On August 24, the “THE NIIGATA Premium Sake Shinkansen” event was held on the Tokaido Shinkansen, where a car of the “Nozomi” was rented out to enjoy Niigata Prefecture’s local sake and cuisine onboard.
The event, organized by Niigata Prefecture to promote the appeal of its local sake to the Tokyo and Kansai areas, utilized the “Reserved Carriage Package” that allows renting out a car of the “Nozomi”. Car No. 16 of the Nozomi No. 339 bound for Shin-Osaka from Tokyo was reserved, offering 14 types of sake from 9 breweries in Niigata Prefecture alongside dishes carefully paired with the sake. The selection mainly featured brands from Sado City, in commemoration of Sado Island’s gold mines being registered as a World Cultural Heritage site in July, with all five breweries in the city and their toji (master brewers) joining the ride.
About 20 participants started off with a toast using Hakuroshu Sake Brewery (Nagaoka City)’s “Shiratsuyuhanabi” in champagne glasses. The first sakes served at the seats were “Midorigawa Junmai Daiginjo” from Midorigawa Sake Brewery (Uonuma City), a private brand “Daiginjo Hibigan Uchimizu – Summer Sake” by Sake・Hoshino (Tsubame City) and Taiyo Sake Brewery (Murakami City), and “Kubota Manju Jikomi Jihomai” by Asahi Sake Brewery (Nagaoka City). Each sake was the pride of its brewery, with “Hibigan” being particularly noted as a “phantom sake” as it’s not available for general distribution, mainly aimed at high-end ryotei and sushi restaurants.
The cuisine was prepared by “Tsubamesanjo Bit”, a restaurant chain emphasizing ingredients from Niigata. Dishes served paired with the first four sakes included “Beef and Truffle Tartare with Snow-Cellared Carrot Purée”, the local Niigata delicacy “Noppe”, “Echigo Chicken Liver Pâté”, and “Mousse made with Toyoei Gold Rush apples”. Kazunao Harazawa, the executive chef of the company who joined the Shinkansen, explained the pairing of sakes and dishes, such as combining the richly flavored tartare with the robust Midorigawa and the clean-tasting “Hibigan” with the simply seasoned “Noppe” to emphasize the ingredients’ flavors.
Following were “Manotsuru Maho Polished to 35% Daiginjo” and “Kanaderu Junmai Daiginjo Orikarami” by Obata Sake Brewery, “Kinkaku Honjozo” and “Junmai Kazewa” by Kato Sake Brewery, “Gagaku Dai Gekka” and “Gagaku Rokuwa” by Tenryohai Sake Brewery, all from Sado City. The brewery owners and master brewers introduced the enjoyment and craftsmanship of each sake. The accompanying dishes were “Roast of Snow-Cellered Aged Beef” and “Low-Temperature Cooked Awabi from Sado with Liver and Cauliflower Sauce”, among others, indicating that participants were actively enjoying the sakes.
Midway through the event, Sado Island’s traditional performing art “Ondeko” (demon drumming), a prayer for bountiful harvests and family safety, was performed, with demons dancing fiercely to the drum beats.
Afterward, “Junmai Ginjo Itadaki” and “Shinryo Yamahai Junmai Daiginjo” by Itami Sake Brewery, followed by “Hokusetu Junmai Daiginjo Hikari” and the closing with “Hokusetu Plum Wine” were served. The total amount of sake provided per person was about 720ml (approximately four “go” servings) over the two and a half hours journey.
Since the 2021 fiscal year, Niigata Prefecture has established the “Local Industry & Sake Promotion Division” within the department responsible for regional industrial promotion, putting efforts into strengthening the brand power of its local sake and enhancing information dissemination. The event was organized in conjunction with the opening of the prefecture’s new antenna shop “THE NIIGATA” in Ginza, Tokyo, on August 8, with a similar event held on the Nozomi No. 410 from Shin-Osaka to Tokyo. A prefectural official mentioned the desire to spread the appeal of Niigata’s sake to people in the Tokyo and Kansai regions, where the prefecture also has an antenna shop in Whity Umeda, Osaka.
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