【Communication from the locals】A trip to taste Hida's local sake produced by pure water (Hida City, Gifu Prefecture)
The new series "Good Travel ⇌ Communication from the Locals" begins. The first time was in Hida City, Gifu Prefecture, which was familiar this year. A contribution by Mr. Ishihara, a city employee, has arrived.
On the one hand, it is a small and cute town, but on the other hand, it is a deep sake bar, and there are sake breweries, festivals, and drinking customs. Please read it and go to Hida. The editor's longing is in the middle of winter, but if you wait for the snow to melt, there will be a grand festival in April. (Photo: Shirakabe Dozo Street and Seto River "Snow New Year")
Pure water nurtured from broad-leaved forests, which occupy 70% of the city's area. Japan sake from Hida City, brewed with its pure water, is a gem that you should definitely taste.
In order to visit the site and enjoy Hida City's Japan sake more deeply, we will introduce the local rules related to sake unique to Hida and the recommended course to fully enjoy the local sake of Hida Furukawa.
Gifu Prefecture is located in the middle of Japan. The city of Hida is located in the northernmost part of the city.
About 93% of the area of Hida City, which is deep in the mountains surrounded by the Northern Alps, is covered with forests, and more than 70% of it is occupied by broad-leaved trees such as beech and mizunara.
In preparation for a long, harsh winter, hardwoods shed their leaves en masse in the fall. Fallen leaves are decomposed by microorganisms and become mulch, and the nutrient-rich pure water is poured from the river to the sea with rain. The photo below shows the view overlooking the Furukawa Basin from Mt. Anho. If you look at the mountains from here, you can see the valleys of the mountains, which is said to be the origin of "Hida", in the folds of the clothes. It takes about 1 hour to walk to the summit. It's one of my favorite hiking trails.
Pure water is the source of our rich food culture, such as Hida beef, which grows by drinking about 20 liters of water a day, Ayu from the clear Miyagawa River, which is recognized by legends in the ayu fishing world, and Hida rice, which has been awarded the best in Japan. With winter just around the corner, "Japan sake" is a gem that you should definitely try.
In Hida City, there are three long-established sake breweries. Founded in the first year of Honaga, there is the Kama Sake Brewery, which has a history of more than 300 years, the Watanabe Sake Brewery, which has won the first place in the world sake brewery ranking, and the Otsubo Sake Brewery, which has two major signs: the sweet and firm "Hida Musume" and the dry and crisp "Jindai".
If you ask, "Which one do you want?"
Here are some unique habits related to alcohol that you should keep in mind when enjoying alcohol in Hida City.
If you order Japan sake at an izakaya in Hida Furukawa and ask, "Which one do you want?", it is the representative brands of the two sake breweries in Hida Furukawa, respectively, "Shira Mayumi (Kama Sake Brewery)" and "Horai (Watanabe Sake Brewery)". The two sake breweries are located side by side across the road, but the taste is completely different, so you may want to visit each brewery during the day and decide on your preference. By the way, Hida people like to drink hot water even in summer. Among them, the hottest candle is called "Shinshuji 燗" by the locals. This is due to the fact that the priest of Shinshuji, a temple along the Arajo River called Shinshuji Temple, several generations ago, liked to drink so hot that he couldn't hold it with his bare hands.
If you can ask for "Shinshuji Temple!", you will join the local ranks at once!
If you hear a large chorus from the seat next to you in the izakaya, it is a celebratory song called "Medeta" sung at banquets in the Hida region. In Hida Furukawa, it is called "Wakamatsu-sama", and in Hida Kamioka, it is called "Minato".
Wakamatsu-sama sung in Hida Furukawa is followed by a cheerful folk song called "Zenze no Komanma no Ko". Following the lead, everyone sings. The lyrics are up to 100 or not.
If you get congratulated, it's a rude lecture. You can get up from your seat and go to pour a drink.
At the banquet in Hida, please note that it is a violation of etiquette to stand up to pour sake before the celebration comes out.
10,000 bottles of sake are dedicated to the Furukawa Festival
Japan sake and festivals are inseparable. In Hida City, a festival called "Furukawa Matsuri" is held on April 19 and 20 every year. The Furukawa Festival is an annual festival at the Keta Wakamiya Shrine, which is registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, and is characterized by the "food stall event" of Shizuru and the "Kishi Taiko" of Dodo.
It is such an important festival for people that some people say, "I spend a year for the festival!"
Japan sake also plays an important role in the Furukawa Festival. In the Hida region, there is a custom of offering sake at milestones such as celebrations and ceremonial ceremonies, and it is said that about 10,000 bottles of sake are offered on both days of the Furukawa Festival alone.
In April, when the weather is still so cold that snow may flicker depending on the year, Japan sake warms the bodies of naked men and enhances their sense of unity.
Furukawa Festival in early spring April
The photo shows the 2022 Furukawa Festival. The Furukawa Festival was held for the first time in three years. After all, I felt that the festival is the pride of the people of the town.
