The shop we’re introducing this time is
日本酒屋 柿炭（Kakitan）, located near Hanshin Nishinomiya Station!
目次
日本酒屋 柿炭
[Part 2] 18:00–22:00
★Closed Wednesdays
★Phone 090-9696-6674
★Address 7-14 Honmachi, Nishinomiya, Hyogo
★Parking None
★Related Links
Website / Tabelog
(*Prices, menu items, hours, and other details are as of the time of our visit. Please check directly with the shop for the latest information.)
Show Us the Shop!
We’re stopping by 日本酒屋 柿炭（Kakitan）!
A calm, somewhat old-fashioned wooden door.
Open the door and…
Inside is a cozy little space with seven counter seats.
Since it’s counter seating,
the owner, Mr. Akioka, is close to the customers,
so it feels like you could hear all kinds of sake trivia straight from him!
(Mr. Akioka appears later!)
Near the counter,
there are photos showing scenes of sake brewing from the Showa era.
Also near the counter are
an eye-catching Hakushika sake barrel and masu cups.
And glasses arranged neatly in a row.
These bottles also once held sake.
They’re so stylish, they look completely different from the usual image of sake.
Near the door are a hanging scroll, Hakushika masu cups, and more,
all giving off a charming traditional atmosphere.
Here too, there’s an atmospheric wooden photo and photos of sake brewing.
And
there’s also a paper posted that explains what makes Kakitan special!
Please enjoy the famous sake selected by an owner who spent about 20 years involved in sake brewing here in Nishinomiya,
as well as original sake blends you can only find at our shop.
Show Us the Food and Sake!
Kakitan doesn’t have a fixed menu to begin with.
Each time,
they change the sake and the dishes that pair well with it.
That’s why
the prices are extremely simple.
All dishes are 500 yen.
All sake is 700 yen.
Here were the dishes on this day. ↓
Simple Salad
Cheese Pickled in Soy Sauce
Iburigakko Smoked Pickles
They make both the sake and the food disappear fast♪
And
the biggest appeal is,
above all,
that you can enjoy limited-arrival sake
right here at Kakitan♪
The sake brought in that day
can sometimes be gone in as little as three days!
Here are some of the sake available at Kakitan ↓
十八盛（Juhachizakari）/ From Okayama Prefecture
Juhachi Shuzo was founded in 1785 in what is now the Kojima area of Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture.
The name “Juhachizakari” comes from the saying “Even a daughter at eighteen is like freshly brewed tea at its best.”
At Kakitan, this sake is overwhelmingly popular with women.
It has a lightly sparkling feel and a sweet, gentle taste.
来楽（Rairaku） Yamada Nishiki Junmai Ginjo 58 / From Hyogo Prefecture
Junmai ginjo-shu
is sake made by polishing and brewing rice, giving it a deep, rich flavor.
At Kakitan, this sake is popular with both men and women.
五凛 純米酒（Gorin Junmai-shu）/ From Ishikawa Prefecture
This junmai sake is made without polishing the Yamada Nishiki rice too much,
letting you feel the rice’s natural strength.
It has a deep sweetness and a solid flavor.
This sake is also popular with both men and women at Kakitan.
By the way,
the “柿炭” stamp on this placemat
was handmade by the owner Mr. Akioka’s daughter♪
A Message from Mr. Akioka of 日本酒屋 柿炭（Kakitan）
Mr. Yuichi Akioka of 日本酒屋 柿炭（Kakitan）♪
It has been two years since he started Kakitan.
Before that, Mr. Akioka spent about 20 years working as a kurabito at a sake brewery.
a craftsperson involved in sake brewing.
Mr. Akioka knows sake inside and out!
Here’s a short message from Mr. Akioka!
In fact, many of our customers are women who come alone.
In terms of the ratio of men to women, it’s about 3:7.
And among the women, those who come alone are by far the majority.
So you really don’t need to overthink sake at all.
I’d be happy if people could experience sake here at Kakitan.
“Beer tastes better cold.
So what do you think of lukewarm beer?
With sake, you can enjoy all kinds of flavors depending on the temperature.” That’s what Mr. Akioka said.
He’s exactly right!
I, Miyatama, don’t know that much about sake either,
but even just comparing the three kinds of sake above,
I learned that there are so many different flavors.
And you might just find
the sake that suits you best
here at Kakitan♪
Plus, discovering all kinds of sake at Kakitan
is another part of what makes visiting Kakitan so appealing!
By the way,
the origin of the shop name “柿炭” also comes from the sake-making process.
One step in that process is called “orisage,” or sediment removal,
and apparently “kakishibu” persimmon tannin and “tanso no ko” charcoal powder are used
to remove proteins and cloudiness during that step.
Taking the first characters of “柿” and “炭” gives the name “柿炭.”
Even the shop name shows just how much love Kakitan has for sake.
I’ve never seen where sake is brewed before, so seeing the photos really helped me understand!