Why Sake is NOT popular in Japan (but is booming overseas)
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- Опубліковано 24 гру 2024
- In this one we visit the Nadagogo region of Hyogo and learn all about sake. Thanks to the Kobe Tourism Bureau for sponsoring this video!
Places visited:
Hakutsuru Sake Brewery Museum bit.ly/hakutsuru
Sawanotsuru Museum bit.ly/sawanot...
Kiku-Masamune Sake Brewery Museum bit.ly/kiku_ma...
Kiku-Masamune Taru Sake Factory bit.ly/kiku_ma...
Sakura Masamune bit.ly/sakuram...
Kobe's Official Travel Guide website: bit.ly/kobetra...
Tsunagu Japan :bit.ly/nadagog...
Sources:
Largest sake production areas in Japan region-case.co...
Sake production peaked in 1973: www.nta.go.jp/...,
www.nta.go.jp/..., and www.japansake....
Population growth in Japan www.stat.go.jp...
Japanese alcohol exports hit record high in 2022 www.foods-ch.c...
Japanese alcohol exports 2014 to 222 www.nta.go.jp/...
How to taste sake www.kikumasamu... and www.kikumasamu...
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I want to deeply thank you for making such detailed videos (if not documentaries). Your knowledge and way to present is sublime + you clearly love what you are doing! (Investigating, reporting, creating genuine content...) I am sure this is what the internet is meant for. Thanks for bringing peace and quality information from Japan into my life, it influences my music as well 🍀 Regards from Europe!
I’ve learnt so much about Japan from this channel.
(11:06) the guy walking in the shot then running out of it. Lol 😂
You guys were lookin' pretty hammered by the end.
Looked like a delicious variety of sake.
Rice, water, koji mould AND yeast. It's amazing how many flavor profiles are being produced with such simple ingredients. Sake brewing is truly a refined art in Japan (with some science mixed in). I love incorporating tasting regional sakes on travels around Japan as they often match the local foods so well.
I had yeast in the script, but sometimes even brewers leave it out of their ingredient list. Just look at some sake bottles.
@@LifeWhereImFrom depending on how filtration is done, yeast might not be present in the packaged product. (I would think the same would apply to koji, but I don't know if it settles out like the yeast does.)
that's the same for wines too
Just like beer is a few simple ingredients: Water, barley, yeast, hops, and yet produce thousands of variations (plus then you have variations with other grains).
Took me a second to figure out that 70% polish, does not mean its 70% from poland
😅😅😅
Well of course! It means its made *from* 70% Poles and 30% others (probably Italians).
😂 you got a chuckle out of me
@@TheCrewExpendableo kurwa!
100% good quality finnish
The thing about buying sake in Canada is the lack of choice. Most liquor stores only carry the cheapest one. When you find a better one, the price is pretty high, which costs like a bottle of Scotch, and it might be smaller too. The lack of mid-range sake is annoying.
Also, the cost of liquor is very high compared to the US. As I drink quite a bit, it really hurts.
If you have any good Japanese grocery stores in your area they'll have a better selection. I live in Chicago and I go to Mitsuwa for sake.
In Toronto the LCBO has over 20 different types.
@@dondo44 Not for Calgary :)
@@SweetBabyGray In canada, only licensed liquor stores can sell alcohol. Very backwards.
I wish we could get some Strong Zero's over here. I miss them. In SK btw.
You two really held it together while tasting all of that Sake, I’m impressed.
Although I was becoming a little concerned the longer it went on and the redder you became 😳
Well done, both of you 🙂
I knooow, by the end he was super red lol
I started my Sake journey after watching this. Very good content.
The cup is one of the most overlooked aspects of how sake tastes. I have a very large collection of sake cups that are in different shapes a materials. It is amazing the differences that each cup brings out in the sake. So far the vast majority of sake sampled has tasted best in Koito ware cups (takayama). I suspect that Bizen ware would also fair well so I plan to try to get some next time I am Okayama as currently I only have 1 cup shape in that pottery style.
