"The Engine of our Hometown" - Thinking Globally, Acting Locally -

 

In the early hours of the morning, there was a tremor so violent that it actually made me jump.
The earthquake, that occurred before dawn - January 22, measured upper-5 on the seismic intensity scale and was felt in Oita and Miyazaki prefectures.
I checked the brewery early this morning, but I was relieved to find that there was not any major damage. Sake production is proceeding without any problems.
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to everyone who was concerned.

Enjoy a trip to Three Cities! - New Year Online Tour.
Usuki City, Yufu City and Hita City.
Organised by the Oita Shinkin Association - Daishin-Oita Shinkin Bank, Mirai Shinkin Bank and Hita Shinkin Bank.

 

Introduced by a representative from Daishin, myself, Toji Matsuno and section chief - Mr. Murakami, contributed to the online tour.

 

We were able to promote Kuge Honten and discuss Usuki’s recent membership to the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) as a Creative City of Gastronomy.

 

There was a fun quiz planned, but unfortunately during one of the questions someone humorously blurted out the answer “Usuki Drunk Yellowtail” in error which resulted in spontaneous laughter. Despite the quiz not going to plan, everyone participated with a smile on their face, including President Wada of Oita Shinkin Bank (right). I think we can all agree it was a fun tour.

At the end of last year, Usuki City achieved the feat of being certified as a member of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network. There are only 49 cities in the world that hold this title, and only two are located in Japan - Tsuruoka City in Yamagata Prefecture and now Usuki City.

As a company in Usuki City, we are very proud of this achievement.
It’s reassuring to know that our efforts, echoed in our slogan “The Engine of our Hometown”, have contributed to this fantastic accomplishment, and this, in turn, motivates us to continue with passion.

 

Although it was only a small gesture, in order to raise further awareness about Usuki -Creative City of Gastronomy and to celebrate Usuki’s achievement, I have been distributing various kinds of promotional material featuring “Let’s Celebrate - Usuki - Creative City of Gastronomy.” This included an advertisement in the Sumo Star Chart segment in the Oita Godo Shimbun (local newspaper).

 

In addition, we received approval to use the “Creative City of Gastronomy Usuki” logo and added it to the title section of the Kuge Honten website (both the Japanese and English versions). We have also created a link to the Usuki Creative City of Gastronomy Promotion Council Office website.
Going forward, the logo will be present on the label for this year’s Tokubetsu Junmai Muroka Namageshu - USUKI and our business cards, as we continue to add to the buzz and excitement surrounding this fantastic achievement.
I sincerely hope that this membership certification will energize industries in Usuki City such as the hospitality industry, providing a boost to local restaurants, as well as the citizens of Usuki City and Oita.

At the end of December, some of the team from Kuge Honten and Oyama Yume Kobo, another local brewery, visited Governor Hirose to deliver the news that we had both received a Gold Award in the 2021 National Umeshu Competition.

 

Our company was the recipient of the Gold Medal for our Iyanbai Umeshu in the Authentic Shochu Umeshu Category. I was accompanied by Section Chief Adachi, who was involved in the product planning and development.

 

We received some words of encouragement from Governor Hirose. “As a result of soaking the plums in sherry barrels, there is a subtle scent of hazelnut. I think, if it was distributed in Spain, it would be very popular there too,” he said.

Usuki City is now a certified member of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN). The city will be the second city in Japan to earn membership after Tsuruoka City in Yamagata Prefecture, and only one of 49 other cities in the world to be recognised for their food culture (gastronomy).
Kuge Honten will continue to cooperate with Usuki City and contribute to the Usuki Food Culture Creation City Project.

The English version of the Kuge Honten website, which was released at the end of September 2021, was mentioned in the morning edition of the Oita Godo Shimbun (local newspaper).

We're very pleased with the final product and the attention to detail given to the content. Feel free to check it out.
We would also very much appreciate it if you could spread the word about the English version of the Kuge Honten website to your English-speaking friends and acquaintances.

 

Usuki’s Yoiburi, or “Drunk Yellowtail” was featured in the morning edition of the Oita Godo Shimbun (local newspaper).

