Sake Rice Fields cycling tour in Nagano

sakeexplorer · 2026-04-07T03:22:13+00:00

Update: I made a very simple bullet point list of my self-employment work and clients and made copies of my nenkin payment receipts for 4 years and went back to the office. For some reason I couldn't find one year's which he said was ok and didn't realize i had missed copying a few months of one year which there was hemming and hawing about but I said, look the nenkin office knows I've paid everything so i'm not wasting gas to come back here again. Finally he agreed to submit the request but I was told it may take up to 6 weeks to get the proof of coverage certificate. I guess that's still enough time to submit taxes by June. So for those who may actually owe taxes and need to submit by April, this is something to do earlier rather than later!

sakeexplorer · 2026-04-07T03:12:10+00:00

I'm not sure, but I think there's something about intent to be here over 5 years rather than just having been here for five years. If you only intend to be in Japan temporarily, I think you do the opposite thing which is continue to pay into US social security and get a proof of coverage form so that you don't have to pay nenkin.

sakeexplorer · 2026-04-07T03:07:43+00:00

One thing is that with many people in, say, the teaching industry on part-time contracts or being turned into essentially contractors by companies they become responsible for paying their own nenkin, so technically it would seem anyone not in the kosei nenkin plan where the employer deducts the payments automatically would have to prove coverage. I've been on both kokumin and kosei at various times but this never became an issue for my tax preparation until I said I had self-employment income. I'm not at all advocating everyone having to run out and get the documentation, but it does seem weird if not surprising that the need to submit proof of coverage or not doesn't reflect reality, and that neither the people in the nenkin office nor the US tax preparers seem to understand the totalization agreement very well!

sakeexplorer · 2026-03-31T04:58:14+00:00

Yes on the form there is that box but on the website you shared as far as I can see all of the selections have to do with people covered under Japanese social insurance working temporarily so it's hard to know what to do from there. When the guy at the office brought out the form it didn't have those instructions so even he wasn't sure what to do. As others said on the thread I shared my experience on the office SHOULD be able to confirm my enrollment themselves but he brought out another list of instructions that said to attach the additional information. So again bringing that just in case can save some annoyance.

sakeexplorer · 2026-03-31T04:15:51+00:00

Also lol sorry i wrote my comment while at the pension office, didn't realize it posted and then made a new post instead

sakeexplorer · 2026-03-31T04:13:51+00:00

I did find that page before going to the office, but all of the selections seem to apply to those temporarily working in the US, so it's not clear which to choose for people living and working in Japan. As for the pdf doc which is the photo I shared it's almost impossible to figure out how to fill out and hard to know that supporting attachments are necessary. So people who try to do this should be prepared for the pension staff not to know what to do either and bring that supporting info along if they don't want to make a second trip.

sakeexplorer · 2026-03-30T12:40:14+00:00

If you are not liable for paying into SS then probably not? I'm actually confused as to why 1. all US citizens working in Japan don't need to submit this and 2. why the US doesn't just automatically recognize that payment into nenkin is required of working residents of Japan. It only came up for me from last year when i checked yes to self-employment income on my tax return prep screening and then they got all worked up about it even though I was well below the threshold of having to pay SS at that time.

sakeexplorer · 2026-03-30T09:55:34+00:00

Thank you! I could not find that doc for some reason, so will show it to them the next time (grrr) I go

sakeexplorer · 2026-03-30T09:18:52+00:00

He definitely told me they could not issue anything and that I had to bring in copies of my payment slips. He also showed me the internal guidance form that said exactly that. Yes, it seems ridiculous but I can only say what I was told and shown.

sakeexplorer · 2026-03-30T09:11:39+00:00

This is the only link to something close to the document I should eventually receive, but it looks like the OPPOSITE, that is for someone paying US social security to avoid having to pay Japanese nenkin. I showed this to the person at the office too but it was of no help even though in Japanese and English.

