November 1, 2023
TOKYO – Master sake brewer Shinji Kashimura mixes fermenting mash in a large wooden tub at Ozawa Sake Brewery in Ome, western Tokyo. When Kashimura, 52, put his mixing pole into the bubbling mash, a banana-like scent filled the air. By mixing, he adjusts the temperature and speed of fermentation for the mash, which will later be pressed to make finished sake. The brewery, which produces Sawanoi brand sake, will brew the sake until the end of March, which the sake brewing season ends.