 

The fish are farmed by Usuki Kaisan (a fresh fish wholesaler) based in Sashiu, Usuki City. They are fed on the sake lees of our tokubetsu junmai that we produce at Kuge Honten in Emuta, Usuki City. Our tokubetsu junmai’s raw ingredient is Wakamizu rice, locally cultivated in Ieno, Usuki City.
With the fish being raised in Usuki, on a diet of food produced in Usuki, using ingredients grown in Usuki, it is easy to say that we are very attached to this particular fish.
I was recently able to try some, and it was delicious with a wonderfully rich flavour and no odour. I highly recommend giving the “Drunk Yellowtail” a try!

Otsu, a long-term customer of Kuge Honten, had its sake shop (Sako, Oita City) featured in the “Spot the Difference at a Local Shop” segment in the Oita Godo Shimbun (local newspaper).
In the photograph, Takao Otsu, the manager, is with his wife. He is proudly holding a bottle of their original sake - Nusumi Sake. In Japanese, Nusumi means “to steal”, in this case, “having a sneaky sake without your wife knowing”.
On the table, you can also see a bottle of our barley shochu - Tsunezo, alongside another sake product produced at the Yatsushika brewery. We are very appreciative!

 

Otsu is a traditional sake shop that supports local sake producers. Mr. Otsu values the relationships he has with his customers in addition to his connection to the local people and communities.

 

We've received a following warm message from Mr. David Wilkinson who completed the English version of our website. Thank you!

 

Kana and I recently had the opportunity to visit a working sake and shochu brewery in Usuki City. Following the completion of the English version of Kuge Honten’s website, Mr Kuge, the president of Kuge Honten, invited us to pay him a visit at the brewery.

 

Over the past few months, I’ve learned so much about the processes, methods, and general hard work that goes into producing high-quality sake and shochu. So, having never visited a brewery before, I was very excited to see one with my own eyes.

 

Mr Kuge was our gracious host and guide as we got to see the different areas and machinery used at the brewery, including the machine for pressing (joso), the koji room, and the bottling department. One big highlight for me was meeting Toji Matsuno. Having read so much about him during the translation process, it was like meeting a celebrity. He’s a lovely man and clearly passionate about producing delicious liquor. At the time, he was working in the shochu brewery, carefully monitoring its development. We got to try a little straight from the tank, and at 40% Vol it knocked my socks off!

 

Following our tour of Kuge Honten, Mr Kuge took us out into Usuki. Our first stop (at my request) was the Wakamizu rice field. Wakamizu is a homegrown rice that is used in much of Kuge Honten’s sake production, including their flagship brand, Ichinoide, and my personal favourite, USUKI. For me, being able to see the origin of the rice and the journey that it goes on has really added to the experience of drinking it.

 

Our tour continued through the streets of the beautiful and historic Usuki City. One thing that surprised me was how welcome the locals made us feel. Everyone greeted us warmly and I could feel a strong sense of community.

 

We had a great time in Usuki, and I really appreciate Mr Kuge for taking the time to show us around. Not only does he have an unparalleled knowledge of the brewing industry, but his kindness and passion for Usuki City itself is inspiring. I believe that his philosophy, reflected in Kuge Honten’s slogan, “the engine of our hometown”, will positively contribute to the sustainability of the area.

 

I hope that the new English version of the website gives more people, from around the world, the opportunity to experience Kuge Honten’s products.
I was always taught “think globally, act locally”, and the combination of Mr Kuge’s ambition to reach out to a larger audience whilst continuing to support his local community is a fantastic example of this!

 

Finally, I highly recommend visiting Usuki City if you get the chance. Also, feel free to visit the Kuge Honten website to learn more about their products, the brewing industry, and the region.

 

Earlier this year we asked Fox English School, in Oita City, to create an English version of our website.

 

It’s packed full of our thoughts and ideas regarding brewing, our local community, and much more, all demonstrating our philosophy, which is reflected by our slogan “The engine of our Hometown”.

 

Mr. David Wilkinson (British) and Ms. Kanako Shuto, a husband-and-wife team, are the co-founders and owners of Fox English School. Working together, Kana begins by carefully translating the text to create the first draft. Following on from this, they work through the draft, checking all the key terms and conducting further research where necessary (some of the processes are quite scientific). Finally, David expresses the text as a native and attempts to make some of the technical terms easier to understand for the reader.

 

We’re really pleased with the final product and the attention to detail given to the content. Feel free to check it out.

 

We would really appreciate it if you could spread the word about the English version of the Kuge Honten website to your English-speaking friends and acquaintances.