Timeline
boukenNational Sake Fair 2025 Day 2 10
NARA ④
Nakatani Sake Brewery in Yamatokoriyama City
Currently, the main business is hands-on brewing at the Yanagimachi warehouse built in the Yanagimachi shopping district in the center of the city.
Polishing ratio 60%, Yamadanishiki produced in Yamato Koriyama 15%, Sake degree +4, 2100 yen
This product was discontinued due to the shutdown of the main brewery.
There were calls to revive it due to the drama, but the production capacity of the Yanagimachi warehouse was not enough to brew it, so it was filled with sake that had been stored in cold storage at the main warehouse and put on sale.
It had a matured taste, but was easy to drink and delicious.
I'm curious about the friendly signboard cat at the main brewery mentioned in the Google review 🐱. 付喪神Hi bouken 🍶 I like the National Sake Fair 😋 Too bad you are in a rural area and cannot attend such an event 😢.
Nakatani Sake Brewery, I hope you can revive it. I would love to drink the Mikadori Nama sake again 🍶. boukenHello, Mr. Mourning God.
It was a very enjoyable event, but it seems we had a hard time attracting people, so it looks like we will have to hold it in Tokyo in the future 😢.
I drank the fire-roasted Mikadori and it tasted so good when it was fresh, it's a pity I can't drink it anymore... 
boukenNational Sake Fair 2025 Day 2 ⑨
Nara ③.
Yoshimura Sake Brewery in Uda City
They have an image of producing unique sake such as "Tsubutsu-bu-nama" (the product name is not "Tsubutsu-bu-nama" for fire-aged sake 🤣), red rice sake, Italian rice sake, and other unique sake.
I drank
Nara's sake of the Shinto and Buddhist syncretism, 8-stage brewing, unfiltered unpasteurized sake
Polishing ratio 95%, dewy leaf wind 16%, Sake degree -19, Acidity 2.7
Amino acidity 3.0 Yamanokami yeast 1,600 yen
The color of sake is yellow😅
Unique aroma 🫶Sweetness is strong and a little sour
Quirkiness is quite strong🫶.
Tastes like a combination of Yamanokami and ALPHA8 that Kaze no Mori released last year 🫶🫶.
RADEN Red Rice Sake
Polishing ratio 97%🫶 90% Nara red rice 17% Sake degree -21
Acidity 2.6 Amino Acidity 1.8 1600
This is another unfiltered sake made in the eight-stage brewing process.
This one is not too peculiar for the specs (maybe I'm numb to it because the one just before was amazing), but it's like a rosé, sweet and sour and delicious!
The president of Kuramoto Sake Brewery, who was talking with Iji-san, put some sake in the bottle for us! boukenNational Sake Fair 2025 Day 2 ⑧
Nara (2)
Nara Toyosawa Sake Brewery in Nara City
Too many brands such as Toyoshuku, Kisenju, Gisuke, Ken, etc. 😅
I think the brand power would be better if they were all together rather than dispersed 🤔.
Polishing ratio 55%, Aizan 16%, Sake degree -1, Acidity 1.5, 1801 yeast
1950 yen
Fruity and sweet with a little bitterness in the second half.
It is like THE Aizan!
Reasonably priced for the use of Aizan boukenNational Sake Fair 2025 Day 2 ⑦
Nara ①
Go to the Nara booth right next to the Wakayama booth.
Fujimura Sake Brewery in Shimoichi-cho
The normal brand name is "Bandai Laomatsu".
There are a lot of old pine trees in Japan, aren't there?
Well, I saw a vending machine of Bandai Old Pine in Imazato a few years ago.
There used to be a series of articles introducing Fujimura Sake Brewery and other minor sake breweries in Nara, but I can't find them in my search...
I wonder if they disappeared? It was interesting to read about their other sources of income besides sake brewing...
Polishing ratio 70%, Nishihomare from Fukuoka Prefecture, 15.5 degrees, Sake degree +3
1250 yen
There was no mention of it, but I looked it up and it seems they use a rare rice.
It has a strong woody or woody aroma.
