Sake in the Sea: Immersive Sake Storage Voyage in Kesennuma
Tour Otokoyama Sake Brewery, then sail across the oyster farms of Kesennuma to retrieve the Japanese sake that awaits, fermenting underwater for months, with gentle agitation from the waves.
Highlights
Tour the Otokoyama Sake Brewery with an English-speaking guide
Pack a bottle of sake for storage, and write a note for the next sake retrieval group
Hop aboard a fishing boat and sail across an oyster farm to collect the previous batch of sake
Back at shore, have a tasting of the underwater fermented sake and the fresh sake
Celebrate your haul, drinking and enjoying local Kesennuma dishes at the brewery
10 meals
Experience Details
Otokoyama Sake Brewery, based in the fishing port of Kesennuma, has been quietly exploring the new frontier of Japanese sake: aging rice wine underwater. Starting in 2006, the brewers at Otokoyama have been tinkering with the conditions of their underwater fermentation project, adjusting the depth, aging time, and packaging method, and letting nature take care of the rest. They found that after fermenting for between six months to one year, their nihonshu had a pleasant balance of flavors. A buzz of excitement surrounds each new haul of sake, with slight variations in its taste depending on the water temperature and wave patterns.
The sake retrieval and storage expedition starts at the Otokoyama Main Store, where visitors will get a chance to tour the brewery with an English-speaking guide. Then, the sake bottles are prepared, with each member of the sake storage crew writing a note to the next retrieval team, to be attached to a bottle of sake.
After the bottles are prepared in water-tight packaging, the group will travel to a local oyster farm and hop aboard an oyster fisherman’s boat. Sailing past the oyster farms, with seagulls gliding overhead, and the diminishing shoreline in the distance, the sense of anticipation to taste this season’s aged sake is heightened.
Upon reaching the underwater treasure trove’s location, the boat will halt and the fisherman will haul up the basket of sake bottles, which was swaying 15 meters below the waterline. It’s a spectacle to behold, the aged bottles of sake decorated with months worth of seaweed and sea life, especially when compared to the fresh basket of sake, ready for fermentation.
Once the new batch is stored, the boat will return to shore for the celebrations. On land, a tasting awaits, and guests can compare the fermented sake with the fresh while enjoying a meal of Kesennuma delicacies.
Inclusions
Japanese sake brewery tour
Transportation during the tour
Japanese sake tasting
Catered after-party
A small bottle of sake and a sake cup as a souvenir
Meeting Point and Meeting Time
From Kesennuma Station, walk (30 minutes) or take a taxi (10 minutes) to Otokoyama Main Store (address: 3Chome -8 Irisawa, Kesennuma, Miyagi 988-0013)
Remarks
As fermentation takes at least six months and few bottles can be stored at a time, there are limited spots available for this sake retrieval voyage.
Please do not wear perfume.
Please do not eat natto or yogurt (this may disrupt the balance of the yeast and bacteria involved in brewing sake).
Guests must be at least 20 years old (the legal drinking age in Japan) to participate.
Cancellation Policy
Cancel your booking at least 2 days before the experience start time to receive a full refund minus a 3.2% transaction fee.
Experience Location
Kesennuma is a stunning city on the Sanriku Coast in Miyagi Prefecture with abundant fishing grounds. Visitors can appreciate its natural beauty and resources by indulging in fresh seafood, climbing Mt. Anba, or kayaking in the sea. One of the largest fishing ports in the Tohoku region, Kesennuma was hit hard by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, a disaster that devastated the local economy and forced many residents to leave and find job opportunities elsewhere. Now, Kesennuma has bounced back with a revitalized local economy and a mission to make the fishing industry more sustainable.
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10 meals
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