The most surprising result has been my tasting of Dewazakura, a sake I drink regularly when in Japan. It is the only one I have ever had that tasted the best in the shakudani stone sake cup and the other cups were not even close. Usually the shakudani cups finish in the middle of the pack or bottom and rarely at the top let alone a run away for first place. Everyone was very surprised and I still can not believe how much better Dewazakura is out of that vessel.
But that is one of the exciting things about sake, even the same sake can be enjoyed in so many ways just from using different cups! You can find the cups that highlight the parts of the profile you love the most in a given sake or use it to adjust the profile of a not so great bottle to make it smoother.
Might it be that they brought this different cups thing over from the wine industry? I think so.
@@wzukr I have not seen many wine glasses made of things that are not glass... but yea in so far as how the shape of the glass/cup affects the drink that is no different than how wine and many other glasses operate.
The glass is also the most overlooked part of drinking beer. Thinner glass gives the beer a much better mouthfeel in my experience. The flavour shifts. But for obvious reasons, public places favour thicker glasses. The commercial glass industry has also moved away from thin glasses. It's really difficult to find a good glass.
@@Toropetskii Yep, like the 500ml konig ludwig glass. I also have hundreds of different beer glasses... I might have a problem.
First of all Greg, I’ve never seen you drink that much! I hope you were OK afterwards. 😆
But seriously, I find it really interesting how the sake industry is adapting to keep up with the evolving tastes of consumers. For example, with sparkling sake, and other more wine-like varieties. But my personal area of interest is those traditional sake breweries that have branched off into beer production as well. Shiga-Kogen beer, for example, produced by the historic sake brewery Tamura Honten, makes some of the best craft beer in Japan. And now I’m getting thirsty. 😅
That's really interesting, Jordan--I didn't know sake breweries were diversifying like that! Thanks!
@@etherdog Could be a good topic for a future video. 🤔
Hey have you ever seen a 日本酒餅? I mean we got rum cakes I was wondering if they have any kind of booze desserts in Anime Land.
@@southcoastinventors6583 I haven’t actually…which is strange because they’re made of the same thing and even at the same location sometimes! Boozy chocolate, on the other hand, is quite popular here. (You can get pretty decent rum or brandy tainted chocolate bars at the local コンビニ). I guess people tend to experiment less with traditional Japanese things than with more recent cultural traditions.
I tried Shiga kogen beer just recently and I was truly impressed. A friend brought a variety for me to try and each one was absolutely bang on.
The more i hear about Japan the more "Why [traditional Japanese thing] is NOT so popular in Japan nowadays (but is booming overseas)" is true for so many things. I swear foreign countries like Japan more than Japan does.
It's a classic "the grass is always greener on the other side" & "familiarity breeds contempt" kinda thing. Having been to Japan myself, I always find it funny that so many Japanese go 'wow!' when they visit NYC/Manhattan since it's, in so many ways, an almost laughably smaller/poorer place than Tokyo. It is, of course, a cultural influence/domination issue.
Here in America sake is sold at the high-end supermarkets I love sake! I love cherry wine as well. I bet I would love the plum sake because I do like a sweet alcohol.. I think by the end of the show the two of you were starting to feel the effects of the sake lol
i know i have found some at World Market, including smaller bottles of the green/blue/pink ones show at 11:42 otherwise i dont find it in many stores, ill have to check Woodmans here in Wisconsin as i know they carry multiple Japanese whiskies
Another great video. Very informative. Love how your sister in law is doing much more with you. You two make a great team on the videos
i luv using it my cooking here in the USA.
Love these videos of yours, keep up the great work !
Japanese sake is really deep. If you enjoy alcohol, then I really recommend visiting some breweries. Most have tastings and it's worth exploring because everything is so different. Hakutsuru and Gekkeikan are the *really* big producers. You can often get that easily outside of Japan. They don't produce any of my favorites, but it is technically well made. If you try those big brands, I would say it only gets better from there (and it can get a *lot* better). I was kind of blown away when I first moved to Japan because I had enjoyed those big brands. I wasn't prepared for just how good Japanese sake can be.
