Mr. Shigeya Tanaka, Representative Director of [Tanaka Sake Brewery], told me, "This area is called 'Shimizugashita' in detail. It represents the quality of the water."

"Would you like to try it?" He offered me well water, which is also used for brewing sake. The soft, slightly soft water is gentle and mellow so that when you drink it, it absorbs easily into your body.

Since [Tanaka Sake Brewery] started sake brewing in this area, Mr. Shigeya is the fifth generation. When I visited in January, my wife, Tomoko, and a few other people were in the middle of preparation.
In 1996, when Shigeya entered the brewery, a chief brewer came from Noto. Shigeya's motto for [Tanaka Sake Brewery] is "Wajo Ryoshu". It means to connect with good sake.

When Mr. Shigeya first started brewing sake, he saw an incident that made him strongly interested in sake brewing. It was the first time I saw people drinking the sake I brewed.
“I happened to see an elderly man drinking the sake he made and getting drunk happily. By exchanging drinks, strained relationships may become closer.I realized that I use water and rice to make things that make people happy and that are useful to people.”

"Harunomine" from [Tanaka Sake Brewery] is a slightly sweet, rich sake. "We've been using the water and rice here for a long time, so I don't think it's changed since our founding," said Mr. Shigeya.

There are many variations of Harunomine, but the calligraphy label is by his wife, Tomoko. Tomoko, who originally knew calligraphy, started writing and received a good reputation, and now she writes original labels for gifts and other purposes. I thought it would be a big deal. Tomoko's character that expresses the feeling of giving alcohol. It is a service that shows the warm consideration of [Tanaka Sake Brewery].
Currently, under the trade name [Tomo Koubou], in addition to liquor labels, we can handle a variety of needs, such as drawing names, messages, and illustrations on T-shirts and accessories. It seems that there are many people who give presents along with sake.

With the 100th anniversary as an opportunity, new initiatives have begun. That is the product sales and cafe space built in front of the sake brewery.
“I used to have customers who came to visit the brewery taste the sake, and there were requests that it would be nice to be able to have a meal, so I responded in the main building. It was a house with a lot of things going on, so it didn't bother me that much to invite guests in. But I thought it would be nice if more people could enjoy themselves casually," says Shigeya.

The building standing in front of the sake brewery is a splendid structure with many thick beams. In the space immediately after entering, you can find [Tanaka Sake Brewery] products, sweets and handmade miscellaneous goods. Next to it is the cafe space. In addition to sweets, they also serve lunch on weekends.
Menus that use sake lees, such as sake lees hamburgers, sake lees chowder, fondant chocolate with sake lees, and various dishes and sweets that incorporate malted rice and sake, expand the way you enjoy sake.

“For example, sake lees are often used to make kasujiru, but I think it would be great if I could suggest other ways to use it. Recently, there have been requests for takeout, so I came up with a mini rice bowl with a side dish on top of rice.” From Tomoko's ideas, new initiatives are born more and more. However, at the root of this is the desire to enjoy sake and to please those who receive it.

We visited in the middle of winter when the fields of Koka were covered in snow. Before long, signs of spring begin to appear in the Suzuka mountains to the east of [Tanaka Sake Brewery], and new sake from Harunomine is ready.
This year's sake filled with warm feelings will soon arrive.

■ Shiga Prefecture
[Ogawa Liquor Store] 077-524-2203 / 2-1-31 Hamaotsu, Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture
[Kato Liquor Store] 077-522-4546 / 13-1 Kinoshita-cho, Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture
[Doi Liquor Store] 0748-33-9408 / 328 Nakakomori-cho, Omihachiman City, Shiga Prefecture
[Liquor Shop Nakayama] 077-589-3768 / 2534 Nishigawara, Yasu City, Shiga Prefecture
[Kintetsu Kusatsu Branch] 077-564-1111/1-1-50 Shibukawa, Kusatsu City, Shiga Prefecture

■ Shiga Prefecture
[Toriichi Minakuchi store] 0748-78-0667 / 5-36 Nakatei, Minakuchicho, Koka City, Shiga Prefecture
[Uomatsu head office] 0748-88-2206 / 2376 Kami, Koka-cho, Koka-shi, Shiga
[Uomatsu Shigaraki] 0748-83-1525 / 1795 Maki, Shigaraki-cho, Koka-shi, Shiga
[Toriyasu] 0748-88-2813 / 755 Ohara Market, Koka-cho, Koka-shi, Shiga
[Direct] 077-572-9711 / 3-1 Suehirocho, Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture
[Flea Boutan] 077-525-0608 / 3-7 Tatsugaoka, Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture