One Scene, One Drink: 'A Scene of Memory and Today's Drink' [Fukushima Trip] Goshikinuma (Ura-Bandai), Lake Hibara, Tsuruga Castle, and Ouchi-juku #Today's Drink 'Sharaku' and 'Kido'
▶Prologue: Goshikinuma (Ura-Bandai) Photographed in Nov. 2025
Memories of scenery sometimes flow through a person's body more deeply than blood ties.
Fukushima, the prefecture where my grandfather was born.
I walked through that land again during a one-night autumn foliage trip.
The past and the present overlap in the autumn light.
▶Lake Hibara and Mt. Bandai: The Depth of Silence Photographed in Nov. 2025
As soon as I reached Lake Hibara, Mt. Bandai, with its gentle ridgeline, stood proudly.
The lake embraced the sky, and only the path of the wind left thin lines on the water's surface.
When I visited this place as a reporter, I looked at the scenery as a 'subject to be conveyed.'
It is different now.
I am receiving the same wind and bathing in the same light as the person beside me.
There are moments that are understood without words.
That is what this trip is now.
▶Tsuruga Castle and Ouchi-juku: Walking Through Layers of Time Photographed in Nov. 2025
There was a night when I looked up at Tsuruga Castle illuminated by a full moon.
As a young photojournalist, I was left speechless by the contrast between the white walls and the moonlight.
That scene still remains deep in my heart.
And this time,
what is before me is Tsuruga Castle towering under a clear blue sky.
The dignified keep looked somewhat serene under the autumn sun.
If the castle at night is 'tension,' the castle by day is 'embrace.'
Time changes even the impression of a scene.
Leaving the castle behind, I headed to Ouchi-juku.
A single road lined with thatched-roof houses.
The village, embraced by mountains, seemed slightly removed from the flow of time.
Autumn leaves swayed over the roofs, and the laughter of tourists melted softly into the sky.
Walking through the post town that retains the atmosphere of the Edo period,
I suddenly imagined my grandfather.
A life born in this land of Fukushima and passed down through the ages.
If the castle is a 'symbol of history,' Ouchi-juku is a 'memory of daily life.'
It is not about cobblestones or castle walls.
The work of soil, wood, and people exists here.
Tsuruga Castle under the blue sky.
Ouchi-juku breathing in the mountains.
I am standing in a landscape that transcends time.
▶Today's Drink
Sharaku Junmai Sake (Fukushima Prefecture)
Kido Junmai Ginjo Hiyaoroshi (Wakayama Prefecture)
Tonight's drink is 'Sharaku,' a famous sake from Aizu, Fukushima.
A fragrance with a sense of transparency.
When taken into the mouth,
a soft umami and a dignified acidity spread quietly.
It is not flashy.
But it has a core.
As I pour another cup, I think.
The Aizu Domain and the Kishu Domain.
The compassion of Kishu, which reached out to the defeated people of Aizu after the turbulent times of the Boshin War.
The two lands, far apart, are connected in the depths of history.
As I savored the Sharaku and let my thoughts wander through those memories,
my hand reached for the other bottle by my side.
Kido, the sake of Kishu.
As if to catch the lingering finish of the Sharaku,
a soft fragrance rose up.
Fukushima and Wakayama.
Aizu and Kishu.
Transcending time and land, they meet again over the sake cup.
History, even while quietly sharing a drink like this,
is truly alive.
▶ See today's sake here
For those who want to enjoy the lingering memories of the trip at home.
▶︎ View on Rakuten
Sharaku (Junmai Sake)
https://a.r10.to/h5azc9
Kido (Junmai Ginjo Shiboritate Nama)
▶Recommended "Guinomi" (Sake Cup)
"Aizu Lacquerware, Aizu-nuri, Guinomi"
Enhances the deliciousness of the sake.
▶︎ View on Rakuten
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