An 8-minute walk from JR Aizu-Wakamatsu Station, you will find a splendid Japanese-style storefront on a street facing the national highway.
It's a local sake specialty store called Watanabe Souta Shoten.
The spacious store has an open atrium and the showcases are filled with sake, local specialties, and items to enjoy alcohol. We interviewed the representative, Soutaro Watanabe, on the mezzanine floor, where they also serve soba noodles at lunchtime.

I spoke to this person

Watanabe Souta Shoten Co., Ltd. Representative: Watanabe Soutarou

Profile

Born in Aizuwakamatsu City. Fourth generation owner of Watanabe Souta Shoten. After graduating from high school, he trained at Hokkaido Wine Co., Ltd. for several years before returning to Aizuwakamatsu in 4 to take over the store. Currently, as the representative, he is focused on building relationships with sake breweries.

An impressive lineup of sake from around the prefecture

Watanabe Souta Shoten is impressive for its architecture made from old materials that give off a warm wooden feel. It was originally a wholesale and retail store for sweets, but about 20 years ago, when the road in front of the store was widened, it was rebuilt and turned into a specialty liquor store.

The store, which has a first floor, a semi-basement and a mezzanine, stocks a wide variety of alcoholic drinks, including sake from within and outside the prefecture, as well as shochu and liqueurs. The wide lineup also includes local Aizu processed foods such as amazake, shio-koji, miso and jam, as well as sake utensils, making it an appealing choice. The impressive selection of sake from within the prefecture, lined up in rows in the refrigerated cases in the semi-basement, is particularly impressive.

-What points do you pay attention to when selecting the alcohol to procure?
Watanabe-san: "In addition to the delicious sake, it's also important that the person who makes it is respectable. We buy our sake in two ways: direct transactions with sake breweries and transactions through wholesalers. For all breweries with direct transactions, we make an effort to visit the brewery owners and the chief brewers in person. Even when we meet in person, the deal isn't decided on the spot. We visit several times and discuss until we are satisfied before making a deal."

-It seems that you place great importance on building relationships with sake breweries.
"The quality of sake these days is so high that any sake you drink is delicious. In order to get customers to choose a sake, it is necessary for them to empathize with the flavor and story of the brewery. I work together with the young brewers to think about how to make the sake. As I interact with customers at the storefront every day, when I sense a gap between the brewer's way of thinking and that of the customer, I tell the brewer and we think about it together."

What are the characteristics of sake from Aizu, a sake-producing region?

"Fukushima Prefecture is home to about 4 sake breweries, the fourth highest in the country, and is one of Japan's leading sake-producing areas, having won the most gold medals at the National New Sake Tasting Competition for nine consecutive years. Aizu in particular has all the conditions ideal for sake brewing, such as low temperatures in the winter, good quality soft water, and a thriving rice cultivation industry, and about half of the sake breweries in the prefecture are concentrated there," says Watanabe.

-What are the characteristics of Aizu sake?
"Aizu is far from the sea, so seafood is scarce and the area has a culture of preserving food, so the food there tends to be quite strong-flavored. Sake made by people raised with that food culture inevitably has a strong flavor."

-So it's a flavor that matches the cuisine of that region.
"Yes. In one word, it is 'rich and delicious'. It is the opposite of Niigata's 'light and dry' sake. It has a clean umami flavor and clarity, and the aftertaste is long. In terms of quality, I think most sakes are a little on the sweet side."

-I get the same impression from famous Aizu brands such as Sakeraku and Hiroki.
"In addition to the presence of these nationally famous breweries, more and more young people are returning to breweries in Aizu recently. I think that many of the new generation of brewers also basically make sake that tastes like Aizu, but in line with global trends, they are making more sake with lower alcohol content. Simply lowering the alcohol content results in a flat taste, so they are all coming up with creative ways to balance it by using acidity and sweetness."

3 recommended brands only available at this time of year

We asked Watanabe about some recommended brands that are unique to this time of year, when there is a lot of new sake available.

