The Joy of Sake Part III

One final posting about the Joy of Sake event to wrap things up. Nothing fancy or profound in this one, just a few pictures of us enjoying the evening. Here's Timmy trying to use the Jedi mind trick to make this small bottle of sake grow big!

Dassai 50 is my all time favorite sake for everyday drinking. Here's a picture of Craig, myself and Timmy enjoying a few glassfuls.

Good food, good sake and good friends . . . a recipe for enjoyment no matter what you're doing! Dean and Craig give a farewell toast to end this posting.

The Joy of Sake Part II

My first sake of the evening was a daiginjo called Koshi no Homare. I would like to say that I chose this sake for a particular reason, but truthfully it was the first sake that I randomly walked up to at the daiginjo table. Koshi no Homare is brewed in Nigiita prefecture by the Hara Syuzou Corp. An interesting article in the Daily Yomiuri Online tells of how this brewery recently resumed production again in August of this year after sustaining major damage from the July 16 earthquake in Japan.

Unfortunately I can't tell you much about what Koshi no Homare tasted like because I honestly don't remember. My plan that night was to try and remember what each sake tasted like and I am ashamed to say that I failed miserably in my task. This was not because I was too inebriated to remember. On the contrary, the "plastic syringe" that we all used to squirt a small amount of sake into our plastic cups kept me from over indulging this night. No, my palate was simply "shot" that night from all of the complex sake I tasted. You try drinking twenty daiginjo in a row and see how your taste buds fair.

One of the few things I disliked about this event was that all of the sake (with a few exceptions) were served at room temperature as opposed to chilled. I assume this was done purposely since it would be a logistical nightmare to try and keep chilled three hundred bottles of different sake while still allowing people to self serve themselves. Thankfully there were a few tables scattered around the perimeter of the ballroom that were manned by representatives of specific distributors and brewers. While not many, these few tables were pouring chilled sake, and my wife and I took full advantage of this fact as you can see in the above picture.

The Joy of Sake Part I

The traditional kagami biraki ceremony or ritual breaking open of the sake cask signaled the start of the 2007 Joy of Sake event in Honolulu Hawaii. (Distinguished members of the Kokusai Sake Kai can be seen hammering away above.) Yes my friends, the months of waiting were finally over and the blessed day had arrived. I was just moments away from indulging in my first sip of sake, and I could not wait!

Although the event was officially scheduled to begin at 6:00 pm, my wife and I arrived a little early and were rewarded for our efforts. We were treated to a "pre-show" of sorts, complete with drum beating dancers decked out in bright red and black. The dancing was followed by the ritual opening of the sake cask and then a quick banzai toast. Moments later the doors were thrown open and a rush of people quickly filled the ballroom. mmmmmmmmmmmmm

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And now for the moment of truth . . . I walked twenty feet into the ballroom and stopped to gaze upon perfection. Angelic sounds of a church choir played softly in the background of my mind as three hundred bottles of sake seemed to light up and shine like the light from a thousand stars. OK maybe it wasn't that dramatic, but it was still quite a site to behold! mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

My initial feeling of euphoria quickly turned into confusion as I could not come up with a game plan to successfully conquer this event. Sake were grouped by Junmai, Ginjo and Daiginjo, but this really didn't help at all since we were still dealing with over three hundred bottles of sake. I headed first to the Daiginjo section and proceeded to choose a sake at random from the hundred or so that stood before me. (More on this in my next posting.) In hindsight, this event would have been better done over the course of two or three days. There was simply not enough time during this one evening to fully sample and appreciate everything this event had to offer. Next posting - "Let the Tasting Begin!"

Echigo Tsurukame Daiginjo

Echigo Tsurukame Daiginjo
Brewer: Uehara Shuzou Niigata, Japan
Rice: Yamada Nishiki
Milling Rate: 40%
Sake Meter Value +4
Alcohol Content 17 to 18%

Echigo Tsurukame Daiginjo is the fabled sake mentioned on this blog as well as on malleong.blogspot.com.This sake was highly recommended by the helpful woman at Meishu Center in Tokyo. There is no one word that describes this sake as it had a very complex flavor.True to its SMV rating of +4, it was dry, yet very well balanced. There is the subtle sweetness of rice that was evident with each sip. Like all daiginjo, we tasted ours chilled. The consistency was like heavy water or light syrup as we drank it. It was silky smooth.This sake had a sophisticated flavor that made each of us wanting more after each sip. This was the highlight of the night.

