Self-serve Fushimi sake flights in Osaka

Lmaga covers a casual drink-and-compare concept from a Fushimi, Kyoto sake retailer that has just opened in Osaka.

Fushimi Sakagura Kōji, which calls itself Fushimi Sake Village in English, is a popular place to enjoy tasting sets showcasing the variety of sake produced in the Fushimi area south of Kyoto City.

The izakaya opened a new branch inside the Takashimaya East Annex in Osaka’s Naniwa Ward on 10 July 2020.

The Fushimi Sakagura Kōji Annex stocks 60 sake from Fushimi brewers, 48 of which are placed in dispensers where customers can serve themselves. A manager explains that the new format makes it easy for fans to compare different sake, and also helps to reduce transmission of infection disease by reducing contact with customers.

Customers put down a deposit of JPY 500 to get a rechargeable SAKE CARD, which they insert into a dispenser and then select the sake they want and the quantity. Sake to be heated is dispensed into a tokkuri after which customers can stand it in hot water until it reaches their desired temperature (sake thermometers are also supplied).

The outlet is also managed by staff qualified as International Kikisake-shi [a qualification from the Sake Service Institute] who can advise on sake to buy and take home, or enjoy sake like the Tomio nama genshu sold exclusively by Fushimi Sakagura Kōji (JPY 780 for 170 ml) and kept under strict temperature control.

It also carries a range of Kyoto specialties such as the cream cheese flavoured with Japanese ingredients made with sake lees under the supervision of the long-established Mikihan Ryokan, and pickles from the famous Kyoto maker Uchida.

The Fushimi Sakagura Kōji Annex is inside the Community Food Hall Osaka Nihonbashi, open from 10:00 – 22:00.

Links

• Original article (Japanese, Lmaga.jp, 11 July 2020)
• Fushimi Sakagura Kōji (Japanese)