The people of Namie, Fukushima Prefecture, had to flee their homes after their town was destroyed in the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. Only about 10% of them have returned, including Suzuki Daisuke, the fifth-generation owner of a local sake brewery. He now makes sake using local water and rice, and hopes to win a gold medal in a national competition. We follow his quest to reestablish his business and bring a sense of pride to his community as well.
Stories about people, stories about life.
Hometown Stories.
These bottles are standing on the ruins of a sake brewery
that was washed away in the tsunami following the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.
Devotees of the brewery retrieved them from the rubble.
That gave the brewery's owner a new lease on life.
My hometown was in shambles.
I couldn't let it remain like that.
Today's story explores the joys and sorrows of a sake brewer in Namie, Fukushima Prefecture.
Suzuki Daisuke is the fifth-generation owner of a brewery that has been around for centuries.
In 2023, he submitted one of his creations - made from Namie water and rice - to the Annual Japan Sake Awards.
It was part of his efforts to revive his brewery.
But there have been some bumps along the way.
He's working hard,
but I have some concerns.
I didn't completely approve.
How did it turn out?
Reviving a Fukushima Brewery.
Nagai City is in Yamagata Prefecture, 150 kilometers from Namie.
You're here.
This is where Daisuke and his family have been living since the 2011 disaster.
- Where's your greeting?
- I'm back.
Do your homework
after you're done eating.
They have a photo of Namie in their home.
There it is.
That was our house.
The red-roofed building
was the storehouse.
You didn't know about these, right?
So that was the house?
It was right by the sea.
The Great East Japan Earthquake struck in 2011.
It took 185 lives in Namie.
Five days after the disaster,
Daisuke and his family saw footage from Namie for the first time as they were taking shelter in Yamagata.
It's all gone.
That's where we lived.
All gone, all gone...
Everything we had was gone.
We felt a great sense of loss.
This photo marked a turning point for him.
A month after the disaster, the image of the neatly arrayed bottles appeared.
I felt so grateful.
The photo brought me joy.
It was such a sentimental gesture
from the local community.
It was around the time
we began searching for the missing.
There were a bunch of bottles
lying around.
I remember lining up
four or five of them here.
Local firefighter Shiga Takamitsu is among those who gathered the bottles.
When he first saw one buried in the wreckage, he instinctively retrieved it.
I'd seen that brand
of sake since I was little.
It's one of my childhood memories.
That sake was a fixture
at family gatherings.
I thought I'd never be
able to drink it again.
It made me feel so sad.
Maybe that's what moved me
to lay them out like that.
Daisuke began receiving letters urging him to reopen the brewery.
"We're all waiting to
drink your delicious sake again."
"Let's take a step toward recovery,
starting with the revival of Fukushima sake."
Eight months after the disaster, Daisuke bought a brewery in Yamagata.
He continued to refine his brewing techniques and expand his network of customers.
In Yamagata, I gradually
regained my motivation.
It is my second home, after all.
Then, a decade after the disaster,
Daisuke began brewing sake in a corner of the newly built roadside rest stop in Namie.
His first creation since resuming operations in Namie... is aptly named...
"Tadaima" - I'm back.
I just had to buy it.
The label is great.
This is from a local brewery, right?
I'm so glad they're back.
We'll have to raise a toast with this.
It's great news.
2023 marks three years since Daisuke resumed brewing in Namie.
Now, he's working toward a big new goal.
He plans to enter the prestigious Annual Japan Sake Awards,
a crucial contest for breweries in which experts appraise the quality of their creations.
Outstanding sake receives the Gold Award.
Winning it could catapult Daisuke's sake into the national spotlight, creating a source of pride for his community.
He's striving to brew sake of the finest quality, from rice and water sourced in Namie.
I want to create sake that
the locals can be proud of.
I hope my work can help
the town in some way.
Something has been on Daisuke's mind constantly since the disaster.
The Ukedo district in Namie - where Daisuke used to live - suffered serious damage.
A monument with victims' names now stands here.
So many familiar names
starting from the top.
Mr. Suzuki,
the local rice farmer.
Mr. Urashima, Mr. Kumagawa...
