2007年03月
2007年03月04日
訳してみましょう
For me, my first experience with Sake was at a Japanese restaurant I
worked at in Orange County, California. I often drank sake after work
with the other employees. From these days I began to enjoy the taste
of Japanese Sake.
One day, my boss introduced a new Sake for customers who wanted a
more expensive taste. This sake was called Kurosawa. "It's Kurosawa,
like Akira Kurosawa" my boss said. After that I never forgot the name
of that Sake.
I quit that job, and became a university student. 4 years later, I
moved to Japan to teach English. I could not choose where I wanted to
go, so I was placed in Yachiho-mura, Nagano.
My first day in Yachiho the head of the board of education gave me a
tour around Yachiho. One of the first things he showed me was
Kurosawa Sake factory. I couldn't believe my eyes! I couldn't
believe that this little factory in this little village was the same
factory that made the sake I had served in California 4 years before,
but it was! That is when I decided that being placed in Yachiho must
be destiny!
To me, the beauty of sake is in its simplicity; its subtlety. When
making sake you do not add many spices or flavors. Unlike many major
beer companies you do not add preservatives or chemicals. Yet at the
same time, just by slightly changing the process in which you make
sake and/or the kind of water or rice you use can make a huge
difference in the final taste of the sake. Because of this you can
really tell the quality of ingredients and the skill with which the
sake was made in a single tasting.
Of course this is also true with other alcohols too, like wine or
spirits. Sake is often called Japanese wine or rice wine in America.
However one big difference I see between wine and sake is the subtlety
of the ingredients. Grapes have a very distinct taste. It easy to
compare grapes and say "this one is sweet, this one is sour, this one
is good or this one is bad". But with rice, especially for
unaccustomed westerners, the difference between good rice and bad rice
is much more difficult to tell. The other main ingredient in sake of
course is the water. Obviously there is good and bad water, but again
the difference is much more subtle than that of grapes.
For these reasons, I feel that through the flavor of well made Sake,
along with other Japanese cuisine like Miso, you can really taste the
"flavor" of Japan. Through the high quality water and rice still able
to be found and grown in some areas of Japan, you can taste the great
nature of Japan, which is one of the main places in which the
"essence" of Japan can be found. The other place in which the
"essence" or "spirit" of Japan can be found is in the everyday people
and their culture and traditions. Unlike huge Sake companies making
mass quantities of mediocre Sake, it is in the small companies where
the spirit and traditions of making sake, and the taste of the
surrounding nature can still be found, and therefore tasted.
Since coming to Yachiho I have been lucky enough to join the Kurosawa
family in making some delicious sake. I have been able to experience
the whole process of making sake, which is such a rare experience,
especially for a foreigner. Joining Kurosawa's "bijoukai" has
honestly been one of the most important parts of the cultural exchange
I have experienced in Japan.
Written by Mr.Mike Daivs
さあ、みんなで訳してみましょう！
マイクさんが酒との出会い八千穂美醸会のことを英語で書いてくれました。
worked at in Orange County, California. I often drank sake after work
with the other employees. From these days I began to enjoy the taste
of Japanese Sake.
One day, my boss introduced a new Sake for customers who wanted a
more expensive taste. This sake was called Kurosawa. "It's Kurosawa,
like Akira Kurosawa" my boss said. After that I never forgot the name
of that Sake.
I quit that job, and became a university student. 4 years later, I
moved to Japan to teach English. I could not choose where I wanted to
go, so I was placed in Yachiho-mura, Nagano.
My first day in Yachiho the head of the board of education gave me a
tour around Yachiho. One of the first things he showed me was
Kurosawa Sake factory. I couldn't believe my eyes! I couldn't
believe that this little factory in this little village was the same
factory that made the sake I had served in California 4 years before,
but it was! That is when I decided that being placed in Yachiho must
be destiny!
To me, the beauty of sake is in its simplicity; its subtlety. When
making sake you do not add many spices or flavors. Unlike many major
beer companies you do not add preservatives or chemicals. Yet at the
same time, just by slightly changing the process in which you make
sake and/or the kind of water or rice you use can make a huge
difference in the final taste of the sake. Because of this you can
really tell the quality of ingredients and the skill with which the
sake was made in a single tasting.
Of course this is also true with other alcohols too, like wine or
spirits. Sake is often called Japanese wine or rice wine in America.
However one big difference I see between wine and sake is the subtlety
of the ingredients. Grapes have a very distinct taste. It easy to
compare grapes and say "this one is sweet, this one is sour, this one
is good or this one is bad". But with rice, especially for
unaccustomed westerners, the difference between good rice and bad rice
is much more difficult to tell. The other main ingredient in sake of
course is the water. Obviously there is good and bad water, but again
the difference is much more subtle than that of grapes.
For these reasons, I feel that through the flavor of well made Sake,
along with other Japanese cuisine like Miso, you can really taste the
"flavor" of Japan. Through the high quality water and rice still able
to be found and grown in some areas of Japan, you can taste the great
nature of Japan, which is one of the main places in which the
"essence" of Japan can be found. The other place in which the
"essence" or "spirit" of Japan can be found is in the everyday people
and their culture and traditions. Unlike huge Sake companies making
mass quantities of mediocre Sake, it is in the small companies where
the spirit and traditions of making sake, and the taste of the
surrounding nature can still be found, and therefore tasted.
Since coming to Yachiho I have been lucky enough to join the Kurosawa
family in making some delicious sake. I have been able to experience
the whole process of making sake, which is such a rare experience,
especially for a foreigner. Joining Kurosawa's "bijoukai" has
honestly been one of the most important parts of the cultural exchange
I have experienced in Japan.
Written by Mr.Mike Daivs
さあ、みんなで訳してみましょう！
マイクさんが酒との出会い八千穂美醸会のことを英語で書いてくれました。
