I stopped by here on my way back to Asahikawa aiming for ramen. I visited here during my previous trip to Hokkaido, but it has been over 10 years since then. The highlight was the tasting corner. Following the winery, I couldn't taste as I was the driver, but you can enjoy three types for free. It was crowded inside as a group of tourists from Korea arrived at the same time. The staff at the tasting corner were desperately trying to communicate in English. Sake has become global, hasn't it? Outside the facility, there was a space where you could draw water for longevity, and although I think they were local residents, people kept coming one after another.

If you have visited Asahikawa on 2023.08.05 (Sat), I highly recommend you to enjoy the blessings of Daisetsuzan by visiting Otokoyama, which has become a representative sake brewery in Asahikawa. The origin of Otokoyama dates back to the Edo period, when Sannemon Yamamoto, who was brewing sake under the name "Konya" in Itami, Kansai, created it by taking its name from the Otokoyama Hachimangu Shrine. At that time, it was so popular that it was selected as the official sake of the Edo Shogunate, known as "Gomen-sake," and was even depicted in kabuki, bunraku, and ukiyo-e. The company that continues to produce this prestigious sake in Hokkaido is Otokoyama Co., Ltd., which was founded in 1887 in Hokkaido and officially inherited "Otokoyama" from the Yamamoto family, the original owner of "Konya," in 1968. I first visited Otokoyama on 2017.08.06 when I came to Hokkaido with my wife's friend, my wife, and our child. It was a clear day, and my wife's friend bought Gomen-sake and sparkling sake as souvenirs to send to Tokyo. We were able to enjoy not only shopping but also strolling around the open front yard. My wife, her friend, and I took a commemorative photo holding a sake bottle in a happi coat, and unexpectedly, a group of elderly club members approached us and said, "We want to take a picture with you guys." It turned into a big photoshoot. It was a lot of fun and a memory that has not faded even now. Five years have passed since then, and I finally revisited Otokoyama since I was back in Asahikawa. I was looking for the limited edition Amazake (250 yen per bottle), which is a sweet sake with a mild sweetness and a refreshing taste of sake lees. It would be good for health-conscious people as well. The interior and front yard were exactly the same as five years ago, and the fun memories quickly came back to me. Looking back at the photos from that time, my wife still looks as cute as she did back then. According to her, I haven't changed at all. I just haven't struggled as much. Next time, I'll visit with my second son, who will soon be old enough to drink alcohol.

Today, we stayed at Souunkyo, but before that, we had a plan to visit the museum of "Otokoyama Sake Brewery" in Asahikawa City. They offer sake tasting, and this brewery has connections to a sake brewery in Itami, Hyogo Prefecture. We tried their sparkling sake and cloudy sake. It was a nice experience visiting this impressive brewery and seeing their facilities!

I don't particularly have a desire to live a long life... haha. This visit felt like a pilgrimage. How many years... no, how many decades has it been since I last came here? Near the entrance, there is water that is said to promote longevity springing forth. The sales corner on the first floor seemed to have a slightly different atmosphere, but the museum on the second floor felt familiar, like memories from the past. This atmosphere... it's nice. Menyama-san is a long-established liquor store in Asahikawa... I've known them since I was a child. Not that I've been drinking alcohol since I was a child... haha. Menyama-san's craft beer caught my eye. 590 yen. Oh, this looks interesting. I decided to buy it. Ready, set, cheers! I want to visit Menyama-san again. Thank you for the meal.

The second stop on the sake brewery tour is at Otokoyama Brewery. Here, they have a wide variety of Japanese sake available for tasting. You can sample up to three different sakes, but there is a 100 yen charge for trying the Junmai Daiginjo Otokoyama, which is the one I chose. This sake has won awards at competitions and has a fruity and refreshing taste, making it easy to drink. It comes in a nice case.

Today when I went shopping, I found this bottle of alcohol with a label that said, "Once you've settled down, let's have a toast." I've been drinking at home more often compared to previous years, as I'm working hard. Maybe I'll buy some alcohol this morning and have a drink by myself next time. Cheers to everyone who is trying their best!

I received a limited-time special "morning sake" that needs to be refrigerated, so it was sent from Hokkaido with refrigeration. I'm grateful! This sake is a fresh draft sake with an alcohol content of 18%, and the alcohol content varies each time. It seems that it needs to be consumed within a week. Due to the impact of the coronavirus, sudden drinking invitations have decreased, making it easier to manage my health. I used to only drink on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, but today is Monday, March 1st. This sake was pressed on February 27th, so it needs to be consumed within a week. That means... if I wait until Friday, March 5th, it will be right on the edge of freshness! I need to drink it right away! I just want to drink it (^^) I thought the high alcohol content would be strong, but it was surprisingly easy to drink and delicious! Even though it's only Monday, I finished a bottle. I was worried about the next day, but good sake doesn't last! Thank you for the delicious sake (^^)

