WELCOME TO TAKASAN

Run by the Kono family since its founding, Sohomare Brewery was founded in 1872. Before taking over the business, the fifth generation and current president, Jun Kono, traveled to France in the 1980's to study the language and wine. His time there will later greatly influence the direction of the brewery. Shortly after becoming president in 1989, he decided the primary output of their sakes will be made kimoto style, there by radically differentiating his company from other breweries. The kimoto method creates the lactic acid needed to kill off any bacteria by mashing the steamed rice and rice yeast instead of adding industrially made lactic acid. It is more timestaking, takes a good four weeks longer than the regular method, and requires more care and maintenance, but results in a stronger, healthier yeast starter that is higher in antioxidants and less likely to deteriorate during the subsequent processes—and what's more, a more flavorful sake.

Tochigi Prefecture's most famous export are strawberries, but the most memorable thing about Tochigi may be the monkeys. Tochigi is about an hour drive from Tokyo, and home to Nikko, where the famous Nihon zaru (Japanese monkeys) are. Called snow monkeys or macaques, they can endure cold climates, making them the most northern-living non-human primates. With the grand Nikko mountain range as its backdrop, Sohomare brewery is located in the east side of Tochigi Prefecture. Where the winter nights and mornings are so cold it cuts to the bone, the brewery craftsmen begin their workday when the morning frost lightly blankets everything outside.