Nigori sake for the New Year
Jan 8th, 2010 by Ad Blankestijn
Nigori sake is getting more popular in Japan, but to my feeling it in the first places suits auspicious occasions as the New Year. We had a strong nigori genshu (an undiluted, raw nigori). The sake set is typical for the new year, too. Of course we did not warm the nigori and only used the kettle to pour from. The cups are flat “sakazuki”.
Nigorizake for New Year.
What would Wittgenstein say about that?
On the one hand, I think it makes more sense to reserve it for the toshi-wasure, or year-forget party, as it’s cloudiness is symbolically equated with forgetting (why it is suggested in the Manyoushuu poem), while clear sake was, like clear water, a well linked with eternity.
On the other hand, we do have that primordial soup, and the raw nature of the drink makes it fit well with the unglazed earthenware and bare chopsticks which mean so much more than “our” precious metals for Japanese celebration . . .
Ad, you have a real good question here and were I in Japan, I would call major papers or magazines and try to get it debated. Speaking of which — is Aera still around? I so much enjoyed participating in their debates . . .
ps Have you visited Kanazawa? I gave a lecture on Enka vs Country music lyric at the U there once and the prof. (Mitsui Toru) who invited me treated me at a restuarant that once served an Emperor and had nigorizake that was almost as sour as what I drank (and liked) in Korea. (& it is so hard to visit your site — i start feeling homesick (?) for japan . . .