Tasting Sake in Echigo-Yuzawa Station.

 Last weekend I went to the northern region of my country called "Hokuriku". On the way back to Tokyo by train, I stopped over "ponshu-kan" in a timely fashion. It's located inside Echigo-Yuzawa Station So...what's this? It's a place we can taste a whole bunch of Japanese alcohol Sake :D This station is in Niigata Prefecture, where is one of the most famous prefectures for producing Sake. In this post, let me show you some pictures in addition to a brief introduction how to relish it :)

 The entrance says it's 500yen (about US$5) for tasting five small cups of sakes. It's not the admission fee, you know ;) Entaring is complimentary, so you can just walk inside.

 As you pay 500yen at the reception, they give you five gold coins and a small small cup used to drink. Too small, you think? Because sake usually contains much alcohol, thus it's naturally small. Additionally, we're going to take a lot of sake. We have to sip bit by bit! ;) It's 25cc for this cup, for the record :D We call this cup "choko", almost the same pronounce as chocolate by the way. Easy to remember, isn't it? ;)

 Now, you can taste whatever you want to take from 97 kinds of sake! "I can take only five of them." You might think so. But, if you're unsatisfied with the amount, go back to the reception and get another five coins with 500yen. Note: don't drink too much, haha :)

 Here's a thing: How to use this strange machine? It's so easy that let me show how.

 First, place your cup right on a red labeled circle. Although we can't see it in this picture, let's find it previous picture, you can manage to see it :)

 When you put your cup appropriate place, then insert a gold coin.

 And push a yellow button which allows sake to be poured.

 Only a few second, it's ready to be drunk! :)

 Wow, this sake looks so clear. The taste was so nice, fruity and sweet :)

 Likewise, there are many salts for tasting as well. They are for people paid 500yen for tasting sake, and sure, I took some!

The name indicates this brownish salt is from seaweed.

 Each of them has a unique taste, not only salty, but also tea flavor and stuff.

 Haha, even local soy pastes are available! Yes, I'm definitely a big fan of them :D

Interestingly, we can try blind tasting for sake, and the way is quite simple. You taste five kinds of sake and tell them what the name of each sake it is. I have to be honest, how can I possibly tell exactly the five correct names out of 79 sorts?! However, it seems there are professionals exist.

 This paper is the result of it. Look at the below chart, in January of last year, 25% of challengers found out the correct answer. Just amazing, I can't do it =)

In case you want to wash your cup or through away your remaining, then put it here.

 There are many papers related sake, and you can easily spend hours there :)

 And when you taste or take a rest there, you can leave your belongings in a particular place. The cation "watch your belongings so that it wouldn't be stolen." is written though, most people including me don't care it. This is a small reason why I like this little country a bit. Sure, someone robs left luggage or something like that, however, as long as people respect each other, it wouldn't happen so frequently.

 Unlike ordinary places like this, they have many foreign languages such as English, Chinese. I was so surprised that I asked them if many foreigners come such a remote place. "Yes, they come almost on a daily basis" they replied.

 Outside of the tasting place, you can buy souvenirs from sweets to dish. I bought a rather tall tumbler made of sand by the way :)

 At last, I found a stall selling huge rice balls, or onigiri. They named it "bomb onigiri" after its largeness and black color on the surface, since dried black laver wraps a rice ball. You want to know what it's like?

 This is it ;)

Visiting my brother's home in front of the Tokyo Bay.

 Opening up the entrance door, I could see a view of the sea right before me. Last weekend I visited one of my brothers who lives near the Tokyo Bay. He shares the room with other people, so called "room sharing", which became popular these days in Japan and he lives with two people besides him. Oh, he isn't the man just married weeks ago, he's another brother by the way :)

 When we got together, one of his roommates opened a white wine up while my brother and I were preparing for lunch. When he showed up, he smiled and told me "Congratulation for your wedding!". That made us laugh, since I wasn't the one who got married a few weeks before. "That's another brother!" My brother added. I have to be honest, I had never even imagined we became like this, standing next to each other to cook meals with chatting. Given recent events happened around my family, it's so astonishing for me to attend my older brother's wedding (about this episode, see this post), and this time for my younger brother.

 We talked and ate a lot, more than three hours. From an Eco Village he traveled sometime ago, a bicycle trip to West Japan and so forth. He said he would go 10-day-training for meditation in Kyoto, while he is nog going to be allowed to contact outside the world at all. Later on, I sent a text to him, but didn't reach. Perhaps he's in the middle of meditation by now ;)

Sakura, cherry blossoms in Tokyo, 2014.

 Waiting for sakura, cherry blossom to be bloomed is one of the biggest joys of people in Japan. If you doubt it, watch the TV shows in late March. Along with the weather forecast, they tell you what it's like. "The western part of Japan finally saw cherry blossoms in full bloom, now, it's 70% bloom around Tokyo" When it's time, people get together in parks filled with it, bring boxed lunch and alcohol beneath trees, then a party starts. I'm not a person who join it, however, I like looking at people enjoying it :)

 The time for it has almost finished around Tokyo. Well, let's see it next year, I'm really looking forward to seeing it :D

My brother's wedding.

 It was me who declared not to attend the wedding reception as the first person. Because my brother and I had ignored each other nearly two decades, and because I barely remember his face. Nevertheless, I went there because of my mother's strong persuade. The result was so cool and memorable, he and I finally said hello and congratulate each other, then the party started around noon.

 Welcome drinks were available at the entrance, and I picked three glasses of sparkling wine to a quick drink. Generally, I introduce myself as a non-drinker since I recognize how much I drink, and trying to stay out of it. Well, that day, I needed to do it like unusual.

 I can't remember the last time I wore such a good-for-the-society clothes :)

 Showed up with the Japanese traditional clothes Kimono, my mother smiled on her face to see me. "I didn't expect you to come here." She said with a laughed. "Me neither." For many people, Kimono is too expensive to buy. Considering the fact that it often costs over US$10,000, most people don't afford to get their own one. So what my mother did? She rented from one of our relatives and that's how we do: There are things way above our budget, thus we share with it. And I like the idea that someone helps others whenever people suffer from something. That's my ideal.

 The room was just breathtaking, you could see a Japanese Garden outside filled with cherry blossoms that are in full bloom, the red bridge across the tiny pond with the nice weather.

 Well, I decided to drink a lot, therefore I ate a lot as well :) The food wasn't as good as I expected though, haha.

 I ceased to count how many glasses of drinks I took after drinking 12 of them. Maybe 16, maybe more.

 As a clerk in a shop, I had to admit their great service. They were so disciplined, honest, and do whatever before I asked something. Just amazing.

 As the ceremony went on, someone started to play piano, someone was so drunk that sang loudly with the microphone. By the time they started doing it, I had already drunk and remember almost nothing.

 The new husband and wife was born. Congratulation! :)