By Johnnie Stroud, owner of Saké Nomi

Visitors to Saké Nomi frequently ask, “How’d you end up owning a saké bar in Seattle?” The short answer usually is, “What else would I do with a degree in English?” However, the longer, more truthful story is that upon graduating from college, and with no background in Japanese language, history or culture, I took a job teaching English to Japanese eighth graders. As fate would have it, I ended up living and working for three years in the heart of the Tohoku region, in Shiwa-cho, Iwate Prefecture.
When I first landed in Iwate (in 1988), there weren’t many gaijin (foreigners) in that remote region, thus it was a very intense, adventurous, challenging time in my life.  Learning standard Japanese, let alone the local dialect, was a slow, often painful process, but one thing I did learn early on was that I enjoyed Japanese saké. I came to realize later that the Tohoku region is blessed with an abundance of the most vital ingredients for producing delicious nihonshu: good water and good rice. In fact, the first thing most Japanese people say when I tell them I spent some time in Iwate is, “The rice and saké from up there certainly are delicious, aren’t they?” One of the original ideas behind opening a premium saké shop and tasting bar in Seattle was to introduce people here to the delicious brews produced by small, traditional sakagura (breweries) located in the area of my Japanese “hometown.”
It has been utterly heartbreaking to witness the devastation the recent earthquake and tsunami wreaked on my beloved Tohoku, but at Saké Nomi we are determined to do what we can to help. So along with holding various relief benefit events throughout the year, we will continue to enthusiastically promote the fantastic saké produced by Tohoku breweries. It may not seem like much, but kuramoto (brewery presidents) throughout Japan have said that the best thing that U.S. saké fans can do to support them is to continue buying and enjoying their products.
Kosuke Kuji, the 7th generation owner and toji (brewmaster) of Nanbu Bijin (“Southern Beauty”), had this to say: “For the time being, no one in this area feels like drinking saké. To avoid secondary economic damage, we want to earnestly ask everyone around the country and in other countries to eat and drink products from the Tohoku region. That is the most supportive thing you can do for us.
We of the Tohoku region will not lose to this. We absolutely will prevail. We will rise again like a phoenix, so please support us.” Please join us in raising a glass of delicious Tohoku saké in support of our Japanese family and friends.  We introduce a few favorites below.

	ICHINOKURA “ACE BREWERY” Brewery: Ichinokura (est. 1973) Region: Miyagi Type/Polish Ratio: Junmai Tasting Notes: Earthy, grassy fragrance. Quiet impact, with solid acidity and underlying sweetness. Straightforward, with slight earthiness and an unassuming, almost feminine presence.
	TSUKINOWA YOINOTSUKI “MIDNIGHT MOON” Brewery: Tsukinowa (est. 1886) Region: Iwate SMV: +4 Type/Polish Ratio: Daiginjo Tasting Notes: Amber coloring, with notes of honey in aroma and taste.  An element of depth in the earthy, caramel sweetness.  Complex and quiet, soft and melting.  Brewed in Johnnie’s Japanese “hometown” by one of his former English students!
	NANBU BIJIN “SOUTHERN BEAUTY” Brewery: Nanbu Bijin (est. 1915) Region: Iwate SMV: +1 Type/Polish Ratio: Junmai Ginjo Tasting Notes: Amber tint with strawberry and raspberry aromas.  Big, round, thick and balanced.  Honey-like sweetness with slight ginger spice on the edges and finish.