Tokamachi, Niigata Pref. ¨C Niigata Prefecture¡¯s farmers produce the most rice out of any region in Japan. It¡¯s also home to more sake breweries than anywhere else in the country. And yet, new breweries rarely open in this mecca of Japan¡¯s national drink.
That is, until this past October, when was admitted to the Niigata Sake Brewers Association as the prefecture¡¯s 90th brewery ¡ª just one of three to open in the prefecture since 1953.
¡°Niigata once had well over 100 sake breweries,¡± says Tomomi Duquette, 46, owner of Snow Satoyama Sake. ¡°Over time, that number gradually declined and fell below 90. So seeing it return to the ¡¯90s, with us being counted as the 90th brewery by the association, feels very meaningful to me.¡±
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