It probably goes without saying that the best place to drink sake is in Japan.
Not only is it significantly cheaper that what’s sold in Singapore (or any other country for that matter), but the selection available is much more diverse and interesting.
So, during our 12 day Kansai vacation, I made it a point to sample as many different bottles as possible. And to ensure maximum coverage, I searched for places where I could try them by the glass. Or rather, by the ochoko.
Yamanaka Sake Ekimaru
One of the shops I found was Yamanaka Sake (山中酒の店), located within the JR Osaka station.
Specifically, it was part of Eki Marché Osaka, an F&B marketplace filled with plenty of food and drink stores. All of them carefully designed to lure commuters coming in and out of the busy interchange.
We had just checked out of the Ritz Carlton Osaka, after a delightful stay where we basically camped out at the wonderful Club Lounge.
Our next stop was Kyoto, and I had planned our hotel check-out time so that we could catch the beautiful Kyo-train Garaku rapid limited express train to Kyoto-Kawaramachi station.
Yamanaka Sake Ekimaru was located conveniently along the way, and there just happened to be a one hour window before boarding.
Sake Bingo Card
Admittedly, timing was a bit tight, but there was no way I was passing up on this invaluable opportunity.
To not only sip on some tasty nihonshu, but also to make serious inroads into my bucket list of drinking sake from all 47 prefectures of Japan.
Back home in Singapore, after several years of casual drinking, I had managed to cover a decent 17 out of the 47 (i.e. 36% completion). Progress was slow, but steady.
It was time to pick up the pace, starting with a carafe (or two) of Miyakanbai (宮寒梅) from Miyagi that was served with our Hanakoireki kaiseki lunch on board Singapore Airlines.
This was followed by, a couple of days later, Toyobijin (東洋美人) from Yamaguchi and Kirakucho (喜楽長) from Shiga. Both were available at Sushi Sakaba Sashisu, a local izakaya popular with hungry hippos.
| No. | Brand | Grade | Prefecture |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Miyakanbai (宮寒梅) | Junmai Ginjo | Miyagi |
| 2 | Toyobijin (東洋美人) | Junmai Ginjo | Yamaguchi |
| 3 | Kirakucho (喜楽長) | Junmai | Shiga |
I dutifully updated my bingo card after each bottle. Although my white squares were incrementally turning green, achieving bingo remained elusive.
Nihonshu Menu
That was all about to change, given the uncharacteristically large array of choices, all of them available by the glass at varying price points.
Uncharacteristic, that is, for a sake bar in Singapore. But as a wise girl named Dorothy once said, “Toto, I have a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.”
But first, something from Ōsaka.
Specifically, a Katano Sakura (片野桜) yamahai junmai (山廃純米) nama genshu (生原酒) using Omachi rice ( 雄町). It was dry, full-bodied and umami-rich, a powerful drink that tasted, for lack of a better word, wild.
A perfect match for the anatomically correct “yak stools” that we were sitting on, complete with four little feet and a shaggy tail.
Automatic Sake Dispensers
The minimum order from the menu was 60ml, but since I wanted to cover as much ground as possible, it made more sense to order from the automatic dispensing machines.
They operate on customised coins which were sold at 1 for ¥250, 3 for ¥600 or 5 for ¥1,000. After that, simply go to a desired bottle, deposit a coin, place your cup underneath the spout and press the dispense button.
Each portion is 30ml, large enough to appreciate the flavour of the chosen sake, and small enough to try many different options.
And boy, were there many different options to choose from. Each came with a short flavour description, and more importantly, the prefecture where it was brewed.
It was exactly what I needed, for the mission I was on.
I made full use of the limited time available and sampled six different bottles in quick succession.
Half of them were not to my liking: the Tenyurin (天游琳) and Hakuin Masamune (白隐正宗) were too dry, while the Gorin (五凛) was just meh.
However, the other three were quite unique and interesting.
The Kid (紀土) was red and had an obvious berry flavour, the Ishizuchi (石鎚) smelled like Calpis and tasted milky with a pleasant dryness and the Hanatomoe (花巴) was complex with an nice initial sourness.
Progress Update
Over the short span of 60 minutes, I had managed to try seven different sakes from seven different prefectures.
With the exception of the Hanatomoe (花巴) from Nara, the remaining bottles were from six prefectures that I had not encountered before.
| No. | Brand | Grade | Prefecture |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Katano Sakura (片野桜) | Junmai | Ōsaka |
| 2 | Ishizuchi (石鎚) | Junmai Ginjo | Ehime |
| 3 | Kid (紀土) | Futsushu | Wakayama |
| 4 | Tenyurin (天游琳) | Tokubetsu Junmai | Mie |
| 5 | Hakuin Masamune (白隐正宗) | Junmai | Shizuoka |
| 6 | Hanatomoe (花巴) | Junmai | Nara |
| 7 | Gorin (五凛) | Junmai | Ishikawa |
It was a short but fruitful drinking session, one that resulted in my very first bingo. A horizontal line right across the middle, starting from Aichi (愛知県) and ending at Mie (三重県).
We were only halfway through our Japan trip, and I had already managed to move my progress bar from 36% to 53% (25 out of 47). Crossing the halfway mark felt like a significant milestone.
With another six days left in Kyoto, I was optimistic that another bingo could be attained. Bringing me one step closer to achieving one of my missions in life.
