Obtained from Matsubaya Honten in Obuse. Junmai Daiginjo brewed with Miyamanishiki from Nagano Prefecture.
Husband: Mellow and balanced taste, I like it a lot!
When we stopped by the Matsubaya main store in Obuse, we were able to sample a cup of sake for 100 yen 👀‼️🍶 (as of November 2025). I recommend 🙆 because you can sample a variety of sakes for a reasonable price.
On our last night in Nagano, we first had a little drink at Tempura and Sushi 18tsubo in front of Nagano Station.
Nama-zushi in the Hokushin style (freshly saved)
The first aroma is slightly sweet.
When you put it in your mouth, it has a slight acidity and a refreshing sweetness.
It has a mouthfeel like the pure water of Shinshu.
It was quite delicious 🍶✨️
The third picture is of Matsubaya's main brewery.
It is about a 5 minute walk from Obuse station on the Nagano Electric Railway Nagano line.
The fourth one is Assoivni Kiichi aka Kobayashi Kiichi Shoten, which is also about a 5 minute walk from Obuse Station and has been a great help in many ways.
There was an Obuse Winery chabutai and a lot of Merlot on display 🍷.
Today, I'm going to drink a sake from Nagano Prefecture.
Purchased at a roadside station in Obuse during a Shinetsu roadside station tour.
The aroma is weak. It has a clear ginjo aroma.
The mouthfeel has a strong umami and a weak acidity. It has an apple-like flavor.
It is a voluminous bottle with a lingering umami taste.
Another mini bottle of Hokushinryu. It is a junmai ginjo of the same Kinmonnishiki variety, but this one is a single-hiayoroshi (hiya oroshi). Compared to the nama-shu, the bitterness is less pronounced and the rice is a little sweeter. I prefer this one.
I googled this sake rice and found that it has had quite a strange fate. Next time I will try Kurobiki or Mizuo.
Every year at this time, I go sightseeing in Obuse for chestnut sweets. I got two mini bottles of Hokushinryu as souvenirs at the brewery. They are the same junmai ginjo and the rice is Kinmon-nishiki produced in Kijimadaira, Nagano Prefecture.
I started with the draft sake. It was a bit higher in alcohol and bitter and spicy. I think the guy at the store said the other one, the Akigari, was drier 💦 Hmmm, didn't really have the freshness of the nama-shu.
Today's sake is a dry junmai sake from Obuse-cho, Nagano Prefecture's Hoku-shinryu❗️
The aroma is slightly fruity with a hint of ginjo❗️After taking a sip, you will feel a sense of concentration, followed by a sibilance on the tip of the tongue and a pungent taste with a Sake meter rating of +8, and the fruity aroma will leave your nose❗️A good sake for a mealtime drink❗️
Hokushinryu Junmai Ginjo Kinmon Nishiki Nama Shu Akiaagari 720ml
Rice Kinmonnishiki
Rice polishing ratio 59
Alcohol percentage 16
Last week I visited the brewery's store in Obuse. It is located just a short distance from Obuse's main street.
Near the brewery, there were many stores selling roasted chestnuts, some with long lines and some without.
At the brewery's store, you can try tasting sake for 100 yen per cup. It was crowded with many tourists.
Now, about the sake...for a 16% sake, it is very strong. It is not light.
I think it would be more interesting if it were aged a little more.
Good morning, @Mizuhashi 😃.
Hokushinryu, I stopped by myself. I didn't realize you had a tasting! I didn't notice 😣I was so busy in the store that I just glanced around and left 😫Next time I go there, I'll sample the one that makes my heart pound 😆.
Hi Hiro, good evening 🌇.
I couldn't drink because I was the driver, but my senior who accompanied me tasted everything 🍶.
There was also a 20 degree sake 😉.
You must try it next time 😋.
Hokushinryu Junmai Ginjo Akagane Hiyoroshi
Rated 4.4
Rice: Yamadanishiki, Polishing ratio: 59%, Alcohol: 16%.
A junmai ginjo brewed with Hyogo Prefecture's Yamadanishiki, which is firm, dry, and crisp. The balance of rich umami and acidity. A royal food sake with a high quality sake quality. It has a good balance of freshness and maturity.
Hoku-Shinryu Junmai Nama-Nama-Shu 720ml
Rice polishing ratio: 59
Alcohol content: 18%.
This is the sake we had with us last week at Okubo-san. I had never had a chance to try it before, although I had seen it before.
Although it starts out easy to drink, it has quite a lot of body. I guess it has a different strength from the atmosphere of Obuse. My wife returned it a bit, saying it was just barely okay.
I heard they have a lot of unique sake, so let's try something different next time 😄.
National Sake Fair 2025 part75
Nagano 2
Matsubaya Honten in Obuse-machi
I see it's in the same town as Sogape.
This is also a brand I have been interested in for a long time.
In the Kansai region, Noboru Sake Shop in Nara is the only place that carries it.
There seems to be another brand called "Hon Yoshinogawa" in addition to Hokushinryu.
Polishing ratio 59%, Kinmon-Nishiki 16%, Sake degree +5, Acidity 1.2
1,900 yen
I had an image of a matured or peculiar sake, but it tastes fresh and clean.
It tastes fresh and clean. I would say it is rather dry.
I'd like to try a draft at least once 🤔.
Rice polishing ratio 59
Alcohol content 16
A bottle given to me by my uncle in Nagano.
Finally, even my uncle found out I was drinking sake.
The vermilion label looks like a good omen!
I thought it might be hiya if it was dry and junmai (pure rice). I decided to drink it without chilling it.
The first mouthfeel is heavy and dry, but the aftertaste is bitter and umami.
I had it with Kakuni, so I was able to enjoy it thoroughly while refreshing my palate. ✌️
I drank it cold later and found that the dry taste was calming, but I prefer it cold.
Thank you very much for the meal!
Good morning, Ofuji 🐥.
You got caught and gave away sake 🎁, great success! That's right 😉 And your uncle in Nagano, he can teach you all kinds of Shinshu sake 😊.
Hi Ponchan ✨
It was a great success 🎶but my uncle seems to be a fast drinker...it will be gone soon after I send it to him lol
I'm going to ask him to teach me about the core sake of Shinshu 😁.
I saw your post on my timeline and wanted to try it. I went to Obuse, so I bought some....
Delicious!
Easy to drink, a little bitter? It has a firm taste too.
I was getting drunk, so I just gulped it down...
It is thanks to everyone at Sake-no-wa that I was able to encounter this delicious sake.
Good evening, Jay & Nobby!
A bit of a peculiar bitter taste! Yes, yes. I want to be able to write this kind of expression and sake repo!
I could go on and on!
