Learning about sake and onsen – in an onsen

The Kohoku Keizai Newspaper site reports on the perfect way to enjoy your sake – in an onsen.

The Tsunashima Yukemuri no Sato onsen in Yokohama, which caters to day-trippers, held a special lunch on 31 July 2018 in association with local breweries complete with talks on onsen and sake.

The event was held under the slightly cumbersome title of “Let’s learn about Japanese Culture! Get to know the local area by visiting onsen and drinking sake” [yes, super long titles are a Japanese thing]. Yukemuri no Sato is a new onsen facility (opened in 2016), built at street level and boasting natural spring water-fed pools and a fitness room. There are seven types of indoor and outdoor pool (eight for the ladies), two saunas and six heated rock areas.

The onsen and sake workshop was planned in association with Japanes Queen [their spelling]. “Onsen sommelier” Ikuko Watanabe gave a talk on onsen (fundamentals and enjoying the one in Yukemuri no Sato), while kikisake-shi Kaori Isono gave a talk on sake.

The sake talk featured four local sake:

• SWEET HEART from the Inoue brewery (Oi, Kanagawa)
• Natsu Yago MOMO13 kimoto junmai from the Izumibashi brewery (Ebina, Kanagawa)
• Fūro Tensei tokubetsu honjōzō from the Kumazawa brewery (Chigasaki, Kanagawa)
• Junmai ginjō Sakarimasu from the Koganei brewery (Atsugi, Kanagawa)

The tasting was accompanied by a special lunch made from local ingredients.

The event ran from 11:00 am until 2:00 pm, and cost JPY 6,000 per person all inclusive.

Links

• Original article (Japanese, Kohoku Keizai Newspaper, 23 July 2018)
• Yukemuri no Sato (Japanese)
• Inoue brewery (Japanese)
• Izumibashi brewery (Japanese)
• Izumibashi brewery (English)
• Kumazawa brewery (Japanese)
• Koganei brewery (Japanese)

No link for “Japanes Queen”. Please don’t run a search for those words. Especially at work, or well, anywhere. Not the best choice of name…