Maybe that's why I couldn't taste the details💦. boukenNational Sake Fair 2025 Day 2 ⑥
Wakayama ⑥
Meite Sake Brewery in Kainan City
Kurogyu, which I don't drink much these days
I drank
Kurogyu Junmai Daiginjo
Polishing ratio 38% Yamadanishiki 16.5 degrees Sake degree +1.5 Acidity 1.3
Amino acidity 0.7 5200 yen
It is a little gorgeous and not like Kurogyu, but it is interesting because it is a different type from usual. The taste towards the latter half of the bottle has a unique atmosphere that is typical of Kurogyu.
Kurogyu Junmai Ginjo
Polishing ratio 50%, Yamadanishiki 16-17%, Sake degree +4.0, Acidity 1.5
Amino acidity 0.9 2200 yen
This one is also gorgeous and has a sweet taste for a sake degree of +4.0.
I personally preferred it to the Daiginjo. boukenNational Sake Fair 2025 - Day 2⑤.
Wakayama 5
Shimamoto Sake Brewery in Kainan City!
You have to go there to buy this sake, but they had a tasting and sale at the Expo site a while ago.
They are run by a couple in their 80s, and now they have quit brewing their own sake and outsource it to the Kitagawa family in Fushimi.
A search shows a photo of them labeled as processors, so it looks like they do their own bottling and watering.
However, some products say "manufacturer" on the label, so it may be outsourced or brewed in-house depending on the specs 🤔.
Polishing ratio 58% Yamadanishiki/Kinuhikari 15.7 degrees Sake degree +5.0
Acidity 1.4, Amino acidity 1.3, 1900 yen
The taste is clean and full.
Easy to drink.
Nice Masamune👍 boukenNational Sake Fair 2025 Day 2 ④
Wakayama ④
Takagaki Sake Brewery in Aritagawa Town
Famous for Ryujinmaru
There was also a Kirakusato, but I drank the Ryujinmaru.
I haven't had a Daiginjo in 5 years.
Polishing ratio 40% Yamadanishiki from Hyogo Prefecture 18 degrees Sake degree +4.0 Acidity 1.1
Amino acidity 1.1 3,100 yen
Almost the same impression as when we drank it before, still chocolate and bitter. A little complexity too.
Some people describe this liquor as sweet and fruity, but I honestly don't understand it myself... boukenNational Sake Fair 2025 Day 2 (3)
Wakayama 3)
Tencho Shimamura Sake Brewery in Wakayama City
Tencho and Jungin are offered to the Imperial Household every year.
The only sake brewery in Wakayama with an imperial warrant.
They used to have a factory in Nada until 1992.
Nada used to have many breweries from other areas.
I found out that there are Nihonjo (Kurumizaka), Rashomon, Sekai-Ichitose (Minamikata), Miyako Bijin, Chitosekuru, Bunraku, Hakusetsu, Fukutokucho, Tomiki, Kikugawa, Gekkeikan, etc....
Only Shochiku Ume and Doukan (Chiyoda warehouse) still remain...
Rice polishing ratio 70% Hitomebore 15.5 degrees Sake degree +1.0 Acidity 2.0
Amino acidity 1.8 1600 yen
Classic. Thin. Like water... boukenNational Sake Fair 2025 Day 2 (2)
Wakayama ②
Hatsuzakura Sake Brewery in Katsuragi Town
There is a brand of the same name in Shiga, too.
It is the first time to see and drink Hatsumitsu in Wakayama though it is a Kansai sake.
Is it Kawakamishu because the brewery is located on the north side of the Kino River?
Polishing ratio 60% Yamadanishiki from Wakayama Prefecture 15.5 degrees Sake degree +1.0
Acidity 1.5, Amino acidity 1.5, 1,500 yen
It has a strong acidity. Can be served cold.
I wish I could go to Wakayama and buy a bottle of Hatsuzakura Nama Sake!
Eiji-san was talking with a person from Kido at the Wakayama booth! 
boukenNational Sake Fair 2025 Day 2①
Wakayama ①
On Sunday, the day after the fair, I was bothered by the fact that I couldn't drink so many sakes. I heard from Iji-san, who attended the morning session, that the second entry was half-price!
I was told that I could get in at half price if I showed my wristband or ticket screen 😁.
I wasn't sure if I should mention the half price, but some people were posting on X, so I thought it was okay 😌.
