SAKE MAP
Hokkaido & Tohoku / Types: Sake
Six drinks from Fukushima, each with a snack that suits it and a short story behind the bottle.
Hiroki
The star of a turnaround tale in Aizubange, where the head brewer single-handedly rebuilt a brewery on the brink of closure into a nationally popular label. The name is said to carry a wish for joy to scatter like dew. Its balance of just-pressed freshness and umami is superb, and it is now hard to find. Savor it together with the story of climbing up from rock bottom.
Pairs with：Nishin sansho-zuke (herring cured with sansho pepper) / Kozuyu (scallop dashi soup)
Aizuchujo
A sake of the castle town of Aizu, where samurai culture still breathes. Its dignified, warrior-like name mirrors the temperament of the land. Its full, savory taste pairs well with rich Aizu regional dishes. A sake with a firm backbone, nurtured in a snow-deep basin.
Pairs with：Ika-ninjin (dried squid and carrot) / Basashi (horse sashimi)
Daishichi
A Nihonmatsu brewery that has upheld the labor-intensive "kimoto" method since the Edo era. This old technique, drawing out lactic bacteria naturally, spares neither time nor effort. The rich, full-bodied taste it yields reveals its true worth when warmed. The pride of taking no shortcuts is packed into every cup.
Pairs with：Nishin tempura (herring tempura) / Zakuzaku-ni (diced root-vegetable stew)
Sharaku
The name comes from Toshusai Sharaku, the enigmatic artist who suddenly vanished, his identity never known. Contrary to that elusiveness, the taste is fresh and poised — unforgettable after one sip. It is also a star of the Aizu turnaround, a brewery pulled back from the brink of closure, now nationally popular.
Pairs with：Kozuyu (scallop dashi soup) / Basashi (horse sashimi)
Naraman
A food-loving sake brewed in the brewery town of Kitakata, its umami spreading slowly. Nothing flashy, but the type that quietly asserts itself while supporting the dish. Pair it with local Kitakata ramen or sansho-cured herring and its true worth shows. Never tiring, it is the kind of bottle you find yourself steadily draining.
Pairs with：Kitakata ramen / Nishin sansho-zuke (herring cured with sansho)
Roman
A distinctive Minamiaizu sake with a hard-to-read name mixing katakana and kanji. An "all-Fukushima" bottle insisting on local sake rice, yeast, and water — all from the prefecture. Its sweet, soft mouthfeel pairs well with rustic mountain-village fare. It surprises you once with its name, and again with its taste.
Pairs with：Sansai tempura (wild mountain vegetable tempura) / Tachi-soba (hand-cut buckwheat noodles)