightseeing spots to enjoy exotic atmosphere. 

Thus people can enjoy mixed views of modern Japan, historical buildings, and exotic China Town in this area. Of course during daytime, it is also a nice and fun place to visit, but I think the night view of the area has a different beauty.

A Cape Filled With Wild Narcissus Flowers in January

As I wrote in my previous post, winter is also a nice season to visit seaside areas since it is less busy. Moreover you can enjoy some winter seasonal beauties. 

These photos were taken at Tsumekisaki Cape in Shimoda City, Shizuoka prefecture. As you can see in the photos, this place is filled by narcissus flowers in January. They are a wild narcissus. Such a place where a wild narcissus grow gregariously would be rare, so many people visit this place during winter.

Most of those who visited here enjoy to have a short walking among the narcissus flowers and they can enjoy the beautiful outlook from the hill of the cape, too. On the tip of the cape, there is a lighthouse watching the Pacific Ocean. 

The red flowers on outer edge of narcissus flowers are Aloe. Aloe has been planted in this area since old times. Local people used to use it as a medicine for stomach problem and cuts.  Nowadays it is used for tea, cooking, and an aroma bath and those products are available at souvenir shops around there.

A Shrine With A Sacred Tree of White Dragon in The Izu Peninsula

The upper photos are showing a shrine, Ikona-Hime-no-Mikoto Shrine, located in Shimoda-City, Shizuoka prefecture. The upper left hand side photo is a front building of the shrine and the main building is on the top of a hill beside the front building. According to a legend the shrine was originally established 2400 years ago, and the oldest record of this shrine has been found in a book written 1200 years ago.

The shrine buildings are not big but they have nice traditional structures. The buildings are decorated by old wood carvings as shown in the upper center photo. The photo shows a decorative carvings between beams and the image on the lower beam is a woman riding a Japanese dragon.

Same as dragons in other Asian countries, Japanese dragons have long body like a snake and four legs, but don't have wings although they surely can fly in the sky. The black arrow is pointing the head of the dragon in the photo, and it is a typical image of Japanese dragon's head. Having two horns on the head and the mouth is covered by beard.

Then, please look at the upper right hand side photo with the image of Japanese dragon. The tree in the photo is one of the shrine's sacred trees called "White Dragon". Because people thought the shape of the tree looks like a white dragon's head just broke the ground and came out to fly away to the sky.

The nature surroundings of the shrine are well preserved and Chinese Juniper trees and Phoenix trees in the hill which has the main shrine building on top are registered as a natural monument. The place has a very quiet and spiritual atmosphere. Besides, when people go out from the side of the shrine ground, there is a beautiful beach as shown in the lower left hand side photo.

On the top of a big rock on the beach, there is a small Torii-Gate built by the shrine. Torii-Gate is a Japanese Shinto style gate for gods. It is no problem, people can climb up the rock to visit the gate. At the gate, when they look down the see they can enjoy the beautiful sea water shown in the lower right hand side photo, and the transparency of the water may make them feel as if visiting some tropical islands.

Actually the shrine is usually called "Shirahama Shrine". Shirahama means "White Beach" in Japanese and it is the name of the beach beside the shrine. The beach is very popular spot for summer resort because of the beautiful white sand. However, I would say it is also a very nice place to visit during winter. You can enjoy the beautiful nature and traditional shrine with a sacred atmosphere without a crowd.

Traditional Good-Luck Item, Daruma Dolls Market in West Tokyo

Today, on January 28th, annual "Daruma Dolls Market (Daruma Ichi)" is held at Takahata-Fudo Temple in Hino City. "Daruma" is one of the traditional Japanese good-luck doll modeling a legendary Indian monk in 6th century.  Since January 28th is the first fete-day of a year for Fudo-Myouou which is a guardian god of Buddhism and the temple worships the Fudo-Myouou as the name "Takahata-Fudo" tells, the temple holds this traditional market every year.

As you can see the photos, Daruma dolls are painted round dolls, which can right itself when knocked over, and there is a traditional custom with this doll. The dolls' eyes are both painted white and don't have pupils at shops. When people buy a doll they draw a pupil in one of the white eyes, and make a wish. When the wish come true, people draw the other pupil and complete the doll's eyes. therefore this dolls are often practiced for some short-term wishes such as entering schools or wining a election. 

Traditional color of Daruma dolls are red. However recently they have more color variety as in the lower right hand side photo. It is said that different colors are for different kind of wishes, like blue Darumas are for business wishes, green Darumas are for good health, and pink Darumas are for good romance.

When people buy it, some of the Daruma shops people would return 5 Yen as an additional discount. Please don't feel disappointed though it is just 5 Yen (5 cents) discount! Actually it is also a traditional custom. Since they are selling good-luck items and 5 yen is a homonym for "Good Fate" in Japanese, it's a wish for customers. 

As you can see in the lower left hand side photo, it looks like a kind of lucky charm. Perhaps the 5 Yen coin will help you to make your dream come true!

Wolves' familiy Is Welcome at Musashi Mitake Shrine in West Tokyo

Regarding Musashi Mitake Shrine, which I introduced on the 24th, there is a unique characteristic of them. It is not about the shrine is guarded by wolves. Actually this shrine is not only shrine that worships wolves since wolves were generally considered as a beneficial creature in Japan. They hunt plant-eating animals which give damage to people's vegetable field and woods. So old-time Japanese people thought they were good animals.