Hakutsuru must be a big international exporting brand. I recognize the pink Sayuri label from my local liquor store which is in the US midwest.
Lovely video as always, thanks Greg.
Watching from Canada right now, the sake boom is indeed happening.
I do love sake as well and Hakutsuru sakes are available here (Montreal).
The blue bottle, Hakutsuru's Superior Junmai Ginjo is my personal favorite and the usual go to. I think it's a great value compared to other bottles ($8.30 CAD for 300ml) and offers much depth and complexity at its price point.
It was clean, crisp, dry, floral, and the finish lingered long with flavors of sakura flowers and fruit.
I hope you enjoyed filming it just as much I enjoyed watching it (a lot) and the alcohol enthusiast side of me hopes that you cover other offerings available in Japan (Japanese whiskey, shochu, gin, cocktails, wine, and etc.).
Thanks Greg!
That little giggle-laugh she lets out at 17:29 is so utterly adorable, it took my breath away and made me smile. You two drunk is cute.
Hakutsuru is pretty good. I can actually get their Junmai Ginjo here in America at the local big chain grocery store (Fred Meyer) down the road in the wine section. IIRC you can also get Gekkeikan as well, but it's made here, while the Hakutsuru is actually imported from Japan.
Arrigato Gozaimasu for grand content, very well edited and filmed Sir!!
Warm sake is very comforting for when you're sick. Warming it makes it sweeter.
Nice! Hakutsuru! I'm impressed they let you film congratulations! I love Sayuri. It's the first sake I remember falling in love with.
I just love how much fun you two are having! 😂😂💕
When I was younger I was trained as an apprentice sushi chef here in America. I didn't stay with it, but while I was trained, I learned about a lot of different sake types. I still prefer Junmai Ginjo or Junmai Daiginjo. The flavors are excellent and they are still my favorite types of sake. Also, it's interesting to me that some of the "cup sakes" are also quite good. Lucky Cup happens to be my favorite for a cup sake. Sake is my favorite alcohol and is so easy to drink. It pairs with everything really well. This is a wonderful video!
Your videos are always so satisfying to watch, Greg!
Now I know how 白鶴 produces their 日本酒. So far I have only visited small “craft” sake breweries. I often think about wanting to learn to brew sake myself, but know it is a long process.
Anyway, as always a great video!
Oh and between 8:00 and 9:00 I thought for a moment I was watching a video from Macho Nacho Productions because of the music. Anyone else watching that channel and had the same association?
Amazing!
I thought the trope of flushed faces when drinking was always made more visible in media, but Greg's face from 15:37 compared to 18:13 is night and day difference!
But he did very well indeed - huh Greg??
I think it’s the “Asian glow”. AKA an allergy to alcohol that’s more prevalent in people with Asian ancestry
@@alexgravenor It's not an allergy, it's an intolerance. About 1/3 of East Asians have a gene that leads to them not produceing the enzymes that you need to have to be able to fully metabolise alcohol.
Thank you for making this fun video! Hakutsuru Superior Junmai Ginjo is fairly easy to find in my city, so it's a go-to bottle for me when I'm looking for something I think other people will enjoy who are unfamiliar with sake. I'm also a fan of their Junmai Draft, so it's interesting to see how some of the sake I enjoy gets made! Since Akko has a new-found appreciation for strong sake, I'd like to suggest you both try pairing pizza with sake. I know it sounds like a strange combination, but it's very delicious! It's fun to pair different types of sake with different types of pizza. For spicy toppings like pepperoni and sausage, my favorite choice is Kikusui Funaguchi Honjozo Nama Genshu "Gold" because its deep flavor can stand up to the strong taste of the toppings. Hakkaisan Tokubetsu Honjozo goes well with almost all pizza and with cheese in general. If you ever do give pizza and sake a try, I hope you'll post about what pairings you enjoy~ I will certainly be trying sake in ice-cream now!
I love Sir Greg content,always educational ❤❤❤😊
I absolutely love the tradition of warming up together before work! That would never fly in the US though. But I do think it's a great way to bond as a team and prepare for the day ahead together.
