There comes a point when you have to stop looking back and dwelling on what has happened, and start looking ahead to the process of rebuilding all the communities that have been devastated — along with their traditional industries. And also to have some fun.
For a select group of us, yesterday was that time. And Namikibashi Nakamura was the place.
Every spring for the past decade, owner Teiji Nakamura and his staff have held an eat-and-drink-all-you-like party, to mark the arrival of the sakura blossoms. Like so many celebrations, the question of whether to continue with this year's event was in the balance. But after consulting with the brewers themselves, the decision was made to go ahead as planned.
Besides making it a fund-raiser for sake brewers in Tohoku, many of whom have been badly — in some cases massively, devastatingly — damaged, the aim was to encourage people to drink and be merry, to cheer up and generate some much needed income for the kura and the general populace in the region.
There was a great turnout — with the kitchen turning out plenty of good food to go with the premium sake...
The focus this time was on the sake of Fukushima Prefecture (plus one from Miyagi). Aizu Musume, Hiroki and Sharaku are all based in Aizu Wakamatsu, far inland, and were relatively unscathed, only a bit of quake damage. However, they were totally cut off for several days and, for the brewers, this was their first trip out of Aizu since March 11.
By contrast, Iwaki Kotobuki incurred such a massive hit to its buildings and stock that basically it's been wiped out. Worse yet, it is so close to the Fukushima nuclear power plant that it will have to relocate to another site altogether if it is to rebuild.
The fifth kura that was featured was Hakurakusei (from Miyagi, not Fukushima, but a longtime incumbent on Nakamura's sake list) which also incurred huge quake damage, losing its entire buildings and all of its sake stock. The proceeds from this event are going to go to those two kura which have suffered so badly.
Here are a few pics of the stars of the show...
Top: some of Hiroki's best brews were poured...
Above: Sharaku's new 4th-generation president, Miyamori-san...
Right: Representing the two destroyed kura (Hakurakusei and Iwaki Kotobuki), Inmaru-san of Aji-no-machidaya, a fine jizake specialist and distributor...
Below: Nakamura-san addresses the assembled throng...
And the kitchen staff look on with undivided attention.
And (for those who understand Japanese) here are some vids of the speeches at the end. It was very moving to hear first-hand of the difficulties they have been facing — and the determination to bounce back and rebuild.
The first vid (above) is Inmaru-san of Aji-no-machidaya. The second (below) is Takahashi-san from Aizu-Musume...
...and third, Miyamori-san from Sharaku...
It was a very fun afternoon in a very good cause.
