18 April 2026 · Yuasa, Wakayama Prefecture
The inside of the vat is never washed: eighteen cedar barrels in Yuasa
Four thousand litres a year, less than a day's output at an industrial plant, made over two years.
Tatsumi Jozo
Visiting the makers
We go to the brewery and the farm, and write down what we're told.
2 March 2026 · Iga, Mie Prefecture
Thirty-two months, ninety head: raising cattle in a valley in Iga
About 1,300 head of Iga beef are shipped a year, and most of it is eaten inside Mie. Very little leaves the prefecture.
Aoyagi Farm
14 February 2026 · Iga, Mie Prefecture
The water gets harder in winter: November to March at Akari Shuzo
Iga, Mie Prefecture. Three hundred and fifty koku a year, five people on the floor, and a first tank that sets the tone for everything after it.
Akari Shuzo