by Shingo Yamaguchi – Toji of Shirataki Sake Brewery The unique Shirataki's character It is not an exaggeration to say that the quality and character of sake comes from the local water, ingredients, and environment. The conditions of Echigo Yuzawa, as ‘Snow Country’, allows us to produce sake that is easy-to-drink, with a gentle texture, a complex palette with a hint of sweetness, and light aroma. As Toji of Shirataki I have the chance to taste sake from a variety of kura (brewery), but without doubt the taste from the Shirataki kura is unique. It is a great honour to be responsible for maintaining the tradition of Shirataki sake.   Shingo Yamaguchi   The importance of Shirataki ‘fans’ The most fulfilling and enjoyable element to my job is attending sake tasting parties here I can see our customers enjoy tasting Shirataki sake, and I am always happy to receive compliments for our wares! For the Toji and the Kura-bito, such feedback and customer comments are what drives us on to continue to try and improve. Of course, not all the feedback will be positive but this is possibly more useful in helping us improve our sake. We place great importance on the feedback of our customers.   The ‘dream sake’ that I would like to make Shirataki sake is easy to drink, with a soft palette. It is my dream to combine these elements with the additional rich complexity of Japanese sake tastes. We are constantly working to fulfill this goal, and seek to pleasantly surprise our customers with the quality and character of our sake.