A blog pairing Japanese sake with kayoukyoku (classic Japanese songs), region by region.
Aichi
Crossing the Mountain, Carried by Wine
Wakuto x Ishikawa Sayuri, “Amagi-goe”
Niigata
Blooming Red Beneath the Snow
Koshino Yukitsubaki x Kobayashi Sachiko, “Yukitsubaki”
Kochi
Like a Whale Crossing the Sea
Suigei x Peggy Hayama, “Nangoku Tosa wo Ato ni Shite”
Kanagawa
Where the Dragonflies Return
Izumibashi x Sen Masao, “Kitaguni no Haru”
Gifu
Beneath the Night Cherry Blossoms, a Color Quietly Burning
Hyakujuro “Kuroduzura” x Sakamoto Fuyumi, “Yozakura Oshichi”
Aomori
When the Apple Blossoms Bloom, an Unadorned Flavor Awaits
Denshu Tokubetsu Junmai x Misora Hibari, “Ringo Oiwake”
Mie
A Devotion That Blooms Like a Camellia
Rumiko no Sake Tokubetsu Junmai No.9 Yeast x Miyako Harumi, “Anko Tsubaki wa Koi no Hana”
Hokkaido
After Thirty-Five Years, Sake Returns to the Port
Gohhou x Kitajima Saburo, “Hakodate no Onna”
Ishikawa
In Hakusan’s Waters, a Thousand-Year Chrysanthemum Still Blooms
Kikuhime x Kitajima Saburo, “Kaga no Onna”
Akita
Twelve Breweries, One Clear Spring
Takashimizu x Fuji Ayako, “Kokoro-zake”
Nagasaki
From a Harbor After the Rain, the Luan Takes Flight
Hiran Nikomaru x Uchiyamada Hiroshi and Cool Five, “Nagasaki wa Kyo mo Ame Datta”
Yamaguchi
Only After the Winter Does It Run Clear
Dassai Junmai Daiginjo 45 x Mori Masako, “Etto Tsubame”
Miyagi
From One Small Drop, Across the Whole Country
Uragasumi Zen x Sato Muneyuki, “Aoba-jo Koiuta”
Fukui
From a Wild Cape, Their Finest Cup
Kokuryu “Icchorai Junjin” x Kawanaka Miyuki, “Echizen Misaki”
Aichi
Mountain Rice, Caught by a Brewery on the Sea
Oku “Yumesansui Juwari” x Yashiro Aki, “Funauta”
Kyoto
Even After Losing Everything, the Light Never Went Out
Tamanohikari “Junmai Ginjo Shukon” x Futaba Yuriko, “Ganpeki no Haha”
Hiroshima
Even After Crossing the Sea, the Family Sake Remains Unchanged
Taketsuru “Kimoto Junmai” x Ishikawa Sayuri, “Tsugaru Kaikyo Fuyugeshiki”
Tochigi
The Place You Were Born Never Changes
Junmai Ginjo “Kanuma Musume” x Guts Ishimatsu, “Ishimatsu Otoko-bushi”
Iwate
Where the River Became a Song, the Sake Has Come Home
Kikuzakari “Kitakami Yakyoku” x Tama Sachiko & Hiroshi Wada and the Mahina Stars, “Kitakami Yakyoku”
Kagawa
Watching Over Every Bride Who Crosses the Strait
Kinryo “Koiai” x Koyanagi Rumiko, “Seto no Hanayome”
Fukushima
The Real Sky Still Hangs Over the Brewery Roof
Daishichi “Junmai Kimoto” x Columbia Rose II, “Chieko-sho”
Hyogo
What Lay Quietly Beneath the Ground Was Protecting the City All Along
Sakuramasamune “Miyamizu no Hana” x Uchiyamada Hiroshi and Cool Five, “Soshite, Kobe”
Shiga
The Flavor They Refused to Polish Away, Rowing Across Lake Biwa
Shichihonyari “Low-Polish Junmai” x Tokiko Kato, “Biwako Shuko no Uta”
Okayama
The Sake That Stays a Supporting Role, Quietly Backing the Port Town’s Song
Sankan “Omachi Junmai Ginjo” x Mihashi Michiya, “Shimotsui-bushi”
