🍶Happy Sake Day!
Today, we celebrate the rich tradition and growing global love for Japanese sake!
🌾 Sake Day was established to mark the start of the brewing season and honor the artistry behind this beloved drink.
From the careful craftsmanship at the breweries to the moment sake meets the glass, each step is a reflection of centuries of passion and expertise.
🥃As you take a sip, whether on your own or shared with friends, you’re experiencing a tradition that brings people together – across Japan and the world.
Raise your glass today and enjoy the timeless charm of sake with us!
#asakeculture #japanbrewery #japanesesaketasting #naturaljapanesesake #foodanddrinkculture #drinksculture #drinkingculture #drinkstagrams
Ever heard of the Japanese tradition of Bamboo Flask Sake (竹管の酒)?
🎋 In Japan, bamboo is believed to hold a mystical essence. The centuries-old practice of bamboo flask sake celebrates the spirituality of nature by telling the myth that sake, when contained in bamboo tubes particularly in their freshest state in summer, gets naturally infused with divine essence as well.
This explains why bamboo cups and tokuri are still crafted today in Japan, perfectly designed for you to enjoy a chilled sake during the hot season.
🍶 Delight in sake's delicate flavors mingling with the natural essence and coolness of bamboo, as you relax on a warm summer evening!
#sakeculture #japanbrewery #japanesesaketasting #naturaljapanesesake #foodanddrinkculture #drinksculture #drinkingculture #drinkstagrams
Embrace summer with a refreshing Summer Sake!
Delight in the crisp, invigorating flavors that make every sip a cool escape from the heat. 🌞
🍶 Perfectly chilled to enhance its delicate notes, we have just the right sake for you to savor the sunny days ahead:
KAWA - A Junmai sake brewed using what is acclaimed as Japan's purest water source;
Bubble - The Sparkling Sake that dazzles those who look for a modern appeal:
AFAP, As Fruity As Possible - The popular fruity low-alcohol sake for sake beginners.
Cheers to all the unforgettable summer moments with the pure taste of Japan! 🎌
#sakeculture #japanbrewery #japanesesaketasting #naturaljapanesesake #foodanddrinkculture #drinksculture #drinkingculture #drinkstagrams
【 Rice Planting Festival – Honoring the God of Rice 】
📍Location: Fushimi Inari Taisha, Kyoto Japan
Do you know that the famous Fushimi Inari Taisha is actually a shrine dedicated to Inari, the Shinto god of rice?
⛩️ This background alone explains why, among the many rituals that have ever existed in the Taisha, the Rice Planting Festival (Taue Matsuri / 田植祭) is a prominent celebration still held annually in June.
This festival is a cherished tradition symbolizing the start of the rice-growing season, an important cycle eventually impacting the quality of Japanese sake.
🌾 Participants, dressed in traditional attire, plant rice seedlings in the shrine's sacred fields. The ritualistic planting process is carried out with great precision and reverence, symbolizing the connection between humans and nature.
The ritual is undoubtedly a vibrant example of Japan's living traditions, while at the same time illustrating the deep connection between agricultural prosperity and the brewing of sake. 🍶
#sakeculture #japanbrewery #japanesesaketasting #naturaljapanesesake #foodanddrinkculture #drinksculture #drinkingculture #drinkstagrams
【 On the Sacred Flowers in KAMIHOTOKE 】
📍Location: Isagawa Shrine, Nara Japan
In one of our best-selling sake, KAMIHOTOKE uses yeasts extracted from the Bamboo Lily (Sasayuri) collected from Omiwa Shrine, a well-respected holy ground in Nara, Japan.
So what is it that makes this particular Lily flower special?
⛩️ According to Japan's ancient myths, at the foot of Mount Miwa resided an enshrined diety by the Sai River. Coincidentally, this was also where one would find the beautiful and rare Bamboo Lily blooming abundantly. This is why the flowers are believed to bring joy to the beloved deity - so much that there are, even to this day, traditional Shinto rituals making use of them to give thanks to the goddess.
