Shop & Restaurant

[Tojiya]

A pure rice sake bar that has been in business in Osaka for about 30 years.
At Tojiya, a place highly trusted by brewers
Lose track of time with local sake and delicious cuisine

It opened in 1995 as a sake bar, which was still rare across the country. It sells local sake from various regions, and only pure rice sake. It is a bar that provides friendly guidance to sake lovers as well as beginners.

Tojiya 02
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One. I like western alcoholHe opened his shop after discovering the deliciousness of pure rice sake.

As you enter the street stretching north from the bustling Tengo Nakazaki-dori shopping arcade, you will come across a store with a wooden barrel on its porch. This is the sake bar "Toji-ya" run by Nakano Eri, who is familiar to readers of this website's sake trivia column. The wooden barrel is a warming barrel used to keep the mash warm, and is a rare item that was given to her by a sake brewery she is on friendly terms with.700We have been in contact with approximately30From the entrance, you can enjoy the unique scenery of a "Tojiya" that purchases directly from the brewery.

Tojiya 01

counters10Although it is a seating restaurant, the amount of sake they handle per year is about700 itemsNakano personally tastes and purchases all of them. "There are some wines that we don't order after tasting, so the total number of wines we tasted is2000"That's not even enough," he said with a smile. This is typical of Nakano, who was given the nickname "Japan's No. 1 sake drinker" by a certain sake brewer.

Nakano-san was originally a wine drinker.1995The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake occurred in 1995. After the earthquake, he visited the liquor store where he usually buys wine, and by chance, he glanced at the sake shelf, where the store owner told him, "You may never be able to drink that sake again, the brewery was destroyed in the earthquake." "Driven by a strange sense of justice, I bought the sake even though it would help nothing, and took it home. When I tried it, I was shocked to find that such delicious sake existed!" It was pure rice sake. The sake he had tried up until then had been made with added brewing alcohol, antioxidants, sugar, etc., and this had a completely different taste. Made from rice andRice malt andIt was the moment I realized how delicious pure rice sake made using only water can be.

"I'm not against brewed alcohol, but I seem to have a constitutional allergy, and I realized that drinking alcohol that contains it makes me feel unwell. So I started collecting the alcohol I could drink, and I became a 'junmai sect'." Just a few months later, he opened Tojiya. "At the time, there were no bars around here that sold sake, and especially junmai sake. If there wasn't any, I thought, I'll make it myself!" he says casually, but his passion is surprising.

2. A variety of menu items that make the most of the ingredients to complement the sake

The dishes prepared by her husband, Ryosuke Takatori, are something you should definitely try along with the pure rice wines Nakano has purchased from all over Japan. Takatori has been helping out at the restaurant since it first opened, but he eventually decided to train to further hone his cooking skills.3After gaining experience for 20 years, he returned to the restaurant. He is not limited to Japanese cuisine, but also serves a wide range of dishes such as pasta, stew, and mapo tofu with his reliable skills, and has many fans.

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"Since the alcohol is the main attraction, I don't want to put food in the forefront. However, there are many sake lovers who have discerning palates, so it's essential that we use high-quality ingredients," says Takatori. Because sake itself is made from natural ingredients such as rice and water, no artificial seasonings are used. "Since the main focus is on getting people to drink alcohol, I want to offer food as cheaply as possible.……That's why the cost of food at our restaurant is so high (laughs)."

Tojiya 013Specially made egg roll 600Yen
This popular staple since the restaurant's founding was inspired by the Akashiyaki that Takatori, a Kobe native, often ate in his hometown. The soup, made with dashi stock carefully extracted from Rausu kelp and Makurazaki bonito flakes, seasoned with salt and soy sauce, goes perfectly with rolled omelet. The comforting flavor goes well with sake.

Tojiya 011Seared Octopus 700Yen
Octopus from Awaji Island is boiled and seared. It is served with wakame seaweed stems, shiso leaves, cherry tomatoes and sudachi citrus. The octopus is crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, and the refreshing ponzu sauce is a perfect combination to beat the heat. I usually use seafood mainly from Awaji Island.

Tojiya 012Skinned young corn tempura 400Yen
The young corn, steamed even with its roots, can be eaten whole. Served with okahijiki tempura and natural salt from Awaji Island. You won't be able to stop eating the crispy texture and gentle sweetness. You can also order an assortment of tempura depending on the number of people.

3. At this sake bar that pursues palate satisfaction, you can enjoy delicious food and trivia.

The classic brands are written on the blackboard, but the fun thing about this bar is that there are many brands that are not written there on standby. "You can order an item that catches your eye, or you can tell us your preferences, such as 'sweet,' 'light,' 'hearty,' etc. You can also tell us how you're feeling that day and we'll choose for you." When you tell Nakano your preference, he will bring out a bottle of a recommended brand and will happily tell you about the flavor and the background of the sake's creation. Even if you're a sake beginner, there are many brands with low alcohol content and a gentle mouthfeel, so you're sure to find a drink that suits your taste.

Tojiya 07NakatayaPINK 100cc-660yen~/Sato Sake Brewery (Saitama Prefecture)
A Junmai Ginjo sake with a lovely and elegant atmosphere. "There is a plum grove close to this brewery. It seems as if something is flying in from there, but the center of this sake has a refined plum scent," says Nakano.

Tojiya 07Santouka 100 tsp-660yen~/Tsujun Sake Brewery (Kumamoto Prefecture)
A pure rice sake with a delicious flavor that seems to seep out from within.This sake has been pasteurized so that it can be enjoyed at any temperature, whether chilled, at room temperature, or warm." Printed on the label is a haiku by Santoka Taneda, and the poem changes depending on the lot.

Tojiya 06Hakata renshu 100 tsp-660yen~/Wakatakeya Sake Brewery (Fukuoka Prefecture)
"1400This sake is made using the same method as in the Muromachi period. It will make you think about what kind of sake people used to drink in the Muromachi period. The alcohol content is3%So it's easy to drink." With a thick, yogurt-like sourness and gentle sweetness, it's easy to drink.

Nakano, who has been teaching sake classes at a cultural school for many years, has a vast amount of knowledge about sake that surprises sake breweries. Perhaps that is why his attitude towards sake is so free. "There is no right way to enjoy sake, so please request how you like to drink it. You can add water to high-alcohol drinks, or you can add ice. In fact, some brewers bring their own brewery's brewing water with them when they go on business trips, and when they drink sake at their restaurants, they make mizuwari with that water and drink it."

The best part of this restaurant is that you can hear all the secret stories that only Nakano-san, who warmly welcomes sake lovers and has close ties with sake brewers all over the country, can share. It's a place where you can lose track of time while enjoying delicious pure rice sake, food, and sake trivia.

Toji shop

Toji shop

Address
7-13 Kurosakicho, Kita-ku, OsakaOpen with Googlemap
TEL
06-6371-0979
HP
http://www.toujiya.com/
Opening hours
Monday and Wednesday 18:00-22:30 (L.O.), Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday 17:00-22:30 (L.O.)
Closing days
Sunday

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