EnglishEnglish BBS
書き込み数 11
ALC（財） 京都1日本語センター 日本語学校 玉柏 尚子 （たまかしなおこ）
Winter is the season when a cup of sake really
hits the spot. Also known in Japan as Nihon-shu
(literally, Japanese liquor), sake can be enjoyed
at room temperature, but when cold weather sets
in, nothing beats kanzake, or sake that has been
warmed to somewhere between 40° and 50°C.
This delightful beverage helps to thaw out your
chilled body from the inside.
This month, I’m taking you on a trip to Fushimi,
a town in Kyoto Prefecture that is renowned
for its sake. A roughly 20-minute train ride from
downtown Kyoto City brings us to Fushimi, where
we step out of the station and start strolling
through a shopping district. Next, we enter a
narrow side street that immediately leads us to
Japanese-style pubs and other establishments.
●Sake, from A to Z
Sake is brewed from water, rice, and kooji,
which is roasted rice that has been fermented
with a mold called kooji-kabi. From this sparse
set of ingredients is produced a diverse array of
flavors and aromas–sake with a smooth, waterlike
texture, viscous sake, sweet sake, dry sake,
slightly effervescent sake, cloudy white sake, sake
with a fruity bouquet, and even sake that smells
like freshly steamed rice. Sake that has been
aged for one or two decades is highly reminiscent
of laojiu, or Chinese rice wine. Some liquor shops
and pubs in Fushimi offer kikizake samplers,
which allow the customer to try out several
different types of brews to discover the distinctive
color, fragrance, and taste of each. Why not give
these “starter kits” a try? Just be sure not to drink
too much!
●Once breweries, now pubs
If you want to check out a pub in Fushimi,
I r e c omme n d t h a t y o u v i s i t o n e o f t h e
establishments that have been converted from a
sake brewery. Their spacious interior, with a high
ceiling, massive wooden pillars, and white walls,
will make you feel that you’re sneaking drinks
of sake inside an actual brewery. These popular
watering holes include many young adults among
their clientele.
Some shops in Fushimi sell all sorts of products
made from sake or the lees left over from filtering,
including ice cream, bean-jam buns, cake, jelly,
candy, and ramen broth. Sake is said to be
good for one’s complexion, so you’ll also find
cosmetics, bath powder, and other skincare items
that contain sake. If you enjoy the aroma of sake,
then you will be in heaven when you use such
products as these. If you don’t drink, ask the
storekeeper to show you some of the sake-based
goods that are not intoxicating.
●A nighttime stroll through Fushimi
Now that you’ve had your fill of food and sake, let’s
take a walk through Fushimi. The street lined
with breweries makes for a mesmerizing scene,
especially at night, when the brewery buildings
seem to float into view out of the enveloping
darkness. Unlike downtown Kyoto, this district
is a quiet, less populated area. The frigid winter
air feels bracingly good as it presses against the
sake-fueled heat of your body. Let’s now head
toward the riverside area, where those of you with
penchant for history might feel like a samurai as
you stroll along the rows of antiquated buildings.
The students of some Japanese language
schools in Kyoto make field trips to Fushimi (not
at night, unfortunately), where they do things like
visit sake breweries or take boat excursions. This
popular destination also offers quick access by
train to Fushimi Inari and Uji, so be sure to join
your school’s next outing to Fushimi!
Winter is the season when a cup of sake really
hits the spot. Also known in Japan as Nihon-shu
(literally, Japanese liquor), sake can be enjoyed
at room temperature, but when cold weather sets
in, nothing beats kanzake, or sake that has been
warmed to somewhere between 40° and 50°C.
This delightful beverage helps to thaw out your
chilled body from the inside.
This month, I’m taking you on a trip to Fushimi,
a town in Kyoto Prefecture that is renowned
for its sake. A roughly 20-minute train ride from
downtown Kyoto City brings us to Fushimi, where
we step out of the station and start strolling
through a shopping district. Next, we enter a
narrow side street that immediately leads us to
Japanese-style pubs and other establishments.
●Sake, from A to Z
Sake is brewed from water, rice, and kooji,
which is roasted rice that has been fermented
with a mold called kooji-kabi. From this sparse
set of ingredients is produced a diverse array of
flavors and aromas–sake with a smooth, waterlike
texture, viscous sake, sweet sake, dry sake,
slightly effervescent sake, cloudy white sake, sake
with a fruity bouquet, and even sake that smells
like freshly steamed rice. Sake that has been
aged for one or two decades is highly reminiscent
of laojiu, or Chinese rice wine. Some liquor shops
and pubs in Fushimi offer kikizake samplers,
which allow the customer to try out several
different types of brews to discover the distinctive
color, fragrance, and taste of each. Why not give
these “starter kits” a try? Just be sure not to drink
too much!
●Once breweries, now pubs
If you want to check out a pub in Fushimi,
I r e c omme n d t h a t y o u v i s i t o n e o f t h e
establishments that have been converted from a
sake brewery. Their spacious interior, with a high
ceiling, massive wooden pillars, and white walls,
will make you feel that you’re sneaking drinks
of sake inside an actual brewery. These popular
watering holes include many young adults among
their clientele.
Some shops in Fushimi sell all sorts of products
made from sake or the lees left over from filtering,
including ice cream, bean-jam buns, cake, jelly,
candy, and ramen broth. Sake is said to be
good for one’s complexion, so you’ll also find
cosmetics, bath powder, and other skincare items
that contain sake. If you enjoy the aroma of sake,
then you will be in heaven when you use such
products as these. If you don’t drink, ask the
storekeeper to show you some of the sake-based
goods that are not intoxicating.
●A nighttime stroll through Fushimi
Now that you’ve had your fill of food and sake, let’s
take a walk through Fushimi. The street lined
with breweries makes for a mesmerizing scene,
especially at night, when the brewery buildings
seem to float into view out of the enveloping
darkness. Unlike downtown Kyoto, this district
is a quiet, less populated area. The frigid winter
air feels bracingly good as it presses against the
sake-fueled heat of your body. Let’s now head
toward the riverside area, where those of you with
penchant for history might feel like a samurai as
you stroll along the rows of antiquated buildings.
The students of some Japanese language
schools in Kyoto make field trips to Fushimi (not
at night, unfortunately), where they do things like
visit sake breweries or take boat excursions. This
popular destination also offers quick access by
train to Fushimi Inari and Uji, so be sure to join
your school’s next outing to Fushimi!