If it is difficult to go to Hida City to coincide with the Furukawa Festival, but you want to enjoy the atmosphere of the festival, please stop by the "Hida Furukawa Festival Hall".
The 20-minute 4K video of the Furukawa Festival is a must-see. I've seen the video dozens of times, and every time I see it, I'm so moved that I almost cry.
Three stalls that are actually used at the festival are always on display, and you can see the decorations and carvings of traditional crafts in detail up close.
There is also a corner where you can try the acrobatics "Tonbo" and take a commemorative photo as if you were a festival man, and a corner where you can offer sake in your name.
Model course to taste Hida's local sake
If you have read the article so far and want to drink Japan sake in Hida City, here are some recommended courses to fully enjoy Hida Furukawa's local sake.
First of all, take the limited express Hida to Hida Furukawa Station. From July 2022, JR Central's first new train using the hybrid system has debuted, so if the timing is right, you may be able to meet a new vehicle. The town of Hida Furukawa is compact, so you can walk around Hida Furukawa Station as a base.
First of all, a 5-minute walk from Hida Furukawa Station, go to "Fukuzenji Soba" in the festival square. First of all, let's eat soba noodles for a meal. At first, you can taste the original taste of soba noodles with only soba noodles without adding sauce, and then add salt and wasabi to taste the sweetness of soba noodles. After that, you can soak it in the sauce and enjoy it through your throat, and at the end, sprinkle sake on the soba noodles and eat it, which is the Fukuzenji soba style. It's also good to enjoy local sake with tempura as a snack.
Next, it's time to go to the sake brewery. First of all, go to "Watanabe Sake Brewery". The sake is brewed mainly with underground water pumped from wells and the sake rice "Hidahomare" represented by Hida, and is widely known nationwide for its unique name, label, and packaging. You can also try it, so try to find your favorite one.
Next, we went to the liquor store "Goto Sake Store" across the street from Watanabe Sake Brewery. Here you can find all the local sake of Hida Furukawa, and also sell selected sake from the Hida region, including Hida Takayama and Gero Onsen. If there are so many that you can't decide which one to buy, ask the staff of alcohol specialists. They will introduce you to recommended liquors according to your taste.
If you immerse yourself in the mood for Hida's sake, you can have a special experience that can only be done in Hida City. Hida City, which is rich in nature, is a truly natural medicine box where about 250 kinds of medicinal herbs grow naturally. For nearly 10 years, the city has been working on urban development that utilizes medicinal herbs as a local resource. You can see, know, and experience the charm of Hida's medicinal herbs at "Hidamori no Megumi".
There are several types of workshops available, but this time let's try to make kudzu flower pills, which are said to have been used by Mito Huangmon. Kudzu has beautiful purple flowers and a sweet scent like grape. In the summer, some locals collect a year's worth of kudzu flowers and have them powdered at Megumi in Hidamori, which they always keep on hand.
Then we went to another sake brewery, "Kama Sake Brewery". A sake brewery with a history of more than 300 years. They make the crisp taste of Japan sake "Haku Mayumi", and the sake name "Haku Mayumi" is derived from the pillow word "Hida". In order to make use of dairy products that have nowhere to go due to the closure of schools due to the Corona disaster, the yogurt sake that we collaborated with the local milk shop "Makiseisha" is a local liqueur born in Hida that you can't help but drink too much.
Let's take a short walk here and refresh yourself while feeling the breeze of the Hida Furukawa River.
Behind the two sake brewery buildings is the iconic scenery of the Hida Furukawa River, the Seto River and the Shirakabe Dozo. As many as 1,000 colorful carp swim in the Seto River from spring to autumn. The quiet monochrome world of winter is also recommended.
A light drink in front of the tavern. Opened in April 2022, Hida City's first craft beer brewery, Hidano Oku Brewery, offers six types of craft beer at any time in the taproom. If you want to try different types of beer, you can enjoy the difference in taste with a drinking comparison set that allows you to choose from four types of beer. The store is closed irregularly, so please check on SNS before visiting. Also, please note that the shops blend in with the townhouses, and if you are careless, you may overlook them.
Finally, please enjoy local sake to your heart's content at the izakaya around Hida Furukawa Station! One of the best local dishes to go with Hida's local sake is pickled steak (commonly known as pickled steak). It is a dish in which pickles are grilled on a griddle and eaten with eggs. The taste differs depending on the restaurant, so please compare them. By the way, it is our style to fry pickles in sesame oil in a steak dish, add canned tuna for a little luxury, and top it with an egg.
The area around Hida Furukawa Station is lined with izakaya and snacks. If you look into the shop at night, if you're lucky, you may even encounter a large chorus of Wakamatsu-sama from the Hida people. Please take a trip to taste Hida's local sake produced by the pure water!
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Text: Reina Ishihara (Hida City Hall, Town Planning and Tourism Division) |