This is a simple background of the Lily Festival held annually at Isagawa Shrine, in which Bamboo Lily takes the main stage of the whole ceremony - you will find them decorating sake vessels that are offered to the deity, the flowers being held by shrine maidens while they perform the sacred dance, and the lilies prominently displayed even during the parade after the main ritual.
It is no wonder that these delicate flowers in Omiwa Shrine are regarded as the Sacred Flower (Goshinka), equivalent as a gift from the holy mountain.
🍶 Integrating Bamboo Lily into the recipe, KAMIHOTOKE is brewed with a respect to Japan's traditional religious culture, dedicated to bring you a taste of serenity rare to be find elsewhere.
#kamihotoke #sakeculture #japanbrewery #japanesesaketasting #naturaljapanesesake #foodanddrinkculture #drinksculture #drinkingculture #drinkstagrams
【Hashu-sai – Praying for a year of bountiful harvest】
📍Location: Omiwa Shrine, Nara Japan
Ever been curious about what the rituals at Japanese shrines actually signify?
🌾 Every year in May, a traditional festival called “Hashu-sai” (播種祭) is held at Omiwa Shrine in Nara, Japan. It is in fact the first among other ceremonies in the shrine to be hosted to celebrate the planting of rice. As rice harvest begins in May, this time of the year marks the start of a vital season for the country’s agricultural cycle and farming industry.
Needless to say, with rice being an indispensable ingredient for sake brewing, a successful harvest is all the same crucial to breweries in the nation.
As one of Omiwa Shrine’s major roles serves as being a sacred site for sake breweries, it is no surprise that the shrine, through ceremonies like Hashu-sai, pays much respect to every phrase of the rice planting cycle. You will witness the priests purifying the holy rice field, followed by symbolic gestures of plowing and seed sowing. As an end note, rituals are also carried out to pray for the abundant flow of water throughout the year ahead.
If you happen to catch a Shinto ceremony in the future, take a moment to explore its meanings - you might be fascinated by the significance behind each of them! ⛩
#sakuratown #sakelovers #onlinesakestore #sakeculture japanculturelife #japculture
#omiwashrine
🎏 If you are asked about Children's Day (5th May) in Japan, what will first come to your mind? Is it the Koinobori gracefully swimming in the sky, or kabuto (samurai helmet decorations) that still adorn some local households?
Let us tell you briefly about a lesser-known, yet rich tradition that dates back centuries -
🍶 Alongside being the Childen's Day, 5th May is also known as, in particular, the Boy's Day and the day of Tango no Sekku (端午の節句). Beyond the playful streamers and warrior displays lies the ancient practice of drinking 菖蒲酒 (shōbusake), a ceremonial sake infused with iris, which is believed to ward off evil spirits and promote vitality.
In ancient times, this was particularly significant as it was believed to ensure the health and strength of boys and warriors. The word "shōbu" is also a homophone for "combat" in Japanese, further associating the plant with samurai culture and martial valor, therefore also leaving behind the practice of adorning one's household with kabuto.
While the practice of drinking shōbusake is not as widespread as some other holiday customs, it is still observed by those who adhere to traditional practices or who have a particular fondness for Japanese heritage - part of a rich culture that is always worth learning about, don't you think? 🎈
#sakuratown #sakelovers #onlinesakestore #sakeculture japanculturelife #japculture #koinobori🎏 #kodomonohi🎏
Since we're on the topic of cherry blossoms, let our representative Shota Mizuguchi tell you a bit about "Sakura Town" too 🌸
We all love sakura, but there is more to the real meaning behind our store name!
To explain we'll have to talk a bit about Japanese -
there is the word "Saku" which means "blooming", and "Kura" which means "sake brewery".
As you can imagine, when you combine the two words together there we have "Sakura",
which actually implies our sentiment of co-creating an everlasting culture in which sake and local breweries can blossom!
Despite the rising export volume of sake to overseas market,
a big proportion of the overall sales belongs to large, automated breweries.
This is the reason why we focus our effort on collaborating with breweries that persist on producing high-quality sake
that is worth the time and intense labor but, as a result, are left out of this export trend.
