November18Day·19It will be held at Takada Honmachi Shopping Arcade in Joetsu City on the 1st, and will last for about4The "1st20TimesEchigo/KenshinSAKEFestival", and10During the month, events were held across the prefecture, both individually and in collaboration with multiple breweries, and many people enjoyed tasting Niigata sake and interacting with the brewers.

What is even more noteworthy is that each region came together to carry out initiatives themed on "fermentation," including sake.

Interest in fermented foods is no longer just a fad, but has become established and is growing year by year. Sake breweries, which brew sake, a type of fermented food, are also starting to take a broader approach to educating people of all ages about sake in an easy-to-understand and enjoyable way, from the perspective of fermentation. This time, we will introduce some of the initiatives being undertaken by sake breweries regarding fermentation.

 

A town-wide fermentation event

In the Miyauchi-Settaya area of ​​Nagaoka City, various initiatives have been running for several years, including various experience programs and events centered around fermentation.2025The year10Month12On the day"HAKKOtrip2025" will be held. A variety of experience programs will be held in the area, including a jazz live performance at the brewery and a soy sauce Shikomi experience at Nagaoka Agricultural High School.Yoshinogawa Sake Museum BreweryAt the event, a Fermentation Panel Discussion was held, where attendees could listen to stories about Yoshinogawa and sake brewing while enjoying pairings of sake with snacks.

And this year, new initiatives were launched in the old Hokkoku Kaido area of ​​Niigata City's Nishi Ward, Nishikan Ward, and Yahiko Village.

"All right! The Fermentation Highway is Open!"10Month4Sun ~13Until the 19th, various businesses connected with "fermentation" such as sake, beer, wine breweries, whiskey distilleries, pickle shops and bakeries are scattered along the old Hokkoku Kaido road.30The following initiatives are being implemented simultaneously.

As a sake brewery in Nishi Ward,Shiokawa Sake Brewery Co., Ltd., Hiki Shuzo Co., Ltd.,Takano Sake Brewery Co., Ltd. Of3"Uchino" where you can taste sake from the breweryDE"Tsukimi Sake," "Sugidama Making Workshop" (Shiokawa Sake Brewery Co., Ltd.), "Kura-kai" (Sasaiwai Sake Brewery Co., Ltd., Takano Sake Brewery Co.,Ltd.Takarayama Brewery) and other events were held.

Last day10Month13On the 1st, I participated in a closing talk event entitled "Fermenting Regions and People" held in the storage building of Takano Sake Brewery Co., Ltd.

"Sotokoto"A lecture by the editor-in-chief, Kazumasa Sashide (right in the photo), and a conversation with Sashide and a friend who lives in Echizenhama, Nishikan Ward,Plant dyeing Hamago" Yasuhiro Hoshina (fourth from the right in the photo), who lives in Matsunoo, the same ward,Matsunoo Mirai Association" and Keita Igarashi (second from the right in the photo) from the Nishi Ward Community Affairs Division of Niigata City, who planned the project.U・STYLEAnna Hashimoto (left in photo) from Chuo Ward, Niigata City.

During Sashide's lecture, he used a wealth of experience to come up with a series of exciting keywords, which he used to introduce interesting initiatives from all over the country. In the crosstalk, he spoke passionately and enjoyably about the attractions and challenges of the region, as well as the thoughts behind this project.

After the talk, Hideyuki Takano, the event's executive committee chairman and president of Takano Sake Brewery Co., Ltd., gave the closing remarks. Using the example of multiple parallel fermentation, the fermentation mechanism behind sake, Takano said:

"1Just like how sake brewing involves koji and yeast simultaneously working comfortably in the same tank, in the Fermentation Highway area, various people from both inside and outside the area will come together to create something new. I have a feeling that these initiatives will develop into a major movement that will move the region forward."

approx 10For several years now, President Takano has been calling this area, stretching from Nishi Ward to Nishikan Ward along the old Hokkoku Kaido, the "Brewing Highway," and has been undertaking initiatives in collaboration with his company and other companies. He has high hopes for the area's evolution from Brewing Highway to Fermentation Highway.

At Takano Sake Brewery Co., Ltd.2023Years4In May, an open factory and direct sales store "KURABO” opened.

 

 

 

From the direct sales store, you can watch the bottling process through the glass.

In addition, they also offer guided tours of the brewery with tastings (reservations required, fee applies).

How sake, made from rice and water, is fermented1Will it become a book? The idea is that everyone should be interested in the process, regardless of whether they drink sake or not.

Experience making koji at a sake brewery

Located in the area of ​​Fermentation Highway Kai,10Month4-5On the 1st, the Kura-biraki eventBe Lucky 2025Sasaiwai Sake Brewery Co., Ltd., which held the "Autumn" event, also offers tours of the brewery and tastings at its direct sales store.

Furthermore, with the aim of passing on the culture of koji to the next generation,Koji Class" is being held.

At the interactive kitchen next to the farm store, they hold workshops (reservations required, fee applies) on making shio koji and soy sauce koji. They also sell non-alcoholic koji drinks on weekends and holidays.