They do this in construction! They call it Stretch and Flex, it was always a nice start to the day!
Yes the pink one is my favorite
I wasn't a fan of sake initially when I visited Japan, but I learned that was because I ordered it at food places, and also I have only tried the cheapest one from a convenience store. Then I went to a sake-tasting place and it was totally different, actually tasted good. There's also a large sake selection at grocery stores, and even good-tasting sake (to me) was really cheap, like 900 - 1600 YEN for a 720 ml bottle.
Edit: Also the choice is infinitely large. In addition, every bottle I tried tasted different.
I've had the cloudy pink one a couple of times, really nice
and the yuzu with soda water :D
I've noticed the variety going up a lot in the last 2 or so years
In the end, the alcohol had different effects: the gentleman became more serious and silent and the lady more cheerful and talkative. ❤
Scared the person on the background at 11:06 😅
Thank you for this great video. Hakutsuru (the World's largest sake maker) is my favorite bulk sake. I like the blue bottle shown best versus $
I only tried sake once, and it was very strong. I’d been expecting something like wine, but it was more like beer or liquor, which I didn’t like. Seeing the wide variety of sake, I might give it another try if the right bottle is offered.
Try the nigori sake (the cloudy, unfiltered type). It has a sweeter, more unique flavor than the stronger versions; to be honest, I think soju (Korea's version of "sake," essentially) is easier to drink than "normal" sake.
We dont have sake sold in my country. The first time I tried some was in a Japanese culture club where someone imported it from Japan. I can definitely see how someone could get drunk from it very quickly, cause its deceptively mild in its alcoholness when you drink it, you dont feel like you are drinking an alcoholic drink.
It's just... wine.
Some of it is *slightly* more alcoholic (17%) than wine (11-14%), but I'm always staggered at the big deal people make about this very normal level of alcohol. Especially since sake (outside of Japan) comes in these tiny bottles that are, at best, half the size of a wine bottle. (typically 375ml vs 750ml)
@@brianlynchehaun7079 I would more associate it with fruit or honey based spirits, but less antiseptic towards your throat. Far more sweet than wine (which to me also had that bitterness on top of the sweetness of the grapes).
@@Bionickpunk the comparison to wine was purely about the alcohol content. That said, however, wine varies in sweetness just as sake does.
Spirits are usually 30-40% alcohol content, as they are distilled not merely fermented.
Hello from the UK yes I did know there was sparkling saki because I bought some in sainsbury which is a big supermarket one of the top ones in the UK, I have bought a bottle of saki to have for christmas I don't tend to buy it much as its expensive but its a treat and I thought I would have it with the salmon I will be having, I bought that bottle from a high street supermarket too. 10 years ago I would have had to find a asian supermarket to buy it, we don't get many brands here but its certainly easier to find a saki of some type in just normal shops then it used to be.
Good report and impressions!
Yup, there’s the difference between drinking and sipping, which I learned when I reached my middle age.
As a vegan, I no longer eat fish, but I remember the terrible after taste when I had raw fish and white wine to wash it down with. I think sake or shochu is the best to go with Japanese cuisine. Even here in NZ, sake has become easily available in stores or online.
In Bulgaria we drink "Rakia", it's strong, sometimes up to 50 - 70 degrees and usualy the ones who drink it are drunks!
When you were at Hakatsuru, I have to agree with her about the Sayuri Nigori. It's way to easy to drink. I feel like she would like Itami Onigoroshi.
It's fun to see the slow gradual inebriation of Akko-san throughout the video 😅
I like that Hakutsuru in the thumbnail (白鶴 特別純米酒 山田錦）.
Make it atsukan and it tastes great.
And it only costs 900 yen.
Locally we've several locations where you can get locally produced elderberry wines. Along with that we've a lot of local breweries that produce several varieties of wheat infused beer.
Awesome Video! I learned so much!
I was never into sake. In the past few years I'm more into shochu. It's ridiculously cheaper and, for me at least, there are more varieties of taste. Love having it お湯割り(mixed with hot water)
Craft sake breweries are growing in the US. There is even shochu now.