Aizu Miyaizumi/Miyaizumi Meijo Co., Ltd. (Aizuwakamatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture)

"'Sakura' is famous, but the local brand 'Aizu Miyaizumi' is also a talented brand that has won awards in famous contests. Because 'Aizu Miyaizumi' is produced in smaller quantities than 'Sakura,' it is a brand that dares to try things that 'Sakura' cannot or will not do, such as using rice that 'Sakura' does not have enough production. The one on the far left is the standard Junmai sake, but it is made into freshly pressed unpasteurized sake only for this time of year."

(Far left) Aizu Miyaizumi Junmaishu First Pressed Unpasteurized Sake 1,788 yen
(Center) Aizu Miyaizumi Ginjo 1,991 yen
(Rightmost) Aizu Miyaizumi Junmai Ginjo Yamazake No. 4 Lightly cloudy 2,211 yen

Tenmei/Akebono Sake Brewery Co., Ltd. (Aizubange Town, Fukushima Prefecture)

"Many breweries don't make many varieties of new sake, but Tenmei is a brand with many themes that the brewer wants to try, so they produce five varieties of new sake, Tenmei Junmai Namazake Nakatori. They are brewed using different raw rice, and the type of yeast is changed to suit the rice. Tenmei is promoting a low-polishing and low-alcohol direction, so there are many sakes that fit that."

(From left)
Tenmei Junmai Namasake Nakatori Zero Mizuho Golden 65 1,694 yen
Tenmei Junmai Namasake Nakadori Ichi-go Gohyakumangoku 70% x Yamada Nishiki 50% 1,815 yen
Tenmei Junmai Namasake Nakadori No. 65 Miyamanishiki 50% x Yamadanishiki 1,892% XNUMX yen
Tenmei Junmai Namasake Nakadori No. 80 Kamenoo 50% x Yamada Nishiki 1,815% XNUMX yen
Tenmei Junmai Namasake Nakadori No. 65 Omachi 50% x Yamada Nishiki 1,650% XNUMX yen

Aizu Musume/Takahashi Shosaku Sake Brewery Co., Ltd. (Aizuwakamatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture)

"The Aizu Musume Jo series on the left is brewed using only rice grown in each of the brewery's own fields. You can enjoy the unique characteristics of each field, with its different soil, sunlight, and wind exposure. On the right is our original Aizu Musume Kamigumi. While our standard Hojun Junmaishu uses Association No. 9 yeast, this product uses No. 10 yeast, which gives it a finer, richer flavor."

(Left) Aizu Girl by Tsuchiya, Kame no O (Tail of Turtle) 2,420 yen
(Right) Aizu Musume Rich Junmaishu, Pasteurized in a Bottle, 1,898 yen

To encourage people to visit Aizu

During our interview, a constant stream of customers came into the bar, listening intently to the staff's explanations of the sake's characteristics and purchasing recommended brands. It was also striking that there were many customers who appeared to be local families, which shows that this is a bar that is loved by the local community. At the end of the interview, we asked him what he would like to try next.

"I want to continue to create a store that customers can visit. It's now easy to buy alcohol online, but I think alcohol tastes best when you go to the place where it's made and drink it with local food. I would be happy if this store could be an opportunity for people to visit Aizu. I would be happy if that circle grows and we can invite customers to Aizu from all over the world."

Watanabe-san visits all the breweries he purchases directly from and never misses a conversation with the brewers. Behind the wide selection of products is the steady accumulation of relationships built with the breweries. We hope you will travel to Aizu to find that special bottle at Watanabe Souta Shoten, which wants to get to know the sake, climate, and people of Aizu and convey their charm.

Writer: Kanon Urabe
Living in Niigata Prefecture / Sake sommelier, sake sommelier, shochu sommelier
I worked for a government agency supporting the export of food products, including sake, and now I work as a freelance writer. I like craft sake, which has a pronounced sweet and sour flavor, and sake made with additional ingredients.
https://www.foriio.com/k-urabe