On 20/07/18, I purchased a bottle of "Shojijo" (720ml) for 550 yen to enjoy with my drinking buddies. This sake had caused some trouble for the Manzan Sake Brewery as well. Due to the store's voluntary closure, there was a large surplus of stock. If they didn't sell it all, they wouldn't be able to make the next batch of products. The brewery blended the surplus stock to adjust the flavor, creating a limited edition product named "Shojijo" (laughs). It was set to be sold in early August, but a pre-sale started here on July 15th. When I finally went to check it out, the premium Junmai Ginjo was already sold out on the first day (tears). I ended up buying the regular sake instead. The staff mentioned that it was also running low while I was paying. It's heartwarming to see many people supporting local sake breweries. I'm a part-time househusband, finishing my household chores to have a solo drink starting from midnight. I took a sip of the chilled sake. Oh, this tastes good. The base of this sake is Junmai, blended with a small amount of regular sake. It's refreshing with no stickiness that is common in alcohol-added sake. I enjoyed it with some fried fish cakes from "Kanehara Kamaboko Shop." Now, I can't help but be curious about the Junmai Ginjo. I've decided. I'll reserve it right away tomorrow!

On 22nd December, I purchased a bottle of "Imasa no Sake Tokubetsu Junmai Kunimoto no Natori Sake (720ml) for 1976 yen" to enjoy during my evening drink. I wanted to support a local sake brewery. It had been two years since my last visit to this place. The brand "Otokoyama" is now well-known even overseas. During this time of year, rare sake is sold exclusively at the brewery. On that day, they were selling "Imasa no Sake" straight from the tank in the morning. The type of sake available depends on the brewery's schedule. Today, it was the release day for the special junmai sake. I arrived at the brewery at 10:30 as planned. When I parked my car, I was greeted by a suspicious-looking lady wearing a large mask. There was also a large paper bag on the passenger seat of the car. Wait, isn't she my former ballet junior? "I was able to buy Imasa no Sake!" she said, explaining that she had purchased it as a souvenir during her visit home. It was heartwarming to see her thinking of her family. I am a part-time house husband. After finishing household chores and taking a bath, I finally took a break at midnight. As usual, it was time for a late-night tasting session. The first thing I noticed when I took a sip was the faint carbonation, a sign of the sake still fermenting naturally. Then, a sharp acidity accompanied by a crisp spiciness hit my palate. Wow, this is delicious. This sake is the strongest dry type from Otokoyama Sake Brewery. It also has a higher alcohol content than regular sake, making it quite bold. The unique taste that can only be experienced in this city during this season. As a sake lover, Asahikawa is a wonderful place for me. Here, you can even draw fresh brewing water for free. There were many people with large water tanks filling up. You can only taste "Imasa no Sake" during the brewing period. I will definitely visit this place more often in the future.

I visited Otokoyama Corporation and it was bustling with Chinese tourists who arrived on a big bus. They were taking photos in the garden wearing Otokoyama happi coats. The company has a sake museum (free entry) where you can view historical materials and enjoy free tastings in the souvenir corner. The museum is three stories tall, and you can also tour the factory from the second floor to learn about the sake-making process. It's fun to see the large wooden barrels and old documents they used in the past. I bought a small Otokoyama cup as a souvenir, and it was easy to drink. After that, I went to eat Asahikawa ramen.

On the 2nd and 3rd floors, there is a museum, and on the 1st floor, there is a souvenir corner where you can find a variety of Japanese sake that you can only buy here. They offer free tastings of all kinds. Since I was driving, I opted for sake lees ice cream, which was around 450 yen. It had a hint of sake lees flavor and was a bit too sweet, but still delicious. It's a bit pricey, but definitely worth trying at least once.

On October 7th, we had a birthday party for my wife, so we decided to finally open a bottle of sake that we had purchased a while back and hadn't tried yet. It was a bottle from Otokoyama Sake Brewery. My wife had been saving it for a special occasion. We chilled it in the refrigerator and enjoyed it ice cold. It was surprisingly sweet. I had assumed that since it was a junmai sake, it would be high in alcohol content and dry, but it was actually quite smooth and easy to drink. My wife and I finished the 720ml bottle in just 30 minutes. Since I usually can't taste test due to being the designated driver, I don't have much experience with Otokoyama sake, so it's hard for me to judge. My wife also found it difficult to evaluate this junmai sake. We were grateful to have the opportunity to try this unique sake. After that, we switched to our usual sweet potato shochu and continued to enjoy our drinks. It was delicious! Thank you for the meal!

Welcome.---------- November 2018 ----------One of the sake breweries along Route 39 in Asahikawa. They offer several varieties of sake for tasting, and it's easy to lose track of which is which. That's part of the fun. They also have some special sweets for sale, like a high-priced "Junmai Daiginjo" in a wooden box. The aged sake is quite sweet, and the Otoko Yamajisake candy is soft and needs to be refrigerated to stay that way. The store had it at room temperature though. The aroma of the sake is delightful. The Kuraokoshi snacks were a nice change of pace, with a light puff and a hint of sweetness. A perfect trio of sake, sweets, and a break.

Is it a limited-time offer? Amazake is on sale starting today. It's not too sweet, and you can taste the flavor of alcohol. It was a delicious amazake.

The food at this restaurant is delicious and the service is great. I highly recommend it.