Tomo’s Taste of Japan tour (Ayu fish and Sake Factory)

I would like to introduce some traditional Japanese food in my hometown.

Ayu fish(Sweetfish)
Seasonal eating place, Yazawa Ayu Yana Restaurant.Ayu sweetfish is a typical early summer dish in Japan. Sweetfish fresh from the river is broiled slowly over a charcoal fire, which makes the surface crisp and softens the texture inside. You can fully enjoy sweetfish, which can live only in clean water, with this simple recipe.

What is Ayu Yana?
Fresh Ayu(sweetfish) are caught with a traditional fishing method consisting of a bamboo fence built at an angle in a river and are served only when they are in season.
The Japanese go there especially in early summer when young sweetfish with soft bones and meat are in season.

Shimazaki Sake Brewing Company’s cave sake storehouse
http://azumarikishi.co.jp/english/
Shimazaki Sake Brewery, the producer of the sake, “Azuma RIkishi”, is a sake brewery with over 160 years of history and tradition.
They produce many kinds of sake. The most remarkable of these is aged inside of a cave.
It’s matured for a period from approximately 6 months to 3 years for the short term or even as long as several decades.

Aging process for sake.
Generally speaking, newly brewed sake carries a fresh aroma and flavour and is enjoyed a Draft’s sake. However, it tends to taste strongly of alcohol and can be harsh. It’s aging that removes the harshness and produces a more mellow taste.

Cave Sake Brewery
This cave is the former site of an underground tank manufacturing plant created a the end of the Second World War. Because it was constructed to be a factory, the entire length totals approximately 600m and is dug as an intersection of 8 caves in all.
The interior of the cave allows the sake to be entirely protected from sunlight. Also, the temperature averages 10 degree all year round, and only fluctuates within a range of 5 degrees. This environment is naturally more than appropriate to fit for the needs of aging’s sake.