Exploring the Charms of Akita with an American Couple〜4

The main goal of this tour is to visit Tenju Brewery. It takes about 20 minutes by car from Cho Kai Wood Museum to the brewery. The word 'Ten' in Tenju Brewery comes from the Chinese character meaning “heaven,” and “ju” means “longevity”.In Japanese , there is a respectful expression “to complete tenjyu”, which means a person who reaches 90 or 100 years old is healthy. So the brewery hopes people live long and healthy by drinking.Tenju Brewery sake.

Tenju has a long history. It was founded in 1830. They try to keep making sake with rich water and rice in this area. The current owner is the 7th generation. They try to keep traditional techniques to make sake, and they also create new methods. They use a unique yeast. It comes from flowers. They aim to make the best sake produced in the local area. The famous brand is called “ChoKaisan”. It uses local water, rice, and yeast. The taste is fruity and clear. This is because it is fermented at low temperatures for a long time.

The younger brother of the owner guides us around the sake brewery. It takes about 40 minutes. Sake is made in winter. We visited on April 30, and the sake making was finished. However, the factory has a strong aroma of sake. The way to make sake is very complicated, and it took me a long time to understand it. However, the couple from America has visited the winery many times. So, the wife understood the process easily, and finally, we could try some sake that we can only drink at the brewery. This sake is special, and some types can be bought in America. We also received a cup to drink sake.

Next time, I will share pictures so please look forward to that.