NOV. 2006

No.55

LIVING GUIDE MORIOKA

MORIOKA INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS ASSOCIATION〒 020-8531 MORIOKA-SHI WAKAZONO-CHO 2-18
TEL 019-626-7524

Have you tried Japanese Sake ?
Every country has its unique cuisine. It also
has a beverage that best suits their favorite
dishes. Japanese cuisine goes best withJapanese sake . Have you tried one yet?
When it's getting colder at this time of theyear, sake brewing starts. You may see part ofJapanese culture by knowing about sake . Let'ssee what it is like.

Origin of Sakee-mail moriintl@nifty.com
http://www.e-morioka.com/~moriintl/top.html

Materials for Sake
Rice and water are essential materials forsake . The grains of rice suited for, however,are larger and softer than the rice we eat
daily. Meanwhile the taste of sake depends on
the quality of water, since water accounts for
70-80 percent of the ingredients of sake. Sake
made from hard water tastes dryer, while theone made with soft water milder.
Another important element for making tasty
sake is skilled brewers who can make the most

Sake has been part of Japanese people's life
fore more than 1,200 years. A book compiled in
700's describes sake , alcoholic beverage madefrom rice. In the 8th century sake was brewed
the same way as it is today. An ancient mythsays that a hero fed sake to evil serpents to
get rid of them. The sake mentioned here issaid to be what we call "sake " today.
In Japan today celebrations are inseparablefrom sake . Originally, however, people madesake as an offering to Shinto deity. In
later years people had sake in some seasonal
rituals like "matsuri " (ritual eventsdedicated to Shinto deity, for which people
in the community got together), celebrating
the special occasions. The matsuri developed
into merrymakings that Japanese people enjoy
today.

of the materials. The brewer-in-chief whomanages a group of brewers is called Toji .
The brewer-in-chief in Iwate are called Nambu

Toji . Nambu is the old name of the most part ofpresent Iwate. Nambu Toji is known as one of
the three greatest Toji in Japan, showing their
excellent skills not only in Iwate but acrossJapan.
With its high-quality rice, water and brewers,
Iwate produces various kinds of tasty Japanesesake .

Features of Sake
Japanese sake can be enjoyed both cold andwarm. Unlike other alcoholic beverages, thetemperatures of sake good for drinking range
from 5 to 55 degrees Celsius. Sake comes invarious kinds, depending on how it is brewed
and what materials are used. They differ in！！

tastes and aromas, and are suited to different
foods.
As we have four distinct seasons in Japan, wehave events or occasions for enjoying sake ineach season: cherry-blossom viewing in spring,summer festivals and "obon ", when we visit
ancestors' graves, in summer, moon viewing inautumn, and New Year's days in winter.

Keep in Mind

Drinking alcoholic beverages is prohibited in Japan if you are under 20 years old.
Don't drive after drinking sake and other alcoholic beverages.

Information from the Morioka International Relations Association

Tour for Learning Disaster Prevention and Visiting a Sake Brewery
Do you have earthquakes in your home country? Have you ever experienced ones?
Why don't you join our program for learning beforehand how to prepare for earthquakes andwhat you should do when an earthquake occurs?
After learning about earthquakes, we will visit a local sake brewery and taste Japanesesake and culture.
Date/Time : 13:00, Saturday, December 2, 2006
Meet in front of the Morioka City Hall for the bus tour.
Places: Iwate Disaster Prevention Center (Yahaba), and Azumamine Shuzo(a sake breweryin Shiwa).

Fee: FreePhone: 626-7524 (Japanese only)

Email: moriintl@nifty.com(Japanese/English)

Contact us now for reserving your spot.

UPCOMING EVENTS● Illuminated Morioka Castle Site Stoneof a merchant): from late February to early

Foundation WallMarch.

Nansho-So is located at 13-46,(Mid December – Mid February)

Shimizu-cho

Morioka castle, which was completed in 1633,
was unfortunately destroyed about 140 years● Hadaka Mairi

ago, with only the stone foundation remaining

This is a traditional event dating back to

until today. The stone foundation wall is

Edo Period (1603-1867). Men wearing only sacred

fantastically lit up during the cold season andropes around his loin march through the town

warmly welcome visitors to Morioka.

to local shrines to pray for rich harvest,health and safety for the year. When the men● Hina Dolls Exhibit

wear loincloth and ropes alone, like a sumo

In Japan families that have girls traditionally

wrestler, it means that they have no weapons

display hina dolls in ancient noble costumes

when visiting shrines.

for hina matsuri

on March 3. In the oldJapanese-style houses below hand-made hina
dolls and old hina dolls that have beentreasured from generation to generation in somefamilies are displayed.
"Hina Asobu " at Ichinokura-Tei (Old residenceof Ichinokura Family): from early February
to early March. Ichinokura-tei is located at19-24, Abetate-cho"Hina Matsuri " at Nansho-so (Old residence