After finishing work, the drinking enthusiasts went to Temma. They first went to "Sensaiya", then to "Yao Kamaboko", and finally arrived at "Keishuzo Marugoyamanaka". Here, they enjoyed the "Choi Nomisetsu" set (980 yen), which included a sake and appetizer assortment. They chose Mukago salt-boiled as the side dish. The sake was Ten Asahi. The appetizer assortment included Kaki Pons, Kaihou Take Umami Simmered, Smoked Cheese, Black Edamame, Quail Egg Soy Sauce Pickled, and Shirasu. They also had a variety of sake such as Taketsuru (warm), Shirakawa, Kameizumi, Furou Izumi (warm), and Shonan Sparkling. It was a fun and enjoyable night of drinking.

I happened to stop by Temma, but it would be a waste to return to Hiroshima after visiting just one place. So...I wandered aimlessly through the drinking alley parallel to the Tenjinbashi-suji shopping street. There are many interesting shops, but I spotted a small standing bar called "Keishuzenraku Yamanaka," which seems to specialize in Japanese sake. It's funny how they have a sign saying "No beer available." The shop is a small L-shaped standing bar counter that can accommodate only five people. When I entered, there were already four customers, but two of them were leaving after paying, so there were only three of us left. The owner is a woman in her twenties (probably), and there seems to be a regular customer who comes for her (I assume). As they claim to specialize in Japanese sake, there are about 20 bottles of 1.8 liters displayed in front of the fridge. The menu shows a variety of sake from the Chugoku region. The female owner mentioned, "I like them," as the reason for the selection. I chose "Oroku," which is quite expensive if you buy it yourself, from Shimane Prefecture, a sake brewery known for its commitment to all unfiltered products. I selected the "Ultra Oroku" from the four types of Oroku lined up in front of me. It has a strong taste typical of Oroku. For snacks, I chose "Shredded cod roe and cheese" because I had a good impression of the cod roe I ate in a dish recently. It is a mixture of shredded cod roe and diced solid cheese mixed with cream cheese. It has a unique taste that goes well with sake. However, the normal cod roe with bonito flakes served during New Year's may be more delicious. The total cost was 980 yen. It's a perfect place to stop by in the middle of a drinking session.

A town where you can start drinking early. I think Tenma is amazing, just like Minami. However, I don't really understand Tenma. In the midst of being a complete outsider, I want to call on the residents of Minami Osaka and start exploring to reduce the feeling of being an outsider. I was drinking beer while harvesting rice early in the morning, so I decided to challenge a sake shop right away! It's Sunday, so there are quite a few closed shops, but the ones that are open are quite busy. This shop is bright and clean inside. It is run by women. We toasted with sparkling sake and moved on to Ujigane. The dried halfbeak fish is a great accompaniment. The sweet Tanba black edamame is also delicious. I got a bit tipsy, so I decided that standing and drinking makes you get drunk more easily. Next, I'll search for a Western-style restaurant and walk around the town.

Third stop on the Tenma Bar Crawl, following Stand Was and Boogie Woogie Oracle Berry, is here. This is a new store in the Yamanaka Saketen series located in Nihonbashi. Arrived at the store around 16:40. The store is about a 10-minute walk from Tenma Station, on the main street on the west side of Tenjinbashi-suji Shopping Street. The interior of the store consists of an L-shaped counter only, with standing room only. With a capacity of only 8 people, it can get quite crowded with just 8 people. The cute lady who runs this store seems to attract a lot of solo male customers. The store was already almost full, but we were able to squeeze in and enter (*´ω｀*). The drink menu here consists of only sake, and while chilled aged sake is in season, the summer sake in stock is priced reasonably. As someone who prefers summer sake over chilled aged sake, this is much appreciated. Ordered a plate of appetizers and sake, enjoyed them slowly, and paid the bill. I would love to come back when the winter cloudy sake is available (*´ω｀*). Thank you for the meal. <Food> Price includes tax - Assorted small dishes (780 yen): Namero (raw fish), Chikuzenni (simmered chicken and vegetables), vinegar-marinated egg, and Nanjing blue cheese salad. All of them were quite delicious and paired well with the sake. I particularly liked the Nanjing blue cheese salad. The strong flavor of the blue cheese was delicious. <Drinks> Price includes tax - Tohoku Izumi Junmai Daiginjo "Ruri-iro no Umi" (800 yen) - Tosa Sparkling (450 yen)

I heard that a new restaurant from the Yamanaka Group has opened, and there is a wonderful manager there. Intrigued by this, I invited an old friend and headed to Temma. Although we had planned to visit the first place on our list, we couldn't even squeeze in. So we reluctantly killed time at a sushi restaurant and then came to the second place. However, when we observed from outside again, there wasn't much change from before. And the guest we saw earlier was still inside the restaurant. Guests who linger at standing bars can be quite annoying, they are not welcome. When we announced our intention to enter and stepped inside, the previous guest made space for us. Such courtesy is common in small establishments. There were about 10 one-liter bottles of sake lined up in the refrigerator. Some I have tried before, and some I haven't, of course. I looked at the sake menu on the counter and ordered, "Please give me a Nama-zume Dobu." This cloudy sake is delicious when drunk at room temperature, priced at 470 yen. While eating a unique potato salad, I ordered the last sake, "Please give me a Shonan sparkling sake." This one was delicious! It's a local sake from Chigasaki, Kanagawa. Oh, I remember going to the Shonan coast when I was in college. Just hearing the place name makes me feel stylish. There are plenty of great sake pairings like pickled mackerel or simmered beef tendons. There are also onigiri available at the counter. Next time, I'll plan to eat heartily at the first place. If I come with my regular friend, maybe the manager will be kind to us. I am extremely shy and naturally quiet, so I couldn't talk much with the new girl I met. Therefore, I only exchanged greetings with the manager on that day. I hope to become friends with the charming girl from the Enkumi group next time. Thank you for the meal.

