Niigata, a journey through fermentation. — Landscapes and flavors encountered in Tsunan and Nagaoka
Hello, this is Ai ( @kwhrai115 ).
I went on a business trip to Niigata over the weekend. This time, I visited "Tsunan Jozo," where Kengo Suzuki—who serves as Oryzae's Research and Development Strategy Officer (RSO) and is also a co-founder of Euglena Co., Ltd.—is the president. The following day, I extended my trip to the Setta area of Nagaoka City.
Day 1: Visiting Tsunan Jozo
Tsunan Town, Niigata Prefecture. I visited "Tsunan Jozo," which stands in this nature-rich area. Kengo Suzuki, who is also Oryzae's R&D Strategy Officer, showed me around the brewery. As the president managing the brewery, Kengo-san personally acted as a tour guide, carefully explaining the tank room and the brewing area.
“We are using science to pursue a thorough commitment to flavor here in the land of Tsunan.”
Behind the words of Kengo-san, who is always taking on many challenges, lay a deep respect for the land and a profound spirit of inquiry into the practice of fermentation.
After that, I extended my trip a little to see the terraced rice fields near Tokamachi.
While feeling the effects of climate change, I took a walk around the flowers blooming bravely and the surrounding rice fields. It really is too hot. I heard there hadn't been much rain in the area on the day I visited, which made me realize once again that rain, which can be a nuisance in daily life, is essential for agriculture.
Evening in Tsunan: A time when the rice fields and the sunset eased my heart
After finishing the tour, I took a short walk around the Tsunan area in the evening.
Rice fields spread out as far as the eye could see, and the sun slowly began to set. Each stalk of rice shone golden, and even the sound of them rustling in the wind felt like it was soaking into my heart.
Just standing there, looking at the scenery without thinking about anything, my heart was strangely moved.
“Perhaps fermentation also grows quietly like this.”
A landscape where the workings of nature and human craftsmanship gently overlap.
It was the very beauty of living in a way that blends into the land.
I had been spending my days busily in the Kanto region, so I feel like I had a good detox. For the first time in a while, I didn't listen to anything through my earphones and walked while gently feeling the sounds of the land.
Day 2: To the Setta area, a village of fermentation
The next day, I went to the Setta district in Nagaoka City. This is an area where fermentation culture has been rooted for a long time, and miso and soy sauce breweries are scattered throughout.
At Hoshino Honten, I had chilled miso soup. I had been walking while feeling like I might collapse from the heat, so the minerals soaked right into my body.
Also, at the LOCAL IDENTITY STORE "LIS" operated by Farm8, I had their popular JOGURT. It is an amazake made with sake lees and lactic acid bacteria. The faint scent of alcohol from the sake lees matches perfectly with the gentle acidity of the lactic acid bacteria, and I was completely captivated by this drink in one go.
・Originally, sake was meant to be made with hard water, but Niigata rice is suited for soft water. Niigata's sake brewing evolved to be able to use soft water.
・The conditions for making delicious sake are that the grains are large, the rice is round, and the inside is porous. Koshihikari is the exact opposite, so it is not suitable for sake brewing.
・As global warming progresses, the rice is becoming harder. (Brewing manufacturers must research and adapt to these changes in agricultural produce caused by climate change.)
The scent of koji drifted softly from somewhere, and I felt how fermentation breathes as a "part of daily life."
Because Niigata was blessed with land, clean water, and abundant rice, it has flourished as a fermentation area since the Edo period. I heard that since the Niigata Chuetsu Earthquake, there has been a growing movement for fermentation breweries to gather and revitalize the region. It was educational to hear real voices about the circle of the community connected through fermentation.
Conclusion
What Kengo-san told me about brewing sake alongside the land.
The image of quiet fermentation I felt while watching the sunset sink into the rice fields.
The "fermentation culture in daily life" I encountered in Settaya.
I feel like all of these taught me that "fermentation is life itself."
I would like to apply the landscapes and time I experienced on this business trip to my future craftsmanship.
Bonus: There was an event at the sunflower field in the Tsunan area.
Niigata was a great place. I felt it is a land with many interesting things, and I would like to go again!