小川町 酒蔵まつり 2024.2.25/ Ogawa-machi Sake Brewery Festival 2024
埼玉県小川町の酒蔵まつりに妻と行ってきました。昨年に続き、今回は2回目の参加、少々天候が雨模様でしたのでその点は残念でしたが、雨にも負けず、会場は大盛況だったと思います。
I visited the Sake Brewery Festival in Ogawa-machi, Saitama Prefecture, with my wife. This was the second time we attended the festival, following last year. The weather was a bit rainy, so we were disappointed about that, but the venue was a great success despite the rain.
参加されていた酒蔵は、前回と同様に「松岡醸造」と「晴雲酒造」の2つの酒蔵さん、そして特別出展ということで、「武蔵ワイナリー」も参加されていました。お酒試飲の他、地元グルメ店も多数出店しており、会場では和太鼓や吹奏楽等の演奏もあり、”飲んで”・”食べて”・”聞いて”、酔いひとときを楽しみました。前回は、小川町を散歩することも楽しみながら、会場を行き来しましたが、今回はあいにくの天候ということで、会場間の移動はシャトルバスを活用しました。いつものごとく、一番印象的で本当に大切なことだな、と思うこと。それは、迎える側も参加する側も共に”笑顔”だった、ということです。おいしい食べ物と、おいしいお酒が人と人をつなぎ、交流の場を創り、”笑顔”を生み出す。お酒のパワーを感じるとともに、企画から運営していただいた小川町酒蔵めぐり実行委員会の皆さま、地元関係者の皆さまには感謝申し上げたいです。（2023年2月参加時のnote はこちら↓）
The breweries participating were the same as last year, Matsuoka Brewery and Seiun Shuzo, and Musashi Winery was also there as a special exhibitor. In addition to sake tasting, there were many local gourmet stores, and there were also performances by Japanese drummers and brass bands. We enjoyed a drunken time of "drinking," "eating," and "listening. Last time, we enjoyed strolling through Ogawa-machi as we went from one venue to another. Unfortunately, the weather this time was unfavorable, so we took advantage of the shuttle buses for transportation between the venues. As always, the most impressive and truly important thing was that both the people who welcomed us and those who participated in the event were very much a part of it. The most impressive and important thing was the smiles on the faces of both the participants and the guests. Good food and good sake bring people together, create a place for exchange, and bring smiles to people's faces. I am reminded of the power of sake and would like to express my gratitude to the Ogawa-machi Sake Brewery Tour Executive Committee and all the local people involved in the planning and operation of the event. (Click here to see the note I wrote when I participated in February 2023)
前回（2023年2月）は、①晴雲酒造 ⇒ ②松岡醸造、という順番で会場を移動したのですが、松岡醸造さんの蔵見学の整理券が無くなってしまい参加できなかったので、その反省を活かし、①松岡醸造⇒ ②晴雲酒造⇒ ③武蔵ワイナリーの順番としました。今回は、２回目の参加ということもあり、会場での試飲要領も分かってきたので効率よく会場を回ることができました。
In the previous tour (February 2023), we visited the following venues in this order: (1) Haruun Shuzo ⇒ (2) Matsuoka Brewery. However, we were unable to attend the tour of Matsuoka Brewery because we ran out of numbered tickets. Since this was the second time for me to participate in this tour, I was able to efficiently visit the tasting sites since I had learned the tasting procedures at each site.
①松岡醸造株式会社/ Matsuoka Brewery Co.
自宅を早めに出て、9時30分頃には松岡醸造さんの会場に到着。10時前に会場に到着できたので、目当てにしていた蔵見学の整理券配布にも間に合いました。到着早々、10時00分の回に参加することができました。少しの待ち時間に温かい甘酒をいただきました。
I left home early and arrived at Matsuoka Brewery around 9:30 a.m. Since I was able to arrive at the venue before 10:00 a.m., I was in time for the distribution of numbered tickets for the brewery tour, which I had been looking forward to. I was able to attend the 10:00 am session as soon as I arrived. During the short wait, we were served warm amazake (sweet sake).
このころはまだ雨は降っていなかったのですが。
We arrived at the venue around 9:30. It was not so crowded yet. I was right to come first, after all. It was still not raining at that time.
We were also able to get tickets for the 10:00 a.m. start of the brewery tour. While waiting, we were served warm amazake (sweet sake).
蔵見学は、松岡醸造 7代目社長が案内してくれました。お米の洗米工程（原料処理）から、製麹（せいぎく：麹を作る工程）～ 上槽（しぼり工程）～ 貯蔵場の他、酒造好適米と普通米の稲の高さの違い等も交えてお話いただき、約40分くらいの蔵見学をあっという間に終えました。
The tour of the brewery was led by the 7th president of Matsuoka Brewery. He talked about the rice washing process (raw material treatment), koji making process (seigiku (koji making)) - top tank (Shibori process) - storage area, as well as the difference in height between rice for sake brewing and rice for normal rice, etc. The brewery tour took about 40 minutes.
説明者：７代目社長 自ら案内いただきました。
A tour of the brewery. The tour is a very easy-to-understand explanation of how sake is made. Explainer: The 7th president of the company himself.
Rice after polishing and washing (very clean)
He explained about rice for sake brewing in an easy-to-understand manner.
こちらのお酒は、先日、埼玉県中小企業診断協会 国際化支援研究会で開催した国際化セミナー
の試飲用お酒にも活用させていただいたお酒です。
Mikadomatsu Risshun Shibori is available only by reservation. This sake was also used for the sake tasting at the internationalization seminar held recently at the Internationalization Support Study Group of the Saitama Prefecture Small and Medium Business Diagnostic Association.
蔵見学を終えたあと、早速、試飲会場に進みます。試飲の待ち時間には、たこ焼き（三代目笠山）や焼き鳥（太田ホルモン）をいただきました。（いつものように写真を忘れ・・・。）
After the brewery tour, we proceeded to the tasting room. While waiting for the tasting, we were served takoyaki (Kasayama 3rd generation) and yakitori (Ohta Horumon). (As usual, I forgot to take pictures...)
Unfortunately, it was raining at the venue, but the rain didn't matter much as we enjoyed drinks and local food.
雨のなか、迫力ある演奏でした。
Musashi Ogose High School Wadaiko "Seiryu" (Japanese drum performance) Despite the rain, the performance was powerful.
松岡醸造さんのお酒は、今月初めに、帝松立春しぼりの他、特別純米酒を購入済（在庫あり）で、さらに隣接されていう松風庵で飲み比べ等もいただいていたので今回購入しませんでした。
We did not purchase Matsuoka Brewery's sake this time because we had already purchased Mikadomatsu Risshun Shibori and Special Junmai Sake (in stock) earlier this month, and also had a chance to compare them at the adjacent Shofu-an restaurant.
Drink comparison set (3 types to choose from)
②晴雲酒造株式会社 / Seiun Shuzo Brewery Co.
松岡醸造の会場をあとにして、シャトルバスで晴雲酒造の会場へ移動します。あいにくの雨でテントのある場所に参加者が集まっています。もう少しテントを準備してもよかったかも・・・。
Leaving the Matsuoka Brewery site, we will take a shuttle bus to the Seiun Sake Brewery site. Unfortunately, it was raining and the participants were gathered in a tent area. Maybe we could have prepared a few more tents…
私は、”善祥”（E）に投票。結果はどうだったのでしょうか。
The tasting room was as crowded as last time. There was also a popularity vote box. I voted for "Zensho" (E). What was the result?
From Seiun Sake Brewing Company's Face book page. Voting results.
MC 稲村ジョージさんのギター演奏を堪能しました。
We had Ogawamachi croquettes this year, which were fried on the spot, and we enjoyed MC George Inamura's guitar performance.
「～2月は、酒蔵まつりで、酒が飲めるぞー 」と会場を盛り上げていました。
このあと、Miss SAKE Saitama の方の紹介も上手にこなしていました。
MC George Inamura excited the audience by saying, "In February, you can drink sake at the Sake Brewery Festival. After that, he skillfully introduced Miss SAKE Saitama.
