Culture 101: Sake brewery

This is a sake brewery.
It has been around for many centuries (according to the box label, 1690), making some really yummy stuff.

What I think I've learned from the tour is that:
1) The taste of sake is influenced by the type of rice used, how polished the rice is, and the water used. The more polished the rice is, the less remains of the rice (i.e. only the best bits of the rice remains), leading to a higher grade of sake.
2) Sake, unlike wine, is not aged. It is meant to be drunk as soon as purchased.
3) Sake is not meant to be aerated (i.e. do not slurp it like wine)

Anyway, this brewery's signature is a sake known as "Ieyasu".
How does it taste? Gorgeous. Buy it and try it for yourself.




















Now you might be thinking, why is this post in the "Culture 101" section of this blog?
As explained above, the quality of sake is largely influenced by the quality of the water used, and each brewery is rightly proud of its own water source.

So much so, there is typically a little fountain of water on display, such as this one located at the entrance to the brewery's shop.

What I have learned is that it is perfectly acceptable to drink this water.
What is probably not acceptable is to use the cup placed at the fountain as a drinking vassal. I found this out when my Japanese tour guide happily passed this cup around saying "You must try this, drink, drink", at which point the younger shop staff froze in terror as her more senior counterpart ran towards us with a few plastic cups in hand.

Culture 101: always ask the brewery staff before using the cup at the fountain.