Then what is the unique point of Musashi Mitake Shrine? It probably started recent years, but the shrine welcome pet animals especially dogs since dogs are a family of wolves. The cable cars going up to the mountain made "Pets Area" in the cars and people can take their dogs without putting them into a cage or a carry bag as shown in the upper center photo.

Also at the entrance of the shrine property, the shrine has a washbasin as same as all other shrines. It is to wash visitors' hands and mouth to cleanse before making wish. As the photo upper right hand side is showing, the shrine prepare a water bucket for visitors' pets, too.

Pets are not only being able to enter the shrine ground but also pet owners can ask the Shinto priests to pray for their pets' health. The lower right hand side photo is showing a traditional Shinto purification item called "Katashiro(Substitutional paper doll)". It usually has a human shape and people write their name on it when they ask Shinto priests to pray for them. Shinto priest will practice a ritual to burn the paper doll and the doll would carry away their health problems or bad lucks. The Musashi Mitake Shrine provides the service for dogs, too. So people write their dogs' name on the dog paper doll and ask a ritual to pray for their dogs' health there.

Moreover the votive wooden tablet, "Ema", in the lower center photo is a usual Shinto item to make a wish. People buy the tablet at shrines and write their wishes on the backside and hang it to present to gods. The tablet "Ema" there has a design of the guardian wolf and many people write some wishes about their pets. The shrine sells lucky charms for dogs , too.

Thus, this shrine is a dog friendly shrine and it would be a rare characteristic for Shinto shrines. In fact many people are visiting there with their dogs and it seems this place is now popular among dog owners.

A Shrine Guarded by Wolves, Musashi Mitake Shrine, in West Tokyo

I'd like to continue to introduce Mitake area more. As I wrote in my previous post on the 22nd, there is an old Shinto Shrine, Musashi Mitake Shrine, on Mt. Mitake. According to a Japanese myth the origin of the shrine history goes back to BC. Also at the shrine an episode during BC has been passed down. When a legendary hero, Yamatotakeru, got lost in Mt.Mitake a white wolf of the mountain came out and guided him. Since then wolves in this mountain became guardian Gods here called "Ooguchi-Magami" (literal translation of it is "God With Big Mouth") and this shrine has been known as a shrine guarded by wolves, although Japanese wolves became extinct since the early 20th century.

Mt.Mitake is 3050ft (929m) high and there is a cable car going up to the mountain as in the photo shown in lower right hand side. After getting off the cable car, it looks like there is a small village inside of the mountain as shown in the lower photos. The shrine has been very famous since old times, and many people climbed up the mountain and stayed near the shrine to pray when there was no modern transportation system. Thus there still are many pilgrims' lodgings around the shrine in addition to souvenir shops and restaurants.

After going through the lodgings and shops area, there is a long series of ascending steps. On the top of the steps is the Musashi Mitake Shrine. You can have a great view from the place and you will see two solemn statues of the guardian wolves are on the both side of the top of the steps unlike most other Shinto shrines as showing in the upper photos above.

Casual Early Spring Hiking Around Mt.Mitake, in West Tokyo

It had been unusually warm winter in greater Tokyo area until last week.  The high temperature was near 68F (20C) which is a usual spring temperature in Japan. Even some of the early spring flowers such as Japanese plum flowers in the upper left hand side photo, or Wintersweet flowers (Roubai in Japanese) in the upper right hand side photo started to bloom.

These photos were taken around Mt. Mitake in Oume City, Tokyo. Although it is within Tokyo, this area is full of nature, and the upper Tamagawa River, which is one of the major rivers in Tokyo, goes through this area, this place became popular for fishing and kayaking. Also there are nice trails along the river.

Usually people in Tokyo area would say that January is the coldest month and it wouldn't be the best season for hiking. However, until the snow last week, the hiking felt as if going on a nice early spring hike. 

The upper center photo is the station building for Mitake station. It has a nice traditional structure. Actually Mt. Mitake has been known as a sacred mountain since old times and there is a famous old Japanese Shinto shrine, Musashi Mitake Shrine, on top. The station was built originally in 1929 as the closest station to visit the shrine. The building was chosen as one of the 100 best station buildings in Kanto Region (includes 7 prefectures around Tokyo) in 1999.

Are There any unique local food around Mt.Fuji?

Trying special local food is one of the most enjoyable things when we travel. Since Japan consists of islands spreading vertically from north to south, the condition of climate and geography has lots of diversity throughout the country. Thus almost any area in Japan has some local special products, dishes, or cooking styles.

Then, are there any "local special" food around Mt. Fuji? Of course there are several very famous local dishes as in Fuji-no-miya fried noodle, Yoshida Udon-noodle, and Houtou (a kind of thick Udon-noodle hot pot). However, today I'd like to introduce a local style grill we can find in this area.

The lower photos above were taken at a local restaurant near Kawaguchiko-Lake in Mt. Fuji area. The grilling way may not look special or different from usual grill, but actually the hot plates in the photos were made from a big lava rock from Mt.Fuji. This style of grill is called "Yougan Yaki (Lava Grill)" and there are several restaurants which provide "Lava Grill" dishes in the area.

Apparently lava rocks generate infrared when they are heated therefore they are good for grilling. I'm not sure if it scientifically true or not, but surely it is an interesting local food especially in the area around a volcano!