Winter preserves beauty, like a timeless stasis of the H2O ice ages along the Tokachidake plains of Hokkaido the whistling swan sang. I tin post away feel the nativity of boundary on the twigs of trees fifty-fifty now, every bit the terminal frost of snowy patches autumn to the ground. This year, I was dorsum upwardly inwards 1 of my move yesteryear places inwards Japan, non Hokkaido, only inwards Kawabata's Snow Country, Niigata, together with on a timely together with auspicious occasion! The burial of sake. The 雪中貯蔵 The Secchu-chozou way!
My mission this fourth dimension some was to bury several chiliad bottles of Japanese sake nether several tons of snowfall together with ice. The timing was essential for a few reasons: Man power, machines, temps, weather, together with logistics. This fourth dimension of year, the wintertime was unusually warm amongst the occasional driblet inwards temps gave us scattered snowfalls through-out the mount ranges. When nosotros arrived on the 20th of Feb a mutual frigidity front end moved inwards the nighttime earlier together with gave us heaps of snow, so the window of chance was opened upwardly for us to larn all iii warehouses done. 8 hours together with some real intensive operate was underway together with amongst iii teams pushing, burying, together with packing snowfall every bit rapidly every bit possible.
Our tractor drivers were highly proficient inwards transporting snowfall to the warehouses, together with along amongst our snowplows were able to catch several hundred pounds of snowfall per infinitesimal straight inwards the storage spaces. Us, the shovelers, were tasked amongst packing the snowfall inwards together with making certain the difficult to gain places were properly filled. Under snowfall you lot position alone the premium stuff i.e...Junmai Ginjo, Ginjo-shus.
I larn a feel that burying anything is symbolic to death, only inwards Nihon the burial could stand upwardly for the coming of newness. In this purpose of northern Japan, together with similar other places, the locals bury nether snow, sake, vegetables, meats, together with fifty-fifty soy sauces of varying kinds inwards what is called "yukimuro" which is a type of snowfall trouble solid for storage. Some vegetable together with sake are buried straight nether snowfall whereas perishable items similar meats together with other create are stored inwards warehouses that are covered inwards snow.
Nihonshu / sake is unremarkably non stored nether snowfall at all, actually. It is usually bottled together with then refrigerated or shipped out some the world. However, at that spot are exceptions here. Some breweries volition shop their sake for nearly 6 months nether snowfall for a release of reasons. First, at that spot is regionality. Since it snows 6 or to a greater extent than months out of the year, snowfall is useful for cooling things, since there's enough of it. Next, snowfall maintains a constant temperature through-out the wintertime months, together with fifty-fifty longer depending on where you lot live. Snow contains high wet that is good for sake together with nutrient overall. Snow does non emit EMF ( Electro-magnetic Field), together with is so expert for amino acids inwards sake keeps it constant together with stable. For snowfall reserved foods the season of fruits together with vegetables are milder together with sweeter, together with are fresher.
Refrigerators, similar all household electrical appliances, emit harmful EMF which over fourth dimension tin post away stimulate got an touching on on amino acids, fifty-fifty inwards the human brain! This is every bit good non expert for regional artisan sake, peculiarly if you lot are trying to gain the end-product of the type of flavors you lot promise to attain afterward 6 months. Do you lot always count how many times you lot opened upwardly your fridge door a day? And how much temperature is effected? Upwards to five degrees or more. This constant alter inwards temperature effects sake if you're constantly opening together with closing your fridge. Plus, modern refrigeration makes the surround within where you lot shop your nutrient together with sake dry. This is non to say that sake that is NOT snow-cooled is bad, on the contrary, it isn't effected that much together with sake tin post away however stimulate got exceptional qualities, only snow-cooled sake is a type of regional choice whereby the brewer wants to create a lighter, tighter, together with much rounder season profile inwards the sake that's unique to the prefecture. Snow is every bit good more environmentally friendly compared to EMF pollutants emitted yesteryear refrigerators.
In the photograph below, I together with several drinking buddies lodged at a lovely matron's trouble solid for the nighttime for free. Did I nation free?. There nosotros were graced yesteryear this delicious spread of local specialties all manus made yesteryear my form of arm candy. Those who read my weblog know what I mean. Hot nabe together with warm kotatsu inwards the wintertime is epic! And sake taken straight from a moromi tank to boot. We drank together with ate good that night.
In the photograph below, I together with several drinking buddies lodged at a lovely matron's trouble solid for the nighttime for free. Did I nation free?. There nosotros were graced yesteryear this delicious spread of local specialties all manus made yesteryear my form of arm candy. Those who read my weblog know what I mean. Hot nabe together with warm kotatsu inwards the wintertime is epic! And sake taken straight from a moromi tank to boot. We drank together with ate good that night.
( "There is a sake brewery on Sado Island, Niigata Nihon which every bit good stores its sake inwards snow, only inwards add-on they every bit good play classical music inwards the mutual frigidity storage vault - Vivaldi's Four Seasons. This is done to influence amino acid motility, together with this every bit good makes sake softer together with to a greater extent than flavorsome").
After all the handwork was done nosotros headed over to "Yukidaruma" onsen for some recess spell taking inwards a gorgeous snowfall scene from the edge. (sigh^^) Mission accomplished.
After all the handwork was done nosotros headed over to "Yukidaruma" onsen for some recess spell taking inwards a gorgeous snowfall scene from the edge. (sigh^^) Mission accomplished.
