Sake Breweries in Akita - vol. 5: Snow Kayasha and Yuri Masamune

  • Akita
  • Special Features
Japanese-style building on the first floor and Western-style building on the second floor

Snow Kayasha, Yuri Masamune] Blessed by nature's bounty

Sake Brewery Tour in Akita vol. 8 is a visit to a sake brewery in the Ishiwaki district of Yurihonjo City, which is owned by the Saiya Sake Brewery Co.
The brewery was founded in 1902 by Yataro Saito, the founder, in Yurihonjo City overlooking Mt. The 11 buildings that remain from that time, including the house, store, and warehouse, are registered as Tangible Cultural Properties of Japan.
The name of the brewery's representative brand, "Yukino no Kayasha," comes from a story about a writer who visited the brewery during a snowy winter and on his way home suggested "Yukino no Kayasha" as a sake name based on the winter scenery of farmhouses with thatched roofs buried in snow that were scattered throughout the area.

The distinctive "Noborigura" warehouse

Image courtesy of Saiya Sake Brewery
The sake brewery here was built on the current slope from the time of its establishment. One of the main features of the brewery is its structure, which makes good use of the natural topography and is called "Noborikura. The difference in elevation of the brewery is about 6 meters, and rice is brought to the topmost rice mill to begin the sake brewing process. The brewery is stocked with subsoil water from the Shinzan Mountains that gushes out on the premises, and as the process progresses, the water is gradually moved down to the bottom of the structure, where it descends as sake. At first glance, this may seem inconvenient, but it is actually very easy to use because the work proceeds from high to low.â

Sake brewing in its natural state

Image courtesy of Saiya Sake Brewery
The brewery uses Akita Sake Komachi rice, which is grown by the toji and brewers themselves, and spring water from the rich natural environment of Yurihonjo as the brewing water.
In a typical sake brewing process, the temperature of the unrefined sake must be averaged out by oaring the rice twice a day. In 1995, the Saiya Sake Brewery eliminated the use of oar irrigation, and instead let the yeast do its thing and let the natural convection flow. The brewery is characterized by its commitment to "no oaring, no filtration, and no water splitting," or "sannai-zukuri," an extremely natural method of sake brewing in which no human intervention is required.

Across the street from the sake brewery, "Hakketsu Koji Taya" (fermentation alley)

This signboard is a landmark!
Across the street from the brewery is "Hakketsu Koji Taya," a fermentation complex that includes a café and store under the direct management of the Saiya Sake Brewery. In addition to the store and café, the premises also include a gallery and a fermentation workshop, which promotes the appeal of the region and its food.

■Cafe

The café offers lunch plates, desserts, and drinks. The menu focuses on fermentation, including homemade bread using Yukino Kayasha's brewing water and chicken marinated in salted malt.

Store

The restaurant also sells the "Snow Kayasha" series of Japanese sake made at the Saiya Sake Brewery, as well as sake lees, amazake (sweet sake), and Narazuke (pickles). We also have a large selection of local specialties from the Ishiwaki area (miso, soy sauce, Honjo udon noodles, fig candied figs, etc.).
Sake vessels that will make your sake taste even better!

Gallery "Snow Kayasha Club

The gallery "Yukino Kayasha Club" is used as a multi-purpose hall for exhibitions, sales meetings, lectures, and many other purposes.
The website of [Snow Kayasha] Saiya Sake Brewery is here:
For reservations for JR + accommodation "Akita Area", please contact [ JR East View Dynamic Rail Package ]
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