The 4th is the first day of spring, one of the 24 solar terms. A sake brewery in Sagae City, Yamagata Prefecture, shipped freshly squeezed sake to celebrate the arrival of spring.
This event is called ``Risshun Asashibori'' and is held every year by a group of sake brewing companies across the country.
Starting just after 5 a.m. on the 4th, a group of 10 employees at a sake brewing company in Sagae City worked to bottle the sake they had begun preparing in December of last year.
We then shipped over 2,700 bottles of freshly squeezed sake to 12 retailers in Yamagata Prefecture.
After the shipment was completed, the chief priest of the local shrine prayed for the family's safety and good health.
Toshihiro Onuma, president of the sake brewing company Chiyojutoraya, says, ``This year's sake has a clean and light taste.Even though it's from Yamagata Prefecture in the northern country, I want you to drink this sake and feel the early arrival of spring.'' We were talking.