visit an ancient district called Asakasu. For centuries, until it was badly
damaged by World War II air raids, Asakusa was Tokyo’s entertainment district. The popular kabuki theaters and brothels were not rebuilt after the war. Today, activity in Asakusa centres around Sensoji, a 7th century Buddhist temple, and Nakamise Street, where visitors and locals alike scour stalls and tiny shops for traditional Japanese snacks and souve- nirs. We’re enchanted, but business calls and we head back to the hotel where Hideko has assembled an array of sake for us to sample.
“Sake is a clean and elegant drink,” she tells us. “It is meant to be enjoyed with good food. Thoughtfully, she has prepared trays of bite-size fruit, cheeses, and what looks like Japanese charcuterie. “There are five grades of sake,” she
continues. Grading is based on how the sake is made and the “ seimai buai.” That’s how much of the outer part of the rice grains has been polished off. The more the rice is polished, the better the sake.
There are no restrictions on how long the rice for Futsu, also called table sake is milled. In fact, table rice may be used and extra alcohol added to improve the flavour. This must be the sake we used to serve hot – “atsukan” style – in our sophisticated twenties. “The best sake is not warmed Hideko tells us, “it is chilled.”
For the fragrant and lighter bodied sake called Honjozo, at least 30% of the rice must be polished away before it is fermented. As with Futsu, some alcohol may be added to Honjozo. A third grade of sake and the first
that must be made with just rice, is called Junmai. There are no restrictions on mill- ing grade, as long as it is listed on the label. Usually the rice is polished down to no more than 70% of its original size. Jun- mai is full bodied, with floral and fruity overtones and pronounced acidity. For Ginjo, the rice is milled to 60% of its original size and fermented cold to give a more elegant, refined and fragrant drink. The top grade of sake, called Daig- injo uses rice that has been milled to no more than 50% its original size. Daiginjo is characteristically lighter, fruitier, and more fragrant than other sakes. While most sake is filtered through charcoal, some, called “muroka,” are not. We’ve tried quite a lot of sake and it is this cloudy, fruity muroka, in the lower price ranges that captures my fancy. It’s growing dark outside. Hideko gathers her things, but leaves half-empty bottles sitting in ice for us to enjoy later. A long ritual bowing follows, and she leaves. It’s past dinnertime but after all the nibblies she brought, we haven’t much of an appetite so we head out to walk around. We pass McDonald’s, stop for a minute at a sushi restaurant next door, then head back towards Hinode pier. On our way to the boat this morning we had noticed an Irish pub near the subway. After sampling whisky all week, and with an afternoon of sake behind us, what we want right now is memories of home, a pint.
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BOUNDER MAGAZINE 57
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