I'm from Norway where aquavit (akevitt) is what people drink on special occasions.
Today I learned that Japan has an alcoholism rate of only* around 6%. For a nation with such a diverse history of alcoholic beverages, pretty pleasantly surprised about that!
They ether not drink much or get stoned. You should see some of those Shibuya meltdowns where people get absolutely hammered from alcohol.
日本酒が大好き❤
I think sake is the best and healthiest alcohol Ive tried around the world. It has several properties that does make it less impactful to the body compared to other alcohols, its a very clean spirit.
Greg, you didn't shoot this in just one day, did you? Glad Akko is getting good screen time--she's really fun to watch!
It was 2 days I believe. Could have been 3.
@@LifeWhereImFrom Well hopefully you had someone else drive you guys home 😄
Eastern Austria here: As we are wine land and produce and export highest quality of wine we drink of course wine. But also the consumption of beer is common.
Oh man.
The best sake bar I have ever been to is Fuji-ya in Narit (of all places).
Super nice environment and the selection was great as was the staff.
Need to go back there soon I guess.
Now I'm curious to find out what brands and types of sake I can find here in the midwest. Great video!
The shapes of the cups and how it affects taste is just like how beer tastes different in different glasses. Less so wine apparently.
Nice documentary I really enjoyed it. I just read an article in The JapanTimes Alpha edition on craft Whiskey makers in Japan. The oldest Yamazki distillery is turning 100 this year.
I just started studying bartending in Japan and had known there were many varieties, but I had no idea about how many.
Sake is so good. I’m glad its imported and available in my local liquor stores
That must've been a tough day sampling all of that sake. 🤣
Please note that 酒 (sake) means “alcoholic beverage” in Japanese, so beer, wine, champagne etc. are all 酒 (sake). The drink we call sake in the west is called 日本酒 (nihonshu) in Japan.
Greg got drunk in the end 😅
I like this topic since i am new and would like to start trying amazake that is light and fruity. Thanks and make more of this. Plus im going this december 2023
Very educational, thanks for the great content. Recently I visited Tequila and had a great tour of tequila making process.
In Germany for a long time we had and still have "bitters" (I guess that could be the correct translation) made from differend herbs and as the name says its bitter.
Its usually drunken after a heavy meal to relax the stomache and take some "pain" if you had to much food ;)
So cool, thank you for the video
Like always, this a pretty good summary. Everyone who wants to get a even deeper understanding and an emotional Connection to sake I highly recommend to Check the documentary ,, the Birth of sake".
You wont get any closer to the people who spent their life to produce Sake. Quiet literally.
Just watch it. You wont forget about it.
Thanks! 🙏
Loved the video. I’m from Belgium and I mostly drink whiskey but I also like sake. Nice videos, please keep making them. 👍
Do you like/regularly drink makgeolli in Japan? Maybe you have your own version that can be made at home with rice? I can't find any listing for the Hakutsuru Kurazake bottle in France ^^
I'm doing my part (living in Japan). As I grow older, I find the fizz in beer and highball less and less enjoyable, which has led me to drink more sake, wine, and straight spirits. Sake really is great, I wish more people would drink it domestically.
@10.25 this is the brand of sake I buy in Australia (very nice!)
They sell umeshu at my local store and I was turned off by how sweet it was. I didn't know most people drank it with a mixer! I'll definitely try it with soda water next time to see if I like it better. I usually like drier things lol
Lovely sake warm in the fall and winter time~☆ Cold, or with ice in summer, i lile also fruity ones ume, momo, sakura, kyoho grapes, mango, white peach. Also umeshu with ice😊❤
It's hope younger people learn to like sake 🍶 I was just in Japan and sampled 10 different ones. I really appreciate it and like it now! I
Nah in Japan that stuff for old people just like whisky/scotch is for those in the US.
I've always enjoyed sake when I eat at a Japanese restaurant. I'll try to be more discerning now.