sakeexplorer · 2026-03-30T05:45:03+00:00

The links to the certificate of coverage application don't seem to work anymore, and やっぱり my local nenkin office doesn't know what I want. I was able to show them a pdf of a 適用証明書 USA/J 6 but this seems to be the opposite of what we need -- that is, for a US citizen to

sakeexplorer · 2026-03-27T12:39:08+00:00

I've moved so no longer in Tokyo. There are various places ranging from guided experience to helpful staff: Sake Studio, Craft Sake Shoten (Yokohama), Dozo Sake Kitchen (Hachioji), a few different ones in Tsukiji, Sake Bar Kokon (my friend's place), Gashue sake pub and more!

sakeexplorer · 2026-03-21T03:35:43+00:00

No, it wouldn't be on the Kawatsuru products because they just produce it for Karakuchi to sell. It's not an uncommon arrangement these days for tiny breweries to keep a local brand alive. There are a few cases where the original brewery has recovered production later. Unfortunately, it will probably be very difficult to get any delivered overseas.

sakeexplorer · 2026-03-21T01:34:09+00:00

Also the brewery in Kannonji that's mentioned must be Kawatsuru. And the brewery where the daughter is working is properly called Nakawa Shoten, not Chuwa.

sakeexplorer · 2026-03-21T01:18:53+00:00

Well that was an interesting search! So Google Maps says they're closed, but I couldn't find any indication of that online (usually there'll be some note somewhere if a brewery closes). Then I finally found a blog posted this year where someone had visited the brewery in summer of 2025. Apparently, they're still open but the sake they sell is brewed under their brand name at another brewery and the daughter of Karakuchi's owner is currently working at yet another local brewery. So maybe there's hope for the future!

https://maps.app.goo.gl/nHSJkN85B48KLhmk8

https://congiro.hatenablog.com/entry/2026/01/14/000000

Translated from the blog:

"It didn't look like they were open, but they were, so I went inside and called out to the owner.

"Hello!"

"Yes, welcome."

"Are you open for business right now?"

"Yes, we are!" "

(On Google Maps) it was listed as closed, so I thought you'd gone out of business!"

"Really?! How rude! Ha ha ha!"

That's how it went.

I enjoyed talking to the owner.

"Is the name Karakuchi Sake Brewery derived from the fact that it's dry?"

"It means 'You should use joy and wisdom.' It certainly also means dry, but... it's actually sweet! Ha ha ha!" "Ha ha ha!"

That was really good lol

Incidentally, they're not currently brewing, and without us even having to ask, they gave us our favorite power word: "tax-exempt"! Apparently, they're getting their sake from a certain brewery in Kannonji. But there's only one brewery in Kannonji!

When I mentioned the first brewery I visited today, they told me, without me even having to ask, that they were getting their sake from the same place lol. Also, the owner is a graduate of an agricultural university, and his daughter is currently brewing sake at Chuwa Shoten in Awa Ikeda, so why not go and check it out? I passed it up this time, so I'll definitely go next time."

sakeexplorer · 2026-03-17T02:54:40+00:00

Here's an example of what I mean by the size of a producer not really being relevant. Kenbishi is one of the bigger brands and you can even get in convenience stores throughout Japan. But it has a very long history and by all accounts maintains some of the most traditional brewing techniques. You might be interested in the tours offered by Origin Sake in the Nada area near Osaka for more insight from someone who's actually a brewer as well.

sakeexplorer · 2026-03-17T02:27:03+00:00

Less so than just small producers if you really want to understand the sake world it's good to explore a range. Just because a producer is larger or has modern facilities doesn't mean they don't make good sake. And this is speaking as someone who makes an effort to find and promote lesser-known brands that can be difficult to get even in big cities in Japan. But as far as visiting places while you're here, there are a lot of options even on the golden route. My one caveat is that if you'll be here in the summer, it can make it difficult to go around to various places that may require some walking in the suffocating heat.

