After Yamagata in 2019, Mie has for a few months been the second Japanese prefecture to benefit from the “Geographical Indication” label for its sakes, an indisputable guarantee of quality.
Located on the main island of Japan along the Pacific Ocean, Mie (or Mié) Prefecture is home to the famous Shinto shrine of Ise which includes 125 holy places. It is the spiritual cradle of the archipelago, which every Japanese must visit in his life.
Rice has been cultivated there for two millennia and for 1500 years, the monks have organized an offering ceremony every day to connect men with their divinities, the “kami” who inhabit everything, especially the elements, plants and trees. animals.
This offering consists of three bowls of rice, dried bonito crumbs, seaweed, fruit, salt, water and three cups of sake. Or rather should we talk about Nihonshu, because the word sake is actually a generic term for alcohol in Japanese, but let’s stick to our western habits.