Sho Chiku Bai,, I had to order it from the only liquor store in my tiny county in Kansas,, Made in Nor Cal,, Junmai, 15%,, drink it warm.. yum 10 bucks a bottle,, bargain.. loved Your show for years, Greg,, thanks Joe in Kansas
Gotta love sake!
I actually recognised a few of the drinks on there, they’re pretty good!
The tip on bubbling the sake to get more of the flavor is very much like how you're supposed to treat the wine in wine tasting. It would be interesting to know if the methods of sake tasting are recorded and go back to earlier than the Meiji Restoration, before Japan got a lot of European influences.
I'm a foreigner living in Japan, and my drink of choice is sake / nihonshu. A bit saddened to hear the sales here have gone down but honestly there's so much sake its not noticeable. At least sales are up overseas.
the yeast in most alcoholic beverages is very present if you are aware of it. But, with mold it's not. And that I prefer.
I don't drink but it was an interesting video. I like seeing her reaction by the end "what was I doing with my life?" LOL
Thanks for this informative video.
A huge problem is that many people from the younger generations do not drink Sake anymore in Japan. I have a lot of Japanese friends aged between 20 and 40 in Japan and every time we hang out, everyone wants to drink beer or highball as a cooler option because it seems drinking Sake is no longer cool. My first job was in a Japanese upscale restaurant in 2013 and they used to import about 1000 bottles a year from Japan. Today they import about 10000 bottles and sell them beyond the restaurant. Everyone seems to be becoming Japanafied or whatever the term is like "cool Japan" which is leading to everyone consuming Japanese culture overseas. We are just cherry-picking all the cool parts about Japan.
I don't think anyone should romanticize a whole country or culture based on a few characteristics, but I can't really see the problem in adopting just the cool parts.
That's how it goes with foreign stuff in general, not just Japan. Of course people are going to focus on the things that stick out about a people or place.
@@C4chorroSa1sicha Oh yea I see no problem which is why I was saying why Sake is more popular outside of Japan now. This also helps breweries survive which might not have by only focusing on the local clientele.
@@MoreEvilThanYahweh I am no definitely no different. I have taken all the things I like and ignored all the 'dark' aspects of Japan.
Im on a sake journey. I love experiencing new drinks.
The title was complete clickbait but the content was still good.
This is why I drink sake in small bottles, so I can try many different types with my meal, fruits and nuts.
Did y'all do the Nada-Gogo sake brewery stamp rally?
moving subtitles up a row would allow 21:9 cropped fullscreen to work for ultrawide people
Man, if only I could actually buy sake in my area.
Where do you even live lol? I've been in bumfuck nowhere New Zealand before and still found Sake
@@Amaling Beat me to it. I seen that in every Boozebin I every been in the US
9:36 I was very surprised to see Californian rice! I thought Japan was very strict about protecting farmers by preventing agricultural imports
While it is not commonly sold for home consumption, California rice is still popular for industrial/commercial use! Some Californian growers even specifically grow Japanese short-grain breeds for export to Japan.
omg I just learned about taiso this week and thenI watch this video and they're doing it! so funny
I buy that pink sake and it amazing especially at the price point
You have to admire Greg's dedication to his viewers by sampling so many different varieties of sake. You can see how he really sacrificed himself for his viewers. You just hope they both had a designated driver who was sober.
Well, admiration should be given to his wife.
The one in the translucent blue bottle is sold where I live. Very tasty. The alcohol sneaks up on you.
Gather up all of the crew...
Its time we share our bink's brew..🎵💀🍺🎻
Lol the taste testers should do their own series
You haven’t mention it, but I believe your Japanese speaking and comprehension has improved? If so, congrats’s on learning a very difficult language! Nice job of helping us obtain a better understanding of sake.
4:39 or else you ferment along with the rice 😂😂😂😂
his jpanesse pronounce is quite adorable
Thanks for your Incredible topics. Greg, please be informed that Niigata Sake Camp 2024 will finally occur on March 9 ＆10. Sake lovers around the country started booking ballet trans to the venue. Reserve yours ASAP. I'd like like to join the crowd
This video gave me a hangover! Looks fun, but chotto abunai.