③武蔵ワイナリー（特別出店）/ Musashi Winery
晴雲酒造さんから、徒歩10分程度の武蔵ワイナリーの会場に移動します。
From Seiun Sake Brewery, we moved to the Musashi Winery venue, a 10-minute walk away.
Musashi Winery's special venue (there were many tents where we could sit and spend some time).
武蔵ワイナリーで、目当てにしていたのは、『饗之光(あえのひかり)』というお酒です。数百年後も世の中に必要とされる企業を目指しているとのことで、ワインづくりの傍らで日本酒の杜氏として酒造りにも従事していたとか。この情報に興味を持ちまして今回立ち寄らせていただきました。
その時代の市場にあった商品づくりに挑戦することは非常に大切なことで、酒蔵創業時の消費者（＝市場）に向き合い、市場と対話しながら継続し続けることで100年、200年と必要とされる企業が生き残ってきた。そう考えると、試行錯誤して挑戦しようとすることの大切さ、挑戦し続けることの大切さ、そして、そういう挑戦を消費者が知ることの重要さを想像できます。
At Musashi Winery, I was looking for a sake called "Aenohikari. The winery aims to be a company that will be needed by the world for hundreds of years to come, and I heard that while making wine, they were also engaged in sake brewing as a toji (master brewer) of sake. This information interested me, so I decided to stop by this time.
It is very important to take on the challenge of creating products that suit the market of the time, and by facing the consumers (i.e., the market) at the time of the brewery's founding and continuing to talk with the market, companies that have been needed for 100 or 200 years have survived. Thinking of it, you can imagine the importance of trying to challenge through trial and error, the importance of continuing to challenge, and the importance of consumers knowing about such challenges.
こちらの武蔵ワイナリーの会場では、テントも設営されていて座ってゆっくりできる場所もあったので、大愚 純米大吟醸の燗酒（1合）をいただきました。裏のラベルをよく見てみると、こちらの製造者は、武蔵鶴酒造でした。
At this Musashi Winery venue, there was also a tent set up with a place to sit and relax, so I had a heated bottle of Taigu Junmai Daiginjo (1 gou=180mL). A closer look at the label on the back of the bottle revealed that it was made by Musashi-Tsuru Sake Brewery.
On cold days, I like to drink heated sake outside.
Genmai Onigiri (rice ball) and hot sake
いち消費者として応援していきたいと思います。
I purchased "Aenohikari" as a souvenir. As a consumer, I would like to support them.
おわりに /In closing
昨年に続き、2回目の酒蔵まつり参加。昨年は天候にも恵まれ晴れの日でしたが、今回は雨となりました。ただ、雨の日の酒蔵まつりも趣きがあって酔いを楽しむことができました。特に寒い日は燗酒がよく、武蔵ワイナリーの特設会場で飲んだ燗酒は最高でした。たった1合で酔っぱらうほどにお酒は弱いのですが、楽しむことができました。酒蔵まつりに付き合ってくれた妻にも感謝して、また、来年2月の酒蔵まつりを楽しみにしたいと思います。
This was the second time we participated in the Sake Brewery Festival, following last year. Last year the weather was fine and sunny, but this time it rained. However, the rainy day was also very enjoyable. Hot sake is especially good on a cold day, and the sake we drank at the Musashi Winery's special venue was fantastic. I'm not much of a drinker, and only one cup of sake is enough to get me drunk, but I enjoyed it. I would like to thank my wife for accompanying me to the sake brewery festival, and I look forward to another sake brewery festival next February.
静かな川の風景@小川町 / 雨の日もいい感じでした。
雪がちらついていたらもっと良い風景だったかも
The landscape of still river @ Ogawa town The rainy day was nice. It could have been more beautiful if it was snowing.
興味を持っていただいた方、ありがとうございます。いただいたサポートは、クリエイターが参加している各活動支援にさらに活用していきます。