more

Enjoy Izumo sake made from pure spring water and matchmaking rice at a sacred place where eight million gods gather. 

　table of contents

1. What kind of sake can you enjoy in Izumo?
2. Around Izumo“Recommended sake brewery”
3. Around Izumo“Recommended Sake Selection”
4. Touring Izumo and sake breweriesRu“Model course”

Introduction

In Izumo, a sacred place where the gods gather, there is a story of “water, rice, and people” that breathes with the spirit of the shrine. The ultra-soft water of the Hii River polished by granite, the Saka Nishiki dance associated with matchmaking, and the techniques of the brewers that have been passed down from generation to generation – as you tour the four breweries condensed within a radius of just 15 km, you’ll experience a mythical landscape and a terroir that overlaps with each glass.

This article covers the appeal of sake in Izumo, an introduction to unique breweries, a selection of carefully selected brands, and a model itinerary that you can get around by public transportation. We would like to guide you to the world of “drinking together with gods and people” where myths and alcohol harmonize.

1. 出雲で味わう日本酒とは 

　1 | Divine sake grown from Hii River underground water and “marriage rice”

The Hii River, which runs through the Izumo Plain, stores an abundance of underground water that gushes out from the granitic mid-mountain regions, producing ultra-soft water with a hardness of only 13.8 mg/L. Fuji Sake Brewery (Izumo Fuji) pumps up this underground water and presses it in a wooden tank in pursuit of “friendly sake that goes well with food.” The taste is so soft that the brewer calls it “Yamata no Orochi’s legendary water.”

Asahi Sake Brewery (Juasahi), located in the same city, uses hard, soft water containing minerals from the Kitayama mountain range, and uses natural brewing methods to express a structured flavor. Shimane’s original sake rice is paired with water. Saka Nishiki, which originates from Saka Shrine adjacent to Izumo Taisha, has low protein and large grains, making it suitable for Ginjo sake, and has earned a reputation comparable to Yamada Nishiki.

Furthermore, En no Mai, which was registered in 2019, has a high yield of over 10% compared to Yamada Nishiki and grain strength that can withstand 35% rice polishing, and breweries in the prefecture are expanding its use in the Daiginjo to Junmai range.By adding Shimane Prefecture’s unique Shimane K-1 yeast to these “matchmaking rice,” the “Izumo terroir” is created, where the gorgeous ginjo aroma and gentle acidity coexist.

　2 | Visit shrines and storehouses on the Ichibata train and rental bicycles

Put your bicycle on the retro Ichibata train and slowly head west from JR Izumo City Station. When you get off at Izumo Taisha-mae Station, the final stop, you will be greeted by the large shimenawa rope of the giant Kagura hall, and the forest along the approach to the shrine will breathe quietly. After visiting the shrine, row out into the Sea of ​​Japan and take a seaside ride in the sea breeze from Inasa Beach to Hinomisaki Lighthouse. On the beach that connects the mythical beach and the chalk lighthouse, a simple seafood lunch will add a touch of saltiness.

In the afternoon, I returned to the Old Cotton Road and visited Sanzo by bicycle. “Izumo Fuji” made with ultra-soft water, “Yamasan Masamune” made in a vat, and “Ten’on” made with kimoto — these sakes, each made using different water and methods, combine with the aroma of cedar in the white-walled cellar to satisfy your five senses.

As the evening sun lights up the Hii River, new sake festivals and sake festivals take place in Palmate Izumo’s plaza, and the time to exchange drinks with brewers begins. In the evening, go to an izakaya in front of the station and pair Wariko soba with warm sake, and the soft acidity and sweetness will gently end the day’s aftertaste.

　3 | Izumo Shizo’s “Divine Drinking Together” – Experiments with Saka Nishiki and Warming

In Izumo City, the “Izumo Shizo” (Fuji, Rising Sun, Tenon, and Yamasan Masamune) are gathered together, and the culture of “drinking together with gods and people” (drinking together with gods and people) is inherited through festivals that include Kagami-biraki and serving sake. At the Mankusen Shrine Spring Festival, new sake from four breweries will be served, and the brewers themselves will be making connections.

In recent years, they have launched a joint sake project called “Yamakan Shion,” in which each brewery brews junmai sake made from 70% Yamada Nishiki rice according to their own interpretation, offering a variety of ways to enjoy it hot. We are disseminating the “flavor that opens up in different temperature ranges” unique to Izumo toji all over the country.

Saka Nishiki, which is associated with Saka Shrine, the prefecture-developed rice Enno Mai, and Shimane K-1 yeast – the trinity of water, rice, and yeast from this area has created the common keyword of Izumo Shizo, “A core of softness,” and continues to refine the quality of sake with the inclusiveness that befits a sacred place for marriage.

We are currently launching a tourist destination x sake site.This is a site where you can get the information you want that you didn’t have before.We will be adding more information in the future, so please bookmark it.

 

 

 

2. “Recommended sake breweries” around Izumo

Shimane Prefecture/Izumo City × Izumo Taisha Shrine and local sake tour