Japan 2008: Kikusui Sake Rice Harvest
![kikusui_endo_tim With Mr. Endo of Kikusui](https://www.urbansake.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/kikusui_endo_tim.jpg)
With Mr. Endo of Kikusui
I was met at the train station by Mr. Takeshi Endo, Export Salesman for Kikusui. Mr. Endo would be my guide for a fun filled day at Kikusui! Let me just say that my tour of Kikusui turned out to be more than I expected. As fate would have it, Kikusui Brewery was putting on a yearly Sake Rice Harvest festival for the local community on the day of my visit. Not only was I able to visit this fantastic brewery, but I also got the chance to harvest organic sake rice… by hand!
![kikusui_rice_field Beautiful Organic Kikusui Sake Rice Field](https://www.urbansake.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/kikusui_rice_field.jpg)
Beautiful Organic Kikusui Sake Rice Field
![kikusui_harvest Kikusui Rice Harvest in Full Swing](https://www.urbansake.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/kikusui_harvest.jpg)
Kikusui Rice Harvest in Full Swing
In about two hours, the entire rice paddy was harvested! phew, time for a break. Kikusui arranged for a fantastic concert by the Pataya Beach Boys. They were great and I even found a clip of them playing on YouTube if you want to give a listen! The crowd at Kikusui loved it and even chanted for an encore.
![kikusui_masu Beautiful Vintage Masu on Display at the Kikusui Sake Museum](https://www.urbansake.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/kikusui_masu.jpg)
Beautiful Vintage Masu on Display at the Kikusui Sake Museum
Next is was time to eat! Our hosts at Kikusui whipped up a wonderful lunch topped off by something new to me… I got to try hand pounded fresh mochi for the first time!
![kikusui_mochi Pounding Rice Into Delicious Mochi](https://www.urbansake.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/kikusui_mochi.jpg)
Pounding Rice Into Delicious Mochi
So there I was, in the middle of the Niigata countryside, eating fresh sake-rice mochi, drinking fantastic kikusui Sake – I was in 7th heaven! I am so grateful to Mr. Takasawa-san for hosting me and certainly also to Mr. Endo who took such good care of me and showed me around all day long. Without a doubt, this is a day I will remember for the rest of my life. Now, please pass the mochi.