In Episode 24 of the podcast I speak with Shoko Baba, a member of the international sales team, of one of the snow country’s most celebrated sake breweries, Hakkaisan. Located in the heavy snow area of Minami-Uonuma, Hakkaisan Brewery produces high quality sake that reflects the pristine surrounding environment and traditions of this beautiful area of Niigata. Shoko and I discuss the heritage and pedigree of Hakkaisan including their celebrated snow-aged ‘Yukimuro’ sake, while also delving into the importance of sake in the culture of Niigata and more broadly, in Japan. We discuss Hakkaisan’s fantastic Rydeen Beer and their wonderful facility Uonuma-no-Sato, along with exciting enterprises including Niseko Distillery in Hokkaido and Brooklyn Kura in New York.

The brewery takes its name from nearby Mount Hakkai or in Japanese, Hakkaisan. Standing 1778 metres / 5834 feet in height, Hakkaisan is home to the little-known but fantastic Muikamachi Hakkaisan Ski Resort. The location of the mountain and ski resort subject it to heavy snowfall each winter making it an ideal destination for skiers and snowboarders wanting to dive into some deep stuff without the crowds. I provide information about Muikamachi Hakkaisan – one of my favourite ski resorts – following my chat with Shoko. Make sure to check out the episode page on the Snow Country Stories Japan website for more information, images, videos and a map showing you where in the snow country we are today.

This episode is the last of Season 2 of the Snow Country Stories Japan podcast. A big thank you to everyone who is listening. I’ll be taking a short break and returning with Season 3 in late March / early April. I will announce the return date as soon as possible and in the meantime, I will upload some bonus episodes. I hope you enjoy!

Snow Country Stories Japan is a bi-weekly podcast about life and travel in Japan's legendary 'yukiguni'. For more information about the show and your host, visit our website - www.snowcountrystories.com - and make sure to subscribe, rate and review the podcast and follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.