episode 5 A Drop to Be Remembered
From the Philosophy of UMAi to a Living Collection of Sake and Encounters
UMAi, made tangible
What is UMAi?
It began as a question.
But at Ito Shuzo, it doesn’t end with theory.
Our sake is a response shaped by touch, care, curiosity, and prayer.
“I hope someone enjoys this flavor in a moment that matters.”
“I hope it becomes a shared smile.”
These everyday wishes eventually take shape—
as a single drop.
A collection of UMAi: born from challenge, culture, and joy
The sake we craft reflects the spirit of our fifth-generation brewmaster—
his journey through tradition, intuition, and experimentation.
A pursuit not of novelty,
but of something deeply felt.
A drop that reaches the heart.
A flavor that speaks not in notes and charts,
but in shared moments of resonance.
Creations that expand the joy of sake
Sparkling Sake – AWASAKE
Joyful bubbles for celebratory tables
A dazzling, lightly effervescent sake
that transforms both festive and ordinary days
into something memorable.
AWASAKE brings a playful surprise,
born from the wish to show what sake can become.
Aged Sake – VINTAGE
Flavors that deepen with time
This sake does not end at bottling.
It grows, rests, and evolves.
Every season adds a new layer.
Every passing month a new tone.
We age it not out of delay,
but from a desire to see what beauty time will reveal.
Extra-Warm Sake – Tobikiri-Kan
Where high heat meets enduring umami
This is not just hot sake.
This is a sake that asks to be heated—
revealing a core of umami that withstands even the highest temperatures.
Crafted with careful fermentation,
it’s a drop that stands bold and grounded.
Spaces that spark connection
BOKURA – A store of shared curiosity
Opened by the fifth-generation owner,
BOKURA is more than a shop.
It’s a place where people connect through sake, hobbies, and stories.
It’s where smiles grow from shared passions.
Where talk leads to inspiration.
Where the precious meets the playful.
Touch. See. Brew.
Immersive sake experiences
We believe that sake becomes truly unforgettable
when felt through the five senses.
Step into our brewery.
Smell the air of fermentation.
Feel the warmth of steam rising.
Listen to the breath of the brewing room.
Here, sake ceases to be just a drink.
It becomes something that stays with you.
Brewery Tours
Guided by the brewmaster or okami (the brewer’s wife),
visitors witness the silent birth of sake—
normally hidden from the world.
It’s a moment of presence:
to see, to hear, to feel the sake as it’s being raised.
Brewing Experience
Held only in winter,
this hands-on program lets you wash the rice,
breathe the scent of active fermentation,
and trace the path of a drop from grain to bottle.
It’s an invitation into the sacred daily rhythm of the brewery—
a quiet revelation of craft, care, and transformation.
Original Sake (OEM) Projects
Commemorate your wedding, your business, your journey—
by co-creating a sake from scratch.
Not just a bottle,
but a story that you and the brewers create together.
A small miracle of meaning.
A brewery that welcomes you—online, too
Not everyone can visit in person.
Even those who do, may leave with stories still untold.
That’s why we opened our Online Salon:
“Ore no Sakagura, Himitsu Kichi”
(My Sake Brewery: Secret Base)
Here, our brewmaster shares his thoughts,
his experimental sake, his travels, his unfiltered reflections.
🗣️ Note: The Online Salon is currently available in Japanese only.
We warmly welcome international sake lovers to follow along,
and we are exploring ways to expand accessibility in the future.
This is only the beginning of a more connected brewery.
We want our brewery to evolve—
from a place where you buy sake,
to a place where you belong.
Together, from afar
Even from across oceans,
if we’re connected by something we love,
the world becomes more joyful.
The more we share this “preciousness,”
the more we believe it can open the world.
UMAi as the precious
Not loud. Not trendy. But deeply, meaningfully crafted.
“Precious” is not about extravagance.
It’s about care.
It’s a flavor made for someone.
A drop that carries a reason.
That is what makes it unforgettable.
And that is the challenge our brewmaster embraces—
to pursue the kind of “delicious” that lives beyond flavor charts.
To craft not just sake,
but a moment, a memory, a resonance.
From this drop, a world may open
Sake-making isn’t just about producing a product.
It’s about patience.
It’s about surrendering to nature when needed.
It’s about drawing out the flavor of the year.
That’s why we don’t mass produce.
Because we believe in flavor that holds memory.
Co-creation beyond sake
Our exploration of fermentation doesn’t end with alcohol.
We are also developing breads, sweets, and seasonings
using sake lees and other fermented byproducts.
Together with local farmers and craftspeople,
we’re expanding the power of the brewery into daily life.
What is “the precious”?
Not rarity for rarity’s sake—
but a flavor crafted with intention, for someone, at a specific moment.
A sake that softens the heart,
accompanies life’s turning points,
and leaves behind a sense of gratitude.
That is UMAi.
That is the sake we wish to carry into the future.
UMAi opens the world.
And we pass that preciousness forward.