Ryosuke Sasaguchi, president of Sasaiwai Sake Brewery Co., Ltd., says, "Koji has long supported Japan's food culture, including sake, miso, and soy sauce. By making the world of koji accessible to everyone, from children to adults, we hope to pass on the koji-making techniques that our company has inherited from generation to generation, and the sake that is fermented using this power, to the next generation."

A place to interact on the theme of "fermentation"

Shibata CityKikusui Sake Co., Ltd.Then.2025Years4Month29On the day"KIKUSUI WarehouseGARDEN" was opened.

There is a lab where you can experience fermentation with all five senses, a fermentation cafe, and a shop, so people of all ages can experience fermentation culture.

The time it took to open was about2year. "KIKUSUIWarehouseGARDENWe spoke to director Asami Minami about the details of the project.

"This project began when President Daisuke Takazawa suggested that we consider whether simply selling sake was enough, and instead think about how we could use our company's strengths to surprise and delight our customers.8After much discussion among the 100 members, we came up with the idea of ​​'fermentation' as an element to lower the barrier to entry and broaden the scope of sake. We realized that 'fermentation', which is rooted in daily life, could be followed by sake made from rice."

From there, our employees came up with a concept,0It was through repeated work to create something concrete from this idea that it arrived at its current form.

"The target is30~40People who are interested in fermentation in the next generation.3"We aimed to create a place that people of all ages could visit," says Minami. "You can experience fermentation in a relaxed atmosphere in the natural environment of northern Echigo, on the banks of the Kaji River. It's a place that people of all ages can enjoy."

The lab and shop1907The space is steeped in history, with old materials from a soy sauce storehouse built in 1945 reused for the ceiling and beams.

The lab displays fermentation and sake culture in an easy-to-understand manner using illustrated maps and other displays.

In front of the exhibit introducing the lactic acid bacteria, yeast, and acetic acid bacteria involved in the fermentation of sake, there are also some heartwarming mascots of the bacteria handmade by the brewers.

In the corner where you can experience the aroma of sake,5A variety of scents are provided, and participants are asked to guess which scent they resemble and then check their answer. Since the experience of imagining a scent is not something that happens often in everyday life, even adults can find it fascinating.

Various workshops are also held by reservation.11Month15On the day, there will be a "Fermentation Workshop: Experience Making Japanese Sweets with Fermented Bean Paste"11Month22On the day, a "Taste Workshop: Learn with your five senses by making your own rice balls and experiencing the taste" is scheduled. Please check the official website for the latest information.

The shop sells Kikusui Sake Co., Ltd.'s standard products and seasonal limited edition sake, as well as "Kuradashi Bottled Nama Genshu," which is bottled right in front of you. There is also a paid tasting corner.

Sweets made with sake lees and gourmet foods from the northern Echigo region are also lined up in a crowded space. Just looking at the original sake cups, hand towels, clasps and other goods will make you feel excited.

Relax at a cafe filled with fermented foods

At this cafe, where there is a line even before opening on weekdays, you can enjoy dishes and sweets made with koji and sake lees to your heart's content.

The café has a large glass window overlooking the Kikusui Garden. In this comfortable space, bathed in sunlight filtering through the trees, spending time gazing at the dry landscape garden designed by gardener Tanaka Taiami is the height of bliss.

The lunch menu changes with the seasons and includes bagel sandwiches, doria, and other dishes, along with salads made with fermented dressing.

The October menu is "Shibata beef sake lees keema curry doria - topped with a soft-boiled egg"

A fermented and local doria made with keema curry that blends the flavors of Shibata beef, sake lees, and vegetable koji, layered with a bechamel sauce made with rice flour from northern Echigo.

This dish is visually appealing, delicious, and also has the thrill of cracking open the soft-boiled egg, making it a satisfying dish.

 

There's also a parade of fermented sweets, including sake lees cheesecake and amazake panna cotta. One dish worth checking out is the "Fermented bean paste and amazake whipped cream gyuhi daifuku set meal." This is an unprecedented hands-on fermented sweet treat, where you wrap sugar-free fermented bean paste and amazake whipped cream in gyuhi and eat it.

They also have a wide selection of drinks, including their original craft cola, original blend coffee, and slightly fermented tea made with lightly fermented tea leaves. Of course, they also offer sake tasting and craft beer.

Bagels and cheesecakes made with koji and sake lees are also available for takeout.

The adjacent storehouse also hosts live music performances and rakugo performances.

There is also a children's play area, making it an attractive place for families to experience fermentation culture.

 

The Kikusui Sake Culture Research Institute on the premises is a guided tour of approximately1You can take your time and look around (reservations required).

The facility is home to Setsugoro Brewery, which produces high-value-added sake with the aim of passing on traditional techniques, an exhibition room for sake ware, and a literature reference room with a vast collection of materials. Visitors will be able to immerse themselves in the profound story of sake, which is the foundation of fermentation culture.

 

 

 

 

Neil

"CushuNotebook "" From NiigataR"Editor-in-chief

Mariko Takahashi

cushu.jp

n-hatsu-r.com