Business trip gourmet tour... Bonus Part 2 Returning to the vicinity of Temma... The highly anticipated sushi restaurant is still not open... I grumble as I realize it's past the opening hours. However, there's a rumor that a new branch of "Yamanaka Sake Store" has opened in Temma. I head over there. Manager! It's super cute! I'll repeat it again because it's important. It's super cute! If the usual Honmachi G were to meet this... it would surely make your cheeks melt with cuteness. So, with Izumisuzu Mizunasu (water eggplant) for 280 yen as a snack, I enjoy "Tenpi Autumn Hiyaoroshi Junmai Namazume Taruzake" and "Tohoku Izumi Junmai Daiginjo Ruriiro no Umi". With a lingering feeling, I head towards the sushi restaurant. It was delicious and a feast for the eyes. Thank you so much.

I visited a new standing bar in the Yamanaka series and found it to be a small place with about 8 seats at the counter. It's a quick drink and go kind of place, with a selection of carefully chosen drinks and dishes. There is another Yamanaka series shop nearby called "Tachinomi Yamanaka," and personally, I prefer that one. They have tempura and chairs there!

A few minutes' walk from Temmabashi Station. Today, I had a light drink here. The interior of the shop is all standing counter seats, perfect for a quick drink. I ordered the Mutsu Hassen Kagamoi 50. I also ordered potato salad. Let's dig in! The Mutsu Hassen is a smooth and slightly sweet sake. It tastes great on its own. The potato salad is a simple homemade style. It would definitely pair well with a dry junmai or ginjo sake rather than this sweet sake. Next, I tried the Shichihonyari Sherry Barrel Aged. It's a sake from Shiga, so I was curious to try it. It has an amber color and a sherry-like flavor. It's a unique sake with a hint of Western liquor characteristics. Personally, I prefer more traditional brands, but this one is also good in its own way. Overall, it was a nice place to enjoy affordable sake in a casual setting.

This is a new restaurant that was not yet listed on Tabelog when I visited! I'm posting a review now to share my experience. ---------------------------------------------- A friend who loves sake did some research around Temma Station after work, and chose a place for me, a sake beginner! Thank you (*´˘`*)♡ The first stop was here at "Keishuzenraku Yamanaka," which just opened on the last day of the Heisei era. My friend said, "It's a new place, so I was curious to see what it's like! It looks stylish, so I wanted to check it out!" Indeed, the eye-catching exterior. The restaurant was run by two young female staff members. It was May 4th when I visited, only the 6th day since opening. The interior was very clean and welcoming, especially for women. Now, let's start the sake hopping! (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧ ---------------------------------------------- ◆Kariho Sparkling Junmai Nama Genshu◆ As a sake beginner, I asked the staff for something "easy to drink," and they recommended the "Kariho Sparkling Junmai Nama Genshu" from Yamaguchi Prefecture. It was very sweet and not easy to drink. Lesson learned, next time I'll ask for "dry and easy to drink." My friend, who prefers extra dry sake, murmured, "This is like juice..." with a slightly disappointed tone. ◆Chickpea Potato Salad (280 yen)◆ I often see potato salad in reviews of sake hopping experiences, so I decided to try it too. It took quite a while for the dish to arrive, about 10 minutes after ordering. Since I tend to get tipsy quickly on an empty stomach, I wished it had come out faster. The chickpeas were mild in flavor, so the potato salad was elegant. I thought something with a bolder taste would be better as a sake pairing. ◆Chicken Meatball and Bamboo Shoot Teriyaki (380 yen)◆ This dish also took a long time to come out, about 20 minutes after ordering. The bamboo shoot was tender with a delicious rich teriyaki flavor. However, the chicken meatball lacked flavor inside. ---------------------------------------------- The pace of serving food was quite slow. Perhaps because it's a new establishment, the operation might not be smooth yet. The sake wasn't really to my liking, but the food was decent, making it a good start for a beginner like me. Thank you for the meal! (^人^) I took a break from sake hopping to quickly pick up a famous high-end bread from a nearby bakery. I had made a reservation and needed to hurry before it was sold to someone else! Off I go! (to be continued)

It was my first time at a standing bar without beer, but it was not a problem since I had already had some at another place. They had a selection of around 10 types of sake, which was impressive as it was a Yamaguchi group establishment. Unfortunately, they were out of Tenjo, so I started with Tohoku Izumi's Junmai Daiginjo "Ruriiro no Umi." They served Nihonshu at the right temperature, not relying on a thermometer. They even poured it into a flat cup, which was a nice touch. The fact that they only serve sake seems to have influenced their food selection, which was well-matched. The concept is clear and efficient. To put it simply, it's my kind of place. I had the Namero and Yuzu Potato Salad as snacks, both of which were good. I want to visit again before it becomes too popular.

I received two types of sake, but the amount per glass was small and felt like poor value for money. The variety of snacks was also limited, more suitable for a second round of drinks perhaps?

We tried six different types of dishes at the restaurant.

★★★Fleeting Journey by Kazuhiko Ota★★★ Japanese sake bar "Yamanaka Sake Store" operated directly by the store Japanese sake specialty store A young girl is the manager! Stand-up drinking, small shop