Sake Brewery Tour at Moritami Shuzo Honke & Unexpected Hayashi Rice Delight in Sendai!

宮城

Hello, fellow travel lovers!

This time, I visited the long-established sake brewery **Moritami Shuzo Honke** in Sendai🍶

I made an online reservation for the weekday-only 4 PM tour!

…or so I thought, but I got a reply saying, “We can accommodate you from 1 PM instead.” Wait, why 1 PM? I was a bit confused, but replied, “Sounds good!” anyway (lol).

I walked 20 minutes hoping for a café lunch… but wait, it’s closed!?

I was all set for sake tasting that day, strolling 20 minutes from my hotel. Sure, I was looking forward to lunch too, but let’s be honest—it was all about the sake! 😄 My target? The salmon rice ball lunch at Moritami Café🍙

…but when I arrived, there was no café curtain in sight—the place was completely closed!

As I stood there in shock, someone wearing a Moritami apron stepped out of a car. Turns out—it was the café’s day off! But they still kept my brewery tour reservation. So kind!

When I said, “I’ll grab lunch somewhere and come back,” they replied, “I can whip up something simple!” How could I say no to that kind offer?

Hayashi rice!? And then… a flavorful explosion of fermentation magic!

They said, “I can make hayashi rice,”—a dish I normally wouldn’t choose… but hey, let’s give it a try!

And it turned out to be surprisingly delicious!

It was a rich, demiglace-style recipe enhanced by fermentation— I can honestly say it was the first time hayashi rice ever impressed me!

For dessert, I had a perfectly balanced iced coffee with deep aroma and richness, paired with a moist, decadent Basque cheesecake.

I meant to just have “a little something sweet”… but ended up polishing it all off (lol).
This combo, to put it mildly, was absolutely amazing ✨

Next time, I’m going back for the full lineup—salmon rice ball, hayashi rice, and cheesecake! And yes, the iced coffee is a must-repeat too ☕🍰

And now… it’s finally time for the main event: sake tasting! 🍶

First up was a sweet nigori sake. Honestly… it tasted like alcoholic amazake!

 

Next came the junmai ginjo—fruity, smooth, and dangerously easy to drink (lol).

 

Then came the new brand “Moritami” junmai daiginjo. It was served in an aroma-enhancing glass—and my excitement hit max level ⤴ At this point… I was already a little tipsy 🤣

 

Next, I did a side-by-side tasting of two junmai sakes: * Made with sake rice: ◎ Delicious! * Made with Tsuyahime (table rice): △ A bit quirky, maybe not for everyone?

 

Finally, a dry junmai sake—served both chilled and warm 🍶🔥 Wait… how many cups have I had by now!?

 

And there was more… the grand finale: sake on the rocks! With a splash of lemon juice and a bit of syrup, that strong-flavored sake transformed into a refreshing cocktail-style drink!

It went down way too easily… and yep, I was officially buzzed (lol).

 

Off we went on the brewery tour, tipsy and happy— and the guide? Absolutely awesome!

After the tasting, it was finally time for the brewery tour.

First stop: the rice-washing station! It wasn’t brewing season, but apparently it can wash up to 100kg of rice at once (if I remember right—tipsy memory lol).

 

Next was the steaming kettle. After that, the steamed rice gets cooled down and moved into the koji room. They even showed the rice-cooling machine in action—but I totally forgot to take a photo because I was so drawn into the explanation. A bit fuzzy on the details… thanks to the sake 🤣

 

Here, they explained how the koji mold breaks down the starch into sugar. Watching the koji change from white to translucent was fascinating!

 

We also got to see the filter-style machine used to separate the sake from the lees. The sake kasu (lees) collects between the folds—pretty cool to see how it works!

 

Here’s the equipment used for quality control—like something straight out of a science lab! It totally got my inner nerd excited ✨

 

They also showed us the traditional sake barrels used for celebrations. These days, it’s common to only fill the top part for the ceremonial breaking—that was news to me!

 

By the way… the brewery was also featured on Tohoku Broadcasting’s show “Sand no Bonyari~nu TV”!

 


Tour Info & Pricing Summary 📝

About the Brewery Tour:

  • Location: Moritami Shuzo Honke
  • Duration: 60–90 minutes
  • Available: Weekdays only (excluding Golden Week, Obon, and New Year holidays)
  • Start Time: 3:00 PM or 4:00 PM (negotiable)
  • Group Size: Minimum 2 people / Maximum 25 people
  • Reservation Deadline: By 5:00 PM, two days in advance

Available Plans (Tax Included):

  1. Cake Set Plan: ¥2,090 (includes cake, drink, and tour)
  2. Junmai Sake Souvenir Plan: ¥2,750 (includes a sake souvenir and tour)
  3. Cake Set & Junmai Sake Souvenir Plan: ¥3,520 (includes everything ♪)

More to Enjoy After the Brewery Tour!

Plenty of tasting, a thorough tour, and an unexpectedly amazing lunch ✨ But above all, I was touched by the kindness of the staff.

After the tour, I enjoyed some amazake—often called “a drinkable IV” for its nutrients—and picked up an amazake tiramisu for dessert later that night. (No sugar added, yet sweet and delicious!)

For souvenirs, I picked up Moritami’s junmai and junmai daiginjo sake. Before I knew it… they were gone (lol).

It truly was an experience filled with both great *sake* and great *vibes* 🍶

Next time, I’m definitely coming back for the full Moritami course—salmon rice ball, hayashi rice, and cheesecake!

The journey continues... Wishing you all a wonderful trip! – TabiJun
**TabiJun**

 

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