"After a tour of Otokoyama Sake Brewery, board an oyster fishing boat to retrieve the local Japanese sake that sleeps in the sea of Kesennuma!"
Otokoyama Sake Brewery, located in the port town of Kesennuma, is the first sake brewery to age sake underwater. After experimenting for years, they found that the nihonshu they stored in the sea, at a depth of about 15 meters, had the perfect balance after fermenting for 6-12 months. Each time the sake is collected, they find that there are subtle variations in its flavor, and they speculate that the gradual change in water temperature and wave fluctuations may affect the taste of the sake. Few people get to taste this rare type of aged sake, and there’s a sense of excitement surrounding the retrieval of each batch.
This unforgettable sake storage expedition begins at the Otokoyama Main Store. After a tour of the brewery, the sake bottles are prepared for storage. Each participant prepares a bottle and a written message for the next retrieval crew. Then, the group sets off on their sake voyage, boarding a local fisherman’s boat and sailing past the oyster farms.
Taste the salty air as seagulls swoop and circle in the sky, eager to catch stray rice crackers tossed by the boat’s passengers. After the last group’s batch of underwater-fermented sake is hauled up, and the new batch is stored, the boat returns and the celebrations commence at Otokoyama Main Store. Back on land, crack open a bottle of aged and fermented sake to share with the group, and enjoy a catered meal of Kesennuma specialties!
This unforgettable sake storage expedition begins at the Otokoyama Main Store. After a tour of the brewery, the sake bottles are prepared for storage. Each participant prepares a bottle and a written message for the next retrieval crew. Then, the group sets off on their sake voyage, boarding a local fisherman’s boat and sailing past the oyster farms.
Taste the salty air as seagulls swoop and circle in the sky, eager to catch stray rice crackers tossed by the boat’s passengers. After the last group’s batch of underwater-fermented sake is hauled up, and the new batch is stored, the boat returns and the celebrations commence at Otokoyama Main Store. Back on land, crack open a bottle of aged and fermented sake to share with the group, and enjoy a catered meal of Kesennuma specialties!
Highlights
- Guided tour of the Otokoyama Sake Brewery
- Prepare a fresh bottle of sake for storage, attaching a note for the next retrieval group
- Sail across a local oyster farm on a fishing boat and haul up the previous batch of sake
- Return to shore for a sake tasting of both fresh and underwater aged sake
- Celebrate during a catered party, drinking and enjoying dishes local to Kesennuma
Inclusions
- Sake brewery tour
- Transportation between the sake brewery and the sake retrieval location
- Catered after-party and Japanese sake tasting at Otokoyama Main Store
- Souvenir: a small bottle of sake and ochoko (sake cup)
