Drink-Related Miyagi Souvenirs: Urakasumi Sake and Kirin Beer

    In preparation for a long-planned trip to the states to see family in this summer, I have spent weeks trying to tackle souvenir hunting for my family. My visit will not be coinciding with Christmas or any major birthdays but it always seems best to bring a little something for everyone. Since the family members I am visiting are exclusively above the age of 21 (save for my 3 month old niece) and fond enough of alcohol, things like sake always seem like a good idea. Couple this with the post office forbidding the shipment of alcohol via post and the presence of a sake distillery in the very town where I live and I knew where my first stop had to be.

Urakasumi Sake Brewery in Shiogama

The small, historical building on Motomachi, before opening time.

    Urakasumi is a small but lovely little shop and sake brewery on the historic Motomachi street in Shiogama, not too far from Okama shrine. In addition to over a dozen different products, some available only in Miyagi, the shop also offers sake tasting for a small fee. The service is concluded in Japanese only but there is an English translation of the sake making process available and the people are well-mannered and polite. In addition, sake tasting folks may also take home the glass used in their tasting. Many artistic articles of glassware and ceramics are also available in their gallery of glassware at the front of the store.
    On this occasion, my visit being sometime in the early AM, I chose to forego the tasting and instead ponder over purchases from their large selection. Eventually, I settled on a nice looking bottle of umeshu, the plum spirit my brother so enjoyed on his last trip to Japan, and a seasonal sake. The grand total was around 3,000 yen.
   

    If you're in the mood for a similar sake experience, the Urakasumi distillery in Shiogama is located at 2-19 Motomachi, Shiogama, Miyagi 985-0052. The operating hours are from 10AM to 5PM weekdays and Saturdays and the main brewery building next door offers guided tours between 10AM and 2PM with advanced booking. More information is available here.

Kirin Brewery in Sendai

The Kirin Brewery Gift Shop, with shelves holding everything from cookies to drinking glasses and, yes, even beer.

    Another great souvenir stop for those who enjoy a more contemporary alcoholic experience in Miyagi is the Kirin Brewery in Sendai. From Tagajo station, there is a shuttle bus and the brewery itself offers a free tour though mostly in Japanese. At the end of the tour, all guests are permitted a sampling of 3 beers of their choice at the cafeteria near the gift shop.

    On this occasion, I made a beeline for the gift shop, not needing to spend more time learning the ways of Kirin. To my surprise, many of the things I found there were fairly priced and interesting. From towels to cookies to glassware and snacks, the shop had a nice sampling of items suitable to almost any budget. For my brother and sister-in-law, I got glasses with the indentation of Mount Fuji in their bases. For my father, who I have never seen drink a beer out of a glass in his own home, I got a large bath towel and a nice metal bookmark. I also picked up some whiskey filled chocolates for my mother. All this came to a grand total just under 5,000 yen.
    If you're interested in checking out the brewery and tour, the brewery is located at 2-chōme-2-1 Minato, Miyagino-ku, Sendai-shi, Miyagi-ken 983-0001. The shuttle bus from Tagajo station runs every hour between 9AM and 5PM at 35 minutes past the hour. For those looking to take the tour, they recommend taking the bus by 2:35 PM at the latest. More information is available here.