The city of Himeji, possibly better known for a certain castle, has published a booklet to promote local sake and sakamai (酒米, rice used to brew sake, although not necessarily a variety developed for sake brewing).
The Harima Nihonshu Guide clocks in at 50 full colour A5 pages, designed to draw visitors to the Harima area with its many sake breweries.
Himeji named itself the “home of Harima sake” in 2017. The city starting getting the word out about its local producers through events, and this new publication is part of the same publicity project.
The booklet starts by introducing the sake rice grown in the area, particularly the “king” variety Yamada Nishiki. The map inside covers not just Himeji city, but also neighbouring towns in the Harima area such as Akō, Akashi, Shisō and Inami.
A grand total of 22 sake breweries are featured, with details on their local area, history and flagship products.
The booklet finishes with advice on how to select sake and read labels. It will be used at briefings held by the city for food and drink businesses, and they are considering selling it to the general public as well.
Links
- Original article (Japanese, Sankei News, 30 November 2018)