Finally, sake lovers and movie buffs can toast together with one of the quality sakes brewed at Watanabe Sake Brewery. Brewmaster Cody gave us the lay of the land, showing us the process that goes into making a quality sake.

As soon as we walked in, we were greeted with the visual guide of the movie accompanying one of the specialty sake brews, made to represent the kuchikami sake that Mistuha makes in the movie. Kuchikamizake is a very traditional kind of libation that was made by virginal shrine maidens, who would chew rice and spit it into a jar as a starter. The enzymes in the saliva would help begin the fermentation process. This was prior to the eighth century when koji mold became the primary way to ferment rice. As the manner of making sake with saliva is frowned upon, the Watanabe Brewery offers a high-quality sake to represent the drink from the movie (that promises to no spit in it whatsoever)!

After learning about the different kinds of rice used to make sake we took a cool tour (literally cool, as these rooms need to be cold) of the facilities. The best part, of course, is tasting the variety of sake on hand. There was surely something for everyone from light and sweet selections to those more complex and dry on the palate.

The team here believes in motivating the ingredients in a fun and uplifting way will create the best results. Visitors are asked to leave positive remarks for the water, with most people giving thanks to the water or expressing their wishes that the water becomes delicious sake one day. While the rice is fermenting in another room, comedy shows are blasted to offer smiles and laughs to the rice. Some other brewers play classical music, but this quirky brewery thinks comedy will produce better results.