Mr. Tominaga was a talented plasterer.
He used to repair our pots.
Mr. Nabeshima was
the priest at our local shrine.
His wife and parents
were also victims.
Daisuke was also a member of the local fire brigade.
He still cannot forget the pleas from his community.
We couldn't search immediately
because of the nuclear accident.
I've always regretted that.
Many people asked us things like,
"Have you seen my son?"
It was such a painful time.
Standing next to all these names,
I feel I have to live my life
to the fullest.
To leave something tangible
to remind us of their lives.
I still feel that way.
Evacuation orders have been
gradually lifted since 2017.
But only one-tenth of
Namie's former residents have returned.
For the contest, Daisuke focuses on gathering rice grown in Namie.
It's hard to harvest
all this rice by hand.
You're using such heavy machinery.
Hangai Yoshinori comes from a long line of rice farmers.
After the evacuation orders were lifted in 2017, he was among the first to resume farming here.
I couldn't return to where
I belong, my beloved hometown.
It made me sad and uneasy.
Since childhood, I'd seen rice being
planted and harvested.
It's a tradition I want to carry on.
Before the disaster, Daisuke procured rice suitable for sake brewing from another prefecture.
Now, however, he wants to use a type of rice called Koshihikari.
It's normally eaten - not brewed into sake.
Sake is normally made
with a different type of rice.
When I found out he'd be
making sake from Koshihikari,
I wondered how it would turn out.
Despite his doubts, Yoshinori proceeded to expand the area of his farm by 30% to provide Daisuke with what he needed.
He's trying a special type of fertilizer containing sake lees, which Daisuke provided.
I hope it works.
It's still in the experimental stage.
Trial phase.
We won't know how
it'll work out unless we try.
This is the first batch using Yoshinori's Koshihikari rice.
First, the rice goes through a milling machine.
This exposes the core of the rice, which is key to sake's flavor.
We're polishing the rice at
a rate of 1% per hour.
Koshihikari grains are small and easily broken.
That is why they are spending twice the usual time on polishing.
We'll spend about
100 hours over four days.
Bringing out mellow flavors
in the sake will be tough,
as this rice is different
from conventional sake rice.
On the other hand,
it's sure to develop a refined taste,
so finding the right balance is key.
Here we go.
They will be using groundwater from Namie.
The water is inspected thoroughly for radioactive contamination.
"ND" indicates that radiation levels
are so low they're undetectable.
No radiation.
We didn't find any issues,
so I can confidently
say that the water is safe.
Daisuke is living by himself in Namie,
away from his family.
This is all I'm eating.
His family is in Yamagata, a two-hour drive away.
I'm back.
For two years, he's been splitting his time between Yamagata and Namie.
It seemed physically taxing to me.
Since I wasn't the one doing it,
I gave him the green light.
But I didn't completely approve.
Going back and forth like this
is such a hassle.
He's working hard,
but I have some big concerns.
I just focus on my chores
here in Yamagata.
I haven't been able to help out with
his brewing tasks in Fukushima.
I have my hands full here.
Preparations for the sake competition are now in the final stages.
OK, stop.
How is it?
It has a rich aroma.
The flavors also came out well.
The balance is great,
so I'm happy with how it turned out.
I think I was able to create a sake
that I can be proud of.
The judges have reached a decision.
Are the results in?
Yep, they are.
Let's see the Fukushima category...
We're not on the list.
Daisuke's brewery did not receive an award.
What a shame.
That's disappointing news.
There's someone Daisuke wants to thank.
Hey there.
Yoshinori. He has been an ardent supporter.
I'm here with the sake
we made from Koshihikari.
This is the sake we submitted.
It didn't win, unfortunately.
Have a drink with me
while I do some reflecting.
Perfect time for a drink.
Please enjoy.
It's delicious.
I really felt like it came out well.
It's a shame we didn't win an award.
I'm so grateful to you for
providing us with top-notch rice.
Thank you for sharing it with
so many through your sake.
It fills me with gratitude.
Thank you.
I hope our sake reminds people of a place
they need to return to.
Making connections is an important
element of our craft.
On weekends, Namie's rest stop bustles
with activity.
I can't wait to try this.