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When I visit Kitakata, Fukushima Prefecture, in March, a thick layer of snow blankets the rooftops, but the sunny and warm afternoon signals the start of spring and the coming of a unique, seasonal delight: the first sip of freshly pressed sake.

At Yumegokoro Shuzo, Nobuo Shoji walks me through his brewing facility to a room occupied by an automatic filter press that resembles a massive accordion. He lifts the lid on a tank of just-pressed Naraman Junmai sake, and the fragrance of melon fills the air. The brew has traces of carbonation for a slight fizz and a faint yellow-green hue, which will fade as the sake matures. Notes of ripe melon and candied green apple unfurl across the palate, followed by a jolt of acidity and astringency before the dry finish.

Savoring such fresh sake at the source is a special experience that Shoji, the sixth-generation president of Yumegokoro Shuzo, hopes to share with many more guests in the near future.

Nobuo Shoji sees sake as a draw for tourism for Kitakata, a small but lovely town known for its more than 4,000 traditional kura warehouses and thriving ramen scene. | MELINDA JOE

“If the situation continues to improve, we’d like to resume taking visits by appointment next year,” he says, noting that the brewery has been closed to the public since the early days of the pandemic. “We definitely want people to come back to the region.”

Shoji sees sake as a draw for tourism for Kitakata, a small but lovely town known for its more than 4,000 traditional kura warehouses and thriving ramen scene. Hailed as one of the top ramen destinations in Japan, the city is home to more than 100 noodle shops, some tucked into kura converted into stores, bars and restaurants. There are 10 sake breweries in Kitakata, and some offer on-site tastings.

Founded in 1877, Yumegokoro Shuzo produces the award-winning brand Naraman. Since 1996, the brewery has been working with locally grown sake rice. More than 80% now comes from farms in Fukushima Prefecture’s Aizu region. The brewery mainly uses gohyakumangoku rice, along with the sakemirai and aiyama varieties and utsukushima-yume yeast — a strain developed by the prefecture’s brewing association.

The mission, Shoji says, is to create “a truly local sake that can only be made in Kitakata.” A sense of regional identity informs the brewery’s philosophy of “evolving bit by bit” while maintaining a strong link to the past.

“The trend is toward aromatic and sweet, fruity sake, but our style has always been more umami-driven and focused on the rice,” Shoji says. “We’ve incorporated some modern ideas but continue to make sake that has a subtle aroma and a clean finish.”

Yumegokoro Shuzo’s commitment to tradition results in sake that shines with the local cuisine. From the brewery we head to Inakaya, a restaurant specializing in horse meat, a regional delicacy. Dinner is a spread of early spring dishes — wobbly shirako cod milt in citrus-infused ponzu sauce, grilled bamboo shoots with miso and a platter of deep-fried mountain vegetables alongside basashi (horse meat sashimi).

Yumegokoro Shuzo’s commitment to tradition results in sake that shines with the local cuisine. | MELINDA JOE

The small plates pair with Naraman Junmai Origarami Nama, a lightly cloudy brew with generous flavors of berry and melon, a smooth texture and a crisp finish. Next, Naraman Junmai Ginjo Nakadare Nama displays juicy acidity and apple-melon notes with a hint of kiwi.

With the main course of bubbling nabe hotpot filled with horse meat and mushrooms in a soy milk-infused broth, we sip Naraman Junmai warmed to around 45 degrees Celsius. Shoji instructs me to compare it to the same sake at room temperature. The gentle heat brings out a ricey sweetness that harmonizes with both the nabe and the final course of Kitakata-style ramen, the distinctively wide and chewy noodles floating in clear soup.

Serving ramen at the end of the meal, Shoji says, is part of the local food culture.

“In Kitakata, people even have it for breakfast,” he explains with a laugh.

We toast to breakfast ramen, and I make a plan to return next spring. If everything goes Shoji’s way, I won’t be the only one making the trip.

“We’ve been doing online tasting events for the past couple of years, but nothing beats drinking together in person,” he says.

For more information on Fukushima sake, visit yumegokoro.com or sake-fukushima.jp (both Japanese only).

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