Spring, being the start of a new cycle, is the perfect timing for us to reaffirm our commitment to
creating an environment that small breweries too can gain the public attention they rightfully deserve.
Let's kampai to a future in which all kinds of sake can blossom, as beautifully as Japan's national flower does every year!
#sakuratown #sakelovers #onlinesakestore
🧵 As you may know from our previous posts, Kojima (Okayama Prefecture, Japan) is widely respected as the birthplace of Japanese denim. This is exactly where the makers of our Denim Sake are based.
Enter the factory of 241 Co. @_241co_ , the denim manufacturer of our unique sake denim covers, and take a quick peek at all the tools, steps and most of all, dedication it takes to create this timeless garment that we all love. 👖
#sakuratown #sakelovers #onlinesakestore #denim #DenimSake
#japandenim #denimjapan #traveljapan #japanculture #okayamadenim #kojimadenim #jeansstreet #児島デニム #241 #児島 #児島ジーンズストリート #ジーンズストリート
Sip & Savor Fusion Flavors - Italian cuisine x Japanese sake 🍝🍶
We care deeply about creating a satisfying meal experience - even for just a casual night out after a hard day's work.
Luckily, we have much first-hand experience of how well our sake line-up pairs with different cuisines - and we are confident that Italian dishes can become your favorite too when it comes to food-pairing options.
From pasta to pizza, and even garlic bread, our sake complements the richness of Italian cuisine, creating a symphony of flavors that represent two different cultures on the globe. For example, in the Denim Sake Collection, the Blue (Yamahai) and Black (Kimoto) labels are two well-loved choices that go well with rich-flavored dishes you will find on an Italian menu.
Celebrate the end of a workweek with a table of good food and a bottle of quality sake - you know you deserve it! @trattoriazio @_241co_
#sakuratown #sakelovers #onlinesakestore #denim #DenimSake #japandenim #denimjapan #traveljapan #japanculture #okayamadenim #kojimadenim #jeansstreet #児島デニム #241 #児島 #児島ジーンズストリート #ジーンズストリート
Less is More - The Art of Genshu
Sake beginners may be dazzled by all too many sake types in the market. When it comes to Genshu, do you know what makes it particularly stand out from the crowd?
Sake brewing usually involves a stage in which the sake is diluted with water, therefore lowering the alcohol content. For genshu, this process is left out entirely.
As a result, the absence of additional water allows the natural flavors of the rice and fermentation process to shine, which is why genshu is praised as a drink with a robust and full-bodied flavor profile.
Some also love genshu as a type of sake in its most authentic stage, revealing the original character of the drink in its fullest form.
Although our genshu collection is clothed in cool outfit, they are here to remain true to their delicious essence!
@_241co_ #sakuratown #sakelovers #onlinesakestore #denim #DenimSake
#japandenim #denimjapan #traveljapan #japanculture #okayamadenim #kojimadenim #jeansstreet #児島デニム #241 #児島 #児島ジーンズストリート #ジーンズストリート
Denim, and Your Personal Time-Woven Adventures @_241co_
Denim is surely one of our practical, faithful fashion companions that only gets better with time.
Each fade, crease, and wear pattern on your denim is a testament to the journeys you've embarked upon. And not only can you simply enjoy denim's natural aging, like a canvas, it looks even cooler with treatments like paint and broken threads left as they are on purpose.
Although it takes professional knowledge for a maker to apply tasteful touches to a denim product, unleash your creativity with the denim cover in our Denim Sake collection! Consider this denim accessory not as a destination but a journey – a journey of self-expression, individuality, and everlasting style. With every wash and wear, you contribute to the evolution of a masterpiece that becomes uniquely yours. 👖
#sakuratown #sakelovers #onlinesakestore #denim #DenimSake
#japandenim #denimjapan #traveljapan #japanculture #okayamadenim #kojimadenim #jeansstreet #児島デニム #241
#児島 #児島ジーンズストリート #ジーンズストリート
