Niigata Sake Fair

NIIGATA SAKE NO JIN

Niigata Sake Fair

Niigata Sake No Jin (Sake Fair) is the biggest annual Japanese Sake Even in Japan.  It took place on March 12-13 at Toki Messe, Niigata City.  Leaving Tokyo in fine weather, we went to Niigata via Joetsu Bullet train on to visit the Niigata Sake Fair (Niigata Sake no Jin).

On the train you can enjoy seeing Mt. Asama and the Echigo mountains, and they are beautiful in the crisp spring air. On the way, the train passes through Echigo Yuzawa, a famous ski resort, covered with a blanket of snow. There are also expanses of rice fields being a major rice producing area. The snow had disappeared when we got to Niigata station, but it was a bit colder than Tokyo.

There are an increasing number of visitors to the event year by year, and this year saw 120,000 people in two days.  It opened at 10:00 a.m., but we had to stand in a long line for about 40 minutes before we could enter. For the JPY 2,000 entrance fee, you can taste a variety of types of sake, offered by about 90 sake breweries with more than 500 kinds of sake from all over Niigata. It must be an irresistible event for sake lovers! 

There were dance performances, sake-making songs and many other kinds of things on stage. Niigata is also known for fresh fish and local foods that go well with sake. As lunch time approached, it got more crowded, with an upbeat mood.  We entered a crowded sushi-bar to have hand-rolled sushi. Murakami-beef and Obento filled with local products and sake dishes were also served.  A non-alcoholic ice cream made from rice malt is good for keeping your skin beautiful. Niigata sake manufacturers are enthusiastic about creating new products using rice malt and the sake making technique.

"Araragi"

1050-1 6-Bancho, Higashibori-dori, Chuo-ku,

Niigata-city

In the center of the show area, 89 sake breweries had corners where they served their proud Daiginjo and pure rice sake. Wetasted a bit of pure rice sake first, and we found it had a mild yet refreshing taste. In recent years, more fashionable strawberry cocktails and champagne-type drinks based on sake have been invented for younger people. Bottle designs are also becoming more appealing.  Among the ample choice of sake, there is fruity Ginjo sake, and pure rice sake, which is rich flavored with lots of body, and quaffable Honjozo sake and not heat-treated sake.  Niigata is blessed with an abundance of seafood and food from the mountains, all of which go well with sake.

 Ichishima Shuzo, Shibata-shi, Niigata

A Toji is the head of a sake-making group.  We put several questions about sake-making for one of the Toji, who answered generously and seemed happy to do so.  Mr. Hirano, a famous Toji, explained that Niigata is suitable for sake-making in terms of its environment. Having a cold winter is an important point because snow makes the air clean. For the growth of malt and enzymes, which are essential for sake making, clean air is very important.  The temperature is mild in Niigata, and does not fluctuate wildly.  Moreover, soft water from the high mountains in Echigo is valuable for making mild and soft sake.  Niigata is a famous rice production area in Japan, and sake breweries ask farmers to produce special rice that is used only for making sake. Yamadanishiki or Gohyakumanngoku are well-known types of sake rice.  The unique characteristic of sake rice is that the starch of the grain is concentrated in the center, which allows the rice grain to be polished. Sake could be a luxury product in view of the fact that only a small portion of rice is used for making it, and the amount of sake made is small.

Train information: (example)

Joetsu Shinkansen  Max Toki 313  Tokyo 9:12 → Niigata 10:49 JPY 9,760 (one way)