Yamagata
From a Quiet Cup, the Dawn Breaks
Dewazakura “Oka Ginjo” x Kishi Yoko, “Yoake no Uta”
Nagano
Center Stage, and Deep in the Brewery
Masumi “Karakuchi Kiippon” x Mikawa Kenichi, “Sasoriza no Onna”
Yamanashi
A Brewery That Fell for the Water, Three Hundred Years and Counting
Shichiken “Birodo no Aji” x Mihashi Michiya, “Takeda-bushi”
Saga
From an Unknown Corner of Japan, All the Way to the Top of the World
Nabeshima “Junmai Ginjo Yamada Nishiki” x Murata Hideo, “Osho”
Fukuoka
The Sake That Never Aimed to Be Number One Ends Up Closest of All
Tanaka Rokujugo x Nishida Sachiko, “Hakata Blues”
Shizuoka
The Frozen Port That Polished a Single Drop
Isojiman “Daiginjo Itteki Nyukon” x Mori Shinichi, “Minato-machi Blues”
Gunma
Named for the Same Mountain
Akagisan “Maikaze” Junmai Ginjo x Tokairin Taro, “Akagi no Komoriuta”
Osaka
The Sweetness That Quietly Held Up the Spotlight
Amanosake “Tokubetsu Junmai Rei” x Miyako Harumi & Oka Chiaki, “Naniwa Koi Shigure”
Kumamoto
The Year They Both Left Kumamoto
Kouro Junmai Ginjo x Kiyoko Suizenji, “Sanbyaku Rokujugo-ho no March” (“The March of 365 Steps”)
Miyazaki
The Name Changed Four Times, But the River Never Did
Sentoku Junmai x Mizumori Kaori, “Hyuga-misaki”
Nara
Where the Sacred Deer’s Legend Still Flows
Harushika “Junmai Chokarakuchi” x Masashi Sada, “Mahoroba”
Toyama
Water From the Mountains, Flowing Toward the Sea
Masuizumi Junmai “Shirahagi” x Hibari Misora, “Kawa no Nagare no You ni”
Ehime
A 1,300-Year-Old Cherry Tree, and Tonight’s Cup, Both Rising Through Dogo’s Steam
Nikitatsu “Iyo no Usuzumizakura” x Kitajima Saburo, “Iyo no Hito”
Tottori
What Once Vanished Finally Catches the Light
Hiokizakura “Goriki” Junmai Daiginjo x Mizumori Kaori, “Tottori Sakyu”
Wakayama
To Brew in a Time of Peace
Kid Junmai Daiginjo x Sakamoto Fuyumi, “Iwai-zake”
Ibaraki
One Autumn Day, Someone Saw a Nation’s Pride in a Chrysanthemum
Kiuchi Brewery “Kikusakari” Junmai Ginjo x Hashi Yukio, “Itako-gasa”
Chiba
The Moon Over the Tone River Has Always Lit the Ones Who Keep Changing
Terada Honke “Goninmusume” Junmai x Tabata Yoshio, “Otone Tsukiyo”
Shimane
The Moon Over the Mountain Castle Fills Even a Lost Heart
Gassan Junmai Daiginjo x Mizumori Kaori, “Shimane Koi Tabi”
Tokushima
Polished by the Fierce Current, It Only Grows Better
Narutotai “Tomoe” Junmai Ginjo x Miyama Hiroshi, “Naruto Kairyu”
Saitama
Like a Flame That Never Goes Out, They Stayed True
Shinkame “Junmai Sake” x Kanmuri Jiro, “Honoo”
Oita
Two Brothers Relit a Brewery’s Dying Flame, Facing the Sea Wind
Oochi Shuzo “Hanaemi” Junmai Ginjo x Kawanaka Miyuki, “Bungo Suido”
Tokyo
Beyond the Glittering Tokyo, Three Hundred Years of Unchanging Water
Sawanoi “Soten” Junmai Ginjo x Shimakura Chiyoko, “Tokyo da yo Okkasan”
Kagoshima
The Tunnels That Once Mined Gold Now Nurture Something Else
Sasshu Masamune Junmai Ginjo x Saigo Teruhiko, “Seinen Ohara-bushi”