The staff person at the Meishu Center mentioned that in 2006, this sake was offered to the Imperial Family in celebration of the birth of their heir. In Japanese, Echigo is the region of Japan. Tsuru is crane. Kame is turtle. The Tsuru is known for longevity and good fortune.The Kame is also known for its longevity.This sake definitely is worthy of such a gift. We too felt like royalty in enjoying such a fine sake. Probably the finest that we had ever tasted at that time.

I tried finding the Daiginjo Echigo Tsurukame in Hawaii but was not successful. I found a hon juzou Echigo Tsurukame from Uehara Shuzou locally. However, it is far from the Daiginjo.We see the finer sake locally in Hawaii Selling for $50 + for the 720 ml. The Echigo Tsurukame Daiginjo cost 10,500 yen for the 1.8 Liter bottle. This price and higher is reserved for only a few sake worthy of this distinction. This sake definitely was in that category.
Guest posted by Mr. Dean Sakata

Meishu Center

This posting is actually from my other blog called Burari Japan. It talks about our night at the Meishu Center in Shiba Tokyo during our November 2006 trip to Japan. We're still on Day 2. Having just finished touring the outer grounds of the Imperial Palace, we had lunch nearby and did some quick sightseeing. Then it was back to the hotel to bathe and get ready for some premium sake at the Meishu Center.

Located down a quiet side street nearby our hotel, the Meishu Center is a place where you can try a variety of different sake for a very reasonable price. Normally you can sample three very full cups of sake for around $5.00 American, or the good stuff for around $10.00 American. On this night fourteen of us walked in right off the street and probably scared the owner half to death. However, the staff was more than accommodating and proceeded to bring out the good stuff for us to try.

Some of us (including myself) really enjoy drinking sake. Visiting the Meishu Center was one of the things I had looked forward to on this trip. They had a ton of different sake to try and we decided to go with the very best they had. (See the above picture) The green bottle on the far right was supposed to be one of their best. It was a sake that was created and dedicated to the birth of the new male heir to the throne earlier that year. It was excellent! It was so good that we bought their last two bottles to take home with us.

Sigh! Good sake with good friends in Japan . . . it doesn't get any better than that. And again, the best part of this was that we could drink to our heart's content because we would be walking home instead of driving. Well . . . maybe not walking but staggering for sure!

Joy of Sake

"Lucky we live Hawaii" is a saying that you often hear around my parts. It usually refers to the fact that we live in a wonderful tropical paradise that most people pay money to experience. It is a phrase that is also used sarcastically to reference the fact that our cost of living in Hawaii is amongst the highest in the nation. However, in this case it happily refers to the fact that Hawaii is one of the few locations hosting the Joy of Sake event this year.

On August 23, 2007 at the Hawaii Convention Center, a few friends and I will be indulging ourselves in what is billed as the largest sake tasting event outside of Japan, the Joy of Sake. Boasting over 300 great sake "in peak condition" and delicious food from some of the best restaurants in Hawaii, this event is a sake enthusiast's dream come true.

While I had not planned for this, I am proud to say that I was the first person to buy tickets for this event from the Marukai Dillingham location. Also unplanned was the fact that my friend Dean had the honor of being the first person to buy tickets from the Maruaki Ward location. (Of course we both know that they sell these tickets online and at a few other retail locations in Hawaii, but it's nice to feel like we were first for something.) The only negative thing about this function is the fact that they have scheduled it for a Thursday night. Those of us who work for a living (me) will have to work the next day.

So this is where I will be a few weeks from now, with ochoko in hand and a big smile on my face. Obviously I will report back on my experience in a later blog posting. See you there!

The Journey Begins

"Sake Enthusiast" is the term I hear used most often these days to describe myself and a few friends who have embraced this wonderful nectar of the gods. Since returning from a trip to Japan in November 2006, sake has become a passion of mine. While this trip to Japan was not the first time I've had good sake, it was definitely the catalyst that transformed me from occasional sake drinker to sake enthusiast! (Sake, for the uninitiated, is a tasty alcoholic beverage brewed from rice. Also known as "nihonshu", it originates from Japan and has recently become quite popular in the United States and beyond.)

So, at the urging of my friend Dean I begin this blog about sake. Nowhere near an expert but not quite a novice, I look forward to sharing my journey with all of you.