As it’s a rice-producing region blessed with a warm climate, long daylight hours, and abundant waters, with over 50 breweries, Okayama prefecture is among Japan's top ten.

Around 40-minutes drive west along the shoreline from Kurashiki city, you come to a fishing port like townscape.

I visited Kamikokoro Shuzo (Kamikokoro Brewery) located in Yorishima, a port town by the shore of the Seto Inland Sea.

This is the view from the brewery.

Kamikokoro Shuzo’s umakuchi sake has the scent and good flavor of rice with a refined depth that is different from sweet sake. You don't get tired of the flavor even if you keep on drinking it.

It has a translucent-like freshness and deep flavor that resembles the flavor you get from rice the longer you chew it.

The secrets behind its characteristic deliciousness are found at the brewery. The effort put into even the cleanliness of the air, which is sent with pneumatic tubes, is groundbreaking.

In addition, during summer, brewery-wide cooling facilities keep the temperature of the refined sake below 15 degrees (Celsius), and fresh sake is constantly being shipped out.

 

With its low alcohol content and a flavor resembling wine, "Kokage no Sakana" ('Fish in the tree's shadow') is a sake highly popular with ladies.

I was surprised by the fruitiness that doesn't give the slightest hint it is made from rice! They make their customers feel admiration with their new experiments.

It also appears in the flavor of their sake. It is a lovely brewery that let's you feel how they balance tradition with innovation.
 

After taking a tour of the brewery, you can enjoy sake tasting while listening to the sake brewery worker's explanation.

After the brewery tour, we also recommend a walk by the seaside. Try a tour of Asakuchi city's famous sightseeing spot, Mitsuyama floating in the sea.