More and more sake breweries in Shizuoka Prefecture have been organizing medium-scale regional sake Festivals.
One of the newest ones is the “Dai Nikai Kuramoto to Nihon Shu wo Tanoshimu Kai/Chuutouen Sake Monogatari/中東遠酒物語・第2回蔵本と日本酒を楽しむ会/the 2nd Festival for Sake Breweries and Sake of Central East Shizuoka”.

Mr. Morimoto (Morimoto Brewery/Kikugawa City) and Mr. Doi (Doi Brewery/Kakegawa City) on both sides of a grower of Homare Fuji Sake Rice.

The event was held at the Kakegawa Grand Hotel on Saturday evening June 25th.
No less than 150 guests, including some well-known figures attended the Festival.

Money donations were collected to help the victims of the recent earthquakes and tsunamis in North East Japan!

Five breweries took part:
Doi Brewery in Kakegawa City.
Senjyu Brewery in Iwata City.
Kokko Brewery in Fukuroi City.
Yamanaka Brewery (Aoitenka) in Kakegawa City.
Morimoto Brewery (Sayogoromo) in Kikugawa City.

Junmai Dai Ginjyou table!

Each table of 9 guests had two bottles of sake ready while loads of bottles standing in wait on three more tables for all to sample!

Dai Ginjyou table!

All in all, no less than 27 brews were introduced to the participants!

The Junmai and Ginjyou table!

This particular table also featured a great koushu/old sake from Senjyu Brewery I tasted again and again later as well as an excellent umeshu!

All the breweries had brought water from their own wells!

These vegetables offered in Bagna Cauda style were all from Kakegawa City!

Such events are vital to make people know more about their own sake, and to make them remember the occasion until next year plenty of excellent buffet food had been prepared to accompany all those great brews!

A very generous buffet including some rare Yorkshire pork from pigs raised in Mikkabi!

And appetizers had been set in front of every guest to titillate his/her appetite in expectation!

I had actually conducted my own investigation before the festivities started!

Representative of Yamanaka Brewery!

This event proved an invaluable opportunity to share long chats with The sake brewers and colleagues from (serious) media!
I already have quite a few interviews and reports lined up!

The celebrities!
Denbei Kawamura, the Godfather of Shizuoka Sake, the man who created the Shizuoka Yeast!
Mr. Yabuta of the President of the Tago Katsuobushi Association!

To be continued (in further reports on participants and naturally at next year’s event!)…

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

With a Glass,
Clumsyfingers by Xethia
Adventures in Bento Making, American Bento, Beanbento, Bento No1, Bento Wo Tsukurimashou, Cooking Cute, Eula, Hapabento , Happy Bento, Jacki’s Bento Blog, Kitchen Cow, Leggo My Obento, Le Petit Journal Bento & CO (French), Lunch In A Box, My Bento Box, Vegan Lunch Box; Tokyo Tom Baker, Daily Food Porn/Osaka, Only Nature Food Porn, Happy Little Bento, The Herbed Kitchen, J-Mama’s Kitchen, Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat; Bento Lunch Blog (German); Adventures In Bento; Anna The Red’s Bento Factory; Cooking Cute; Timeless Gourmet; Bento Bug; Ideal Meal; Bentosaurus; Mr. Foodie (London/UK); Ohayo Bento

Must-see tasting websites:

-Sake: Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Urban Sake, Sake World
-Wine: Palate To Pen, Warren Bobrow, Cellar Tours, Ancient Fire Wines Blog
-Beer: Good Beer & Country Boys, Another Pint, Please!
-Japanese Pottery to enjoy your favourite drinks: Yellin Yakimono Gallery