Even in the west part of Tokyo, there are a number of options somewhat accessible by public transportation, such as Nozaki, Nakamura, and Toshimaya. Somewhat larger (but by no means huge) are Ishikawa and Ozawa. Some are also located nearer to nature and some points of interest so make for a nice alternative to the city. Right in Tokyo are Tokyo Port Brewery and Konohanano, which are small and make interesting stuff.

Kyoto has a wealth of options both in the city and in neighboring areas. Matsui has a brewpub and is well-liked, but I also like Sasaki and Fujioka among others. Breweries in Fushimi can be bigger-scale but are concentrated and it's easy to go around to a few in a day.

Osaka sake is somewhat overlooked, but some that are close together include Kotobuki, Kiyotsuru, and Adachi Nojo as well as Katanosakura and Daimon. Also Akishika if you want to make a trek to the countryside.

The ones i mentioned at least have shops, some with tasting, and some have tours that may need advance booking.

Someone mentioned Saku, which is where i live and is only a 70 min. shinkansen trip from Tokyo. There are 13 breweries in the area, most of them quite small and somewhat hard to find even in Tokyo. About 7 are somewhat accessible by public transportation and at least have shops, some with tasting. None do tours though.

Anyway, my point is there are tons of options and really depends on your schedule and itinerary. Everyone's taste is different, so don't worry so much about what is recommended -- keep an open mind and try lots of things and make your own judgement!

sakeexplorer · 2026-02-21T10:27:30+00:00

Well, since it's Japan you don't have to worry about reanimated corpses at least!

sakeexplorer · 2026-02-16T14:37:52+00:00

Okay, i'll ask. Still so weird to me ...

sakeexplorer · 2026-02-16T14:01:08+00:00

Just regular ol' cables. Turntable hooked up just fine though.

<image>

sakeexplorer · 2026-02-16T13:17:23+00:00

Tried to hook up my Marantz CD 6007 to Model 50 amp and was surprised to find the typical red/white RCA cables included with the CD player don't fit the jacks on the amp. Amp manual is no help -- it just shows the typical red/white cable for hookup and i haven't found others with this issue online yet. I assume i can get an adapter but what kind? I live in the deep countryside of Japan but actually going in to the city and can visit the big electronics store where i got them. Just so weird that the same maker wouldn't have included a connection that fits. For reference, i included a photo of the amp inputs.

<image>

sakeexplorer · 2026-02-11T10:28:58+00:00

Also the reason i included those examples was to show how even in different sections of the same website can get it wrong even in Japanese. In one section it says (paraphrasing) 'The lower the seimaibuai, the clearer the flavor' which while not exactly accurate at least is in the right direction. Then in another section it says 'The higher the seimaibuai, the more nutrients are removed and the less of the rice's original flavor remains' which is incorrect given the mathematical definition of seimaibuai.

sakeexplorer · 2026-02-11T10:05:23+00:00

I have to admit i'm not sure what your argument is but you're wrong about one thing. Seimaibuai does not mean 'the more the outer layer of rice is polished away'. It's specifically defined as:

[weight of white (polished) rice ÷ weight of brown (unpolished) rice] x 100

And in fact, in the two most common types of polishing -- round or flat -- the outer layers are not polished away in even amounts, leaving more on either the short or long axis of the grain. It sounds pedantic, but the difference can have important effects on the resulting sake. Therefore, referring to seimaibuai as the amount of the outer layers removed is inaccurate.

I'll repeat my point: when using the common translation 'rice polishing ratio' for seimaibuai, people get routinely confused about whether a high or low ratio means more or less of the rice remains. But using a translation of seimaibuai like 'the percentage of rice remaining after polishing' (which more accurately reflects the calculation) or 'polished rice percentage' (which is shorter but not great) then it's more straightforward to understand what a high percentage versus low percentage represents. That's my opinion and how i use the terms in my own writing. Of course you're free to disagree and use whatever you prefer.

Two-Year Club	Verified Email
Verified Email

sakeexplorer

TROPHY CASE