We met up in front of the venue and met up with each other.
My first comment when I first met him was "You are so young! 🤣.
We briefly introduced ourselves and talked about the Fukuoka Off-line Meeting as we walked into the venue.
Where do you want to go? We went to the Wakayama booth, which neither of us had visited yet.
Hatsumitsu Sake Brewery in Kinokawa City!
The brewery produces a variety of sake brands with names like "Congratulations," "Joy," and "World Cup.
The World Cup trademark was once requested by FIFA to be cancelled, but no trademark infringement was found and the sake is still sold today. I've broken it down quite a bit, so please google for more details 😁.
They seem to be a research-oriented brewery that has patented a manufacturing process for long-aged sake and obtained a utility model for happoshu (sparkling wine).
See the photo for specs 😌.
It is more fruity and delicious than I expected. The acidity is also good. boukenread "tsumemuki no saké" (literally, "the wine that pinches one's teeth") boukenLooking at the street view, the warehouse is almost empty, just a shed and containers...
I wonder if they are still building their own? boukenNational Sake Fair 2025 part80
Shimane ④
Okadaya Honten in Masuda City.
I've never had this brewery, but I think they came to Hanshin department store a few years ago🤔.
They brought some sake, but I remember it was mainly shochu and liqueur.
Polishing ratio 70% Koshihikari from Yoshizu-cho 15-16 degrees Sake degree ±0
Sake is clear with a sense of matured sake. It has a strong sense of rice.
There are only 5 minutes left in the bottle, so this is the end.
I wanted to finish the last of the Shinigami, which I've had a few times but don't know where it's sold, but I forgot💦.
When the staff tried to remove the wristband from my wrist at the exit, I said "I'm going to cut your wristband off" 😅.
After that, we moved to Namba and went to Nakadoya-san, which is famous for its pig's feet and horumon (hormone). I always see a line of people waiting in front of the restaurant, but this was my first time to go in there. It was probably the first time for me to eat pig's feet too 🐷.
There was a waiter who looked just like Attack Nishimoto from Geraldine 😁.
After the pig's feet, I went to the sake department of Edion Namba, then went to Yamamoto Sake in Shimanouchi and went home 😊.
Thank you Umaisan and Nemuchi for your hard work 🤗.
This was supposed to be the end 🙄. マナチーGood morning, bouken 😃After a lot of drinking, you're going to a hormone shop? ⁉️ stomach problems look bad🤣but the senmai sashimi looks good 🤤. boukenHi Manachie, Hello ☀.
Of course my stomach was in a downward spiral after this 🤣.
The senmai sashimi and pig's feet were both excellent, especially the sauce 😋. boukenNational Sake Fair 2025 part79
Shimane 3)
Ishu Sake Brewery in Tsuwano Town
(A search shows the same address, with Ishizhu Brewery manufacturing and Hanaizumi Brewery selling.
Ishu Sake Brewery is Sekushu Sake Brewery.
Hwasen Shuzo is Kasen Shuzo.
Both read differently than I expected 🤣.
I heard it's pronounced "Kitsune" but I can't read it 🤣.
The label is cool!
Polishing ratio 50%, En no Mai 15%, Sake degree +1.5, 2100 yen
They used to use Sakonishiki.
They say it is a blend of two yeasts.
Fresh, clean and fruity.
It's good but needs a little more umami🤔. boukenNational Sake Fair 2025 part78
Shimane 2
Kisugi Sake Brewery in Unnan City
In Osaka, Haretoke sells this sake, but I've never had it because of its dry and heated atmosphere 😁.
Polishing ratio 55%, Sakonishiki from Unnan city, 15-16 degrees, Sake degree +8-9
1980 yen
It is a bit difficult to drink due to the graininess and complexity of the flavor. The second half is sharp and dry.
It is still a heated sake type. 蒼斗七星純米吟醸58 木槽搾り純米吟醸原酒無濾過槽しぼり boukenNational Sake Fair 2025 part77
Shimane 1)
Only a few hours left to visit the Shimane booth, which has a lot of unknown breweries.
Aoto Sake Brewery in Yasugi City.
I've seen Aoto Shichisei with its distinctive label for a long time, but I've never seen it sold...
