Located at 374 Honmachi, Yame City, Fukuoka Prefecture, Kitaya was established in 1820 (in the 3rd year of the Bunsei era). The name "Kitaya" was chosen to convey the desire to spread joy through sake when the business was founded. The founder, Soichi, passed on the main business of a rice merchant to his younger brother and started the sake brewing business, which now has a history of about 200 years. Just a 5-minute drive from Yame IC on the Kyushu Expressway, or a 2-minute walk from the Yabara-machi bus stop on the Horikawa bus from Hainuzuka Station on the JR line. Open from 9:00 to 17:30, closed on weekends and holidays. Yame City is located in the southern part of the Chikushi Plain, the granary of Kyushu, a land of natural beauty mentioned in the Nihon Shoki. In the southeast, the mountains overlap, with Yame tea fields and rural landscapes spreading out. The clear stream Yabe River, originating from Mt. Shakagatake and Mt. Gozendake, flows, and Kitaya uses this underground water for brewing. Kitaya is the second stop in Yame, and we visited there. The Yame Fukushima area along the highway from Kurume to Bungo is visited for the first time. The townhouses along the highway are lined with merchant-type houses to the east and artisan-type houses to the west for almost half a mile. The houses are built in a style with a wife's room and a plastered large wall. The short strip-shaped land division retains the original form of the castle town to this day. Kitaya's office building has a white wall that blends in with the houses in Yame Fukushima. Posters from Yame City with the above words were also posted. When you open the sliding door at the entrance, a passage leads to the brewing warehouse. On a quiet weekday morning, when we entered the store, a staff member came out and explained the displayed products. Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, tasting and brewery tours are not available. We purchased three 720ml bottles. I chose the representative sake from Kitaya, while my family chose two varieties of the limited distribution product, Aota. - Daiginjo "Gokujou Kitaya" 720ml for 4300 yen (excluding tax) Made from Yamada Nishiki rice from Itoshima. Polishing ratio of 35%. Alcohol content of 16-17%. A representative sake from Kitaya. Limited edition cold-brewed sake. Luxurious drop-pressed. Comes in a gift box. Awarded the "Champion Sake" in the sake category of the IWC 2013 with 583 brands. Elegant and gorgeous aroma. A rich and transparent taste. When you put it in your mouth, it is soft and smooth. Hmm, delicious! You can feel the passion for sake brewing. The exquisite aftertaste is outstanding, even among Kitaya's many products. Enjoy it chilled or at room temperature. The 1.8L bottle is 10,000 yen (excluding tax). It is used on the JR Kyushu Cruise Train "Nanatsuboshi in Kyushu." The original bottle of the 300ml size was not for sale in the store. - Junmai Ginjo "Aota" 720ml for 1500 yen (excluding tax) A limited distribution product, the blue-labeled Aota series. Made from Yamada Nishiki rice. Polishing ratio of 55%. Alcohol content of 15-16%. Fermented slowly at low temperatures, it has a fruity aroma and a sharp flavor, making it a dry junmai ginjo. It complements delicate dishes and fish dishes such as sashimi and sushi. Enjoy it chilled or at room temperature. The 1.8L bottle is 3,000 yen (excluding tax). - Honjozo "Aota" 720ml for 1070 yen (excluding tax) A limited distribution product, the red-labeled Aota series. Made from Yamada Nishiki rice. Polishing ratio of 65%. Alcohol content of 15-16%. Awarded the Fukuoka Trophy in the Honjozo category at the IWC 2014. Fermented slowly at low temperatures using Yamada Nishiki and ginjo yeast. Despite a polishing ratio of 65%, it is essentially a ginjo-style sake. A fruity and sharp light taste. It goes well with a wide range of dishes, from delicate to rich flavors. Enjoy it chilled or at room temperature. The 1.8L bottle is 2,200 yen (excluding tax). Kitaya Co., Ltd. For sake, it's Kitaya (Kitaya) and Kansansui (Kansansui). For shochu, it's Gokou (mugi) and Jinkou (imo), well-known brands. Kitaya has won the world's best Champion Sake award. I wonder what the reason is for the world's best brand to be born. I was curious about it after watching the interview video of President Kinoshita.

Last year's discovery! Visiting a sake brewery is also fun♪ While wine and beer are great, this time it's about Japanese sake. I don't usually drink it much, but this time I splurged on a bottle that you don't often see in liquor stores. It's said to be served on the JR Kyushu Seven Stars train? Even the employees at the brewery can't buy it! The taste is refreshing and goes down smoothly into the stomach... Be careful not to drink too much!

When it comes to Yame, known for tea, as a Kanto person, I have the image of tea. However, rice culture exists throughout Japan, and here is also the production area for sake and shochu. But of course, the taste of rice changes depending on the water. The impression of those who drink it is "refreshing and delicious", but (^o^) you should try it yourself.

Received a valuable gift from a reviewer living in Fukuoka, Part 1. On November 3rd at 5:40 pm, I received an email saying, "Can you make time on Saturday the 5th in the morning? I have something to give you." Unfortunately, I had prior plans, so I politely declined. The next day, I received an email from my sibling saying, "I'm meeting with a friend tomorrow. I'll also take the souvenir from our sibling." Excitedly, my sibling brought the gift. We enjoyed it together that night with another item we received. It was a Japanese sake called "Daiginjo Kitaya." I took a sip and it flowed smoothly like a stream, refreshing and delightful. It paired well with the evening, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. Thank you for the wonderful gift.

Here is another excellent item I received from my fellow reviewer, Binbo Rider. After returning from work, it's time to enjoy it! First, I'll disinfect my mouth with beer. I pour it with a "tok tok tok" and drink it. It has a very easy-to-drink taste, very delicious. I don't drink sake much like someone else, so I'm not very knowledgeable about it, but the taste is good! Surprisingly, even my mom wanted to drink, so I said, "Just one glass." I poured her a glass and she enjoyed it. I asked for a refill because it was so good, but my dad said, "I said just one glass." He poured me a second glass anyway. We savored it carefully, so it lasted us 4 days! Thank you, Binbo Rider.