Posts

The 2 Local Sake of Karatsu you must try!

-
Image
The Karatsu Sake Brewery Summit attracted many visitors last Sunday. I was inspired how happy people were talking about the Saga Sake they like. I'd like to extend the happiness by digging deeper on Saga Sake. The 2 Local Sake of Karatsu There was a guest, a local from Karatsu that told me how much he loved Sake. He was telling me about Komatsu Sake Brewery that makes Manrei, and Narutaki Sake Brewery that makes Taki and Taiko which is home to Karatsu City.  The rest of the sake served at Choko Bar are all from other cities within Saga Prefecture. So, I decided to taste and take note of the ones from Karatsu first.  Manrei From my experience so far, locals choose Manrei over Taki. Maybe because Taki is the premium version of Taiko, the signature sake for the Kunchi Frestival. Manrei is sweet and rich. Starting off drinking sake, or when you are drinking sake without food. Manrei is a good choice. Taki This time it was the same as the first time I tried it. It's clear and round...
Post a Comment
Read more

Karatsu Sake Brewery Summit on 21 September, 2025!

-
Image
 It's Karatsu Sake Brewery Summit（唐津酒蔵サミット）at Gofukumachi Shopping Street（呉服町商店街）tomorrow, Sunday! Here is a chance to try 3 local sake from Saga Prefecture just for 1000JPY. The breweries are going to gather at the shopping street, so no need to visit them, they all gather to see us thirsty sake drinkers. Why Saga Sake Due to its rich rice production, Saga's sake is known for its exceptional taste. It has won many domestic and international awards, which made the prefecture a major destination for people passionate in Japanese Sake. Premium Brand Nabeshima won the top prize, "Champion Sake," in the sake category at the 2011 International Wine Challenge (IWC), and has been highly praised both in and out of Japan. It has become so popular that some now refer to it as  "phantom sake." "Shichida"七田 brand sake has won numerous gold medals at international tasting competitions, including the Kura Master President's Award. There is a booth set up at ...
Post a Comment
Read more

My Learning Journey so far these past few years.

-
Image
I'm hooked on learning something new everyday. Right now I try my best to walk every morning around my neighborhood in Karatsu City.  The people here are much more laid back and polite and I learn from them a lot about the city and fishes as well, which was the main reason why I decided to settle here. What I learned so far about Fish in Karatsu They care more about spending quality time with family than chasing money. I know a lot more about things outside of Karatsu or Kyushu, so I answer what they're curious about. In return they teach me about Karatsu and how it used to be and how it is today. Each person has their opinions and thoughts about how they see the city, of course.  And that's very interesting and inspiring for me. It makes me think about what I want to do here. My interest is fishing and fishes in general. So I learn about that a lot here and through my morning walks. What I learn everyday from my morning walks! I've been around many places in the world,...
Post a Comment
Read more

What I learn everyday from my morning walks!

-
Image
Back when I was a uni student almost 20 years already, I had an opportunity to work with a private banker in Singapore. He would take me to events that are organised by his team or ones he was invited to, every weekend. Then he would ask me, "So Ryu, you met a lot of people today. My former boss who invited me to join banking would ask me, what did you learn today?" 20 years down the road, I often ask myself the same question. "So, what did I learn today?" I learn a lot through walking I now place myself in a small city in Karatsu, and the ocean is right by my house. I try to walk everyday around sunrise to get my momentum of the day. Today, I met a highschool student that was fishing before he goes to school. I usually am the first to say Ohayogozaimasu or good morning when I do my morning walk, but he was one of the first ones that was faster than me to say so. So we talked a little about fishing in the area. The place I met him is where a fishing expert told me t...
Post a Comment
Read more

What I learned about sake from Saga!

-
Image
Sharing what I learned about sake from Saga My image before moving into Karatsu was that the Kyushu people are crazy shochu drinkers, not sake. But it turns out that Saga is a big sake area of Japan, winning many awards. Working in Choko Bar that serves a variety of Saga sake in Karatsu ware cups, I'm amazed that a lot of people from even Tokyo area come all the way here to try the local sake that doesn't get shipped to big cities like Tokyo and Osaka. Especially the seasonal ones are produced only in limited quantities, only enough to be consumed within Saga. So we have guests from Fuokuoka as well telling us they want to try the limited ones that don't get shipped there.   Choko Bar lets you try 4 local sake of your choice with a local appetizer for 1500JPY, and 4 limited/seasonal local sake for 2000JPY, so customers tell me that it's the best way to try good local sake at the same time. Fair enough. A small glass will usually cost around 500~1000JPY, and it's act...
Post a Comment
Read more

The places I love visiting in Karatsu!

-
Image
It's been almost 6 months since I moved into Karatsu. I've found out that many foodies from all over Japan moved here for a slower life near the spaceyand sunny beaches and great food.  Today I gathered where and what I like doing in Karatsu so far! The Castle and the Sea I walk about an hour everyday around sunrise near the Karatsu Castle every day, and when I can sunset as well. It's just 10 minutes walk to the castle from where I live in the city center area, and there is a walking path along the beach going to the castle. The beach is managed by Karatsu City and Saga Prefecture, so it's very organized and clean. It's spacey and relatively empty, so plenty of breathing space. I only see a few people swimming or walking like me, and some fishing. I wrote about my walking experience here. My morning walk in Karatsu! Fishing in Karatsu Karatsu Bay is very rich in nutrients and a whole varitey of seafood can be fished here including: horse mackerel, mackerel, seabrea...
Post a Comment
Read more