When I visited Rafa and Nemuchi at a sake shop in Hokusetsu, there was a store listed as one of their brands, but I couldn't buy it because they didn't have it in stock at the time of my visit...
I searched for Sake-no-Wa and found that it's called Seito Nansei 😅.
Polishing ratio 58%, Hyogo Yamadanishiki 17 degrees, No.9 yeast
2057 yen
Aoto Nanashiboshi is unfiltered and unpasteurized, pressed in a wooden tank
It has a refreshing sweet flavor and a fruity taste, but it is a little peculiar. I thought for a moment that it was not so San-in-like, but the peculiarity is a little San-in-like, isn't it? 
boukenNational Sake Fair 2025 part76
Hiroshima Booth
Hayashi Sake Brewery located on Kurahashi Island in Kure City.
The president is both the director of a hospital and the president of a brewery, and it looks like he's been working both as a hospital and a brewery for three generations!
The current president is a businessman who runs a variety of facilities, including nursing homes and lodging facilities, and is a well-known personality who often appears on TV.
He also has a collection of Rolls Royce, kimonos, hanging scrolls, etc. and runs a museum.
With that preconceived notion, I wondered about the sake. I wondered about the sake, but I was intrigued by the fact that they have a toji who has won first place in a series of sake competitions.
He is also a toji at the Kinbundo Sake Brewery in Yamaguchi Prefecture and a test brewer at the Hiroshima Prefectural Food Industry Technology Center.
Polishing ratio 65%, Hachitan-Nishiki 15%, Sake degree +4, 1560 yen
Classic taste, but neat and well-rounded.
It is spicy but light and a little fruity.
The impression is that it must have been brewed with care. boukenNational 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 🤔. boukenNational Sake Fair 2025 part74
Nagano (1)
I lost everyone when I came back from the restroom, so I acted alone until the end.
From here on, I'm going to drink only the brands I'm interested in with pinpoint accuracy.
Takeju Honke Sake Brewery in Saku City
I've been curious about this sake brewery for a while.
They also produce a sake called "doburoku" which is written as "126" and I've never seen it before💦.
I've seen Gyoenchiku at Yodobashi before, but it was an expensive one.
Polishing ratio 70%, Miyamanishiki 18%, Sake degree -9, Acidity 2.0
1,700 yen (price at the venue)
Aged at room temperature for more than half a year.
It is matured, but it is delicious with a strong umami flavor.
The label says it will be better if it is left at room temperature for a few more months, but I think this is about right for me.
It seems to have won a gold medal at the Wineglass Delicious Sake Awards 2022! boukenNational Sake Fair 2025 part73
Hokkaido ④
Goryo Junmai Ginjo
Hakodate Goryonokura in Hakodate City.
I thought the company name was Kamikawa Taisetsu, but it's not 💦.
Polishing ratio 55%, Ginpu 15%, Sake degree -2, 2450 yen
Fruity and juicy sake!
It was the sweetest Hokkaido sake I drank that day.
And it was the only sake with a negative Sake meter.
Well, all the sake I drank at the Hokkaido booth was Ginpu.
There were sakes made with "Kitashizuku" and "Comet" too!
Next time... boukenNational Sake Fair 2025 part72
Hokkaido (3)
Kobayashi Sake Brewery in Kuriyama-cho
Kuriyama-cho is where Director Kuriyama moved to?
Polishing ratio 50%, Ginpu 16%, Sake degree +6, Acidity 1.5, 2068 yen
Sake with a strong rice flavor and a refreshing taste.
I thought it was similar to "Kinpidake".
There is also an unfiltered raw sake version, so I'm interested in that too 🤔.
I forgot to take a picture 💦. boukenNational Sake Fair 2025 part71
Hokkaido (2)
Kinjidake Sake Brewery in Shintotsukawa Town
Hokkaido is full of brands whose names I know but have never seen before.
Polishing ratio 55%, Ginpu 15.0 degrees, Sake degree +3.0, 1380 yen
Seicomart, a convenience store in Hokkaido, carries this sake in their online store.
It's a little classic but refreshing, a little like Kunimare but not as spicy as Kunimare. RecommendedContentsSectionView.title
