[Shiso City] Improve your immunity with fermented foods [Oimatsu Dining] Keep your mind and body healthy

• Table of Contents
• Opened in 2019 as part of regional revitalization
• Two seasonal lunch options available
• You can also buy sake and seasonings at the direct sales store.
• Access information
• basic information

Opened in 2019 as part of regional revitalization

A tasteful exterior

``Oimatsu Dining'' is a restaurant located in the corner of ``Sakagura Dori'' in the Yamazaki district, in the center of Yamazaki-cho. Oimatsu Sake Brewery is a sake brewery that has been in business for over 250 years since the Edo period, and the current owner, Masaaki Maeno, is the 11th generation.

The Yamazaki district, where sake brewing has been popular since the Edo period, is home to not only Oimatsu Sake Brewery, but also a sake brewery called Sanyo Sake Sake Brewery, and Honke Monzenya Sake Store, which used to be a brewer, and is home to stately buildings. It maintains an elegant landscape.

Sake Brewery Street

"Oimatsu Dining" opened in February 2019 as part of regional revitalization and is positioned as one of Shiso's tourist spots.

``I thought it would be nice to have a direct sales store for customers who come from far away to buy new sake during the season, but that alone won't attract people.Fermented foods were booming, and sake We opened this restaurant with the idea that our customers would be happy if they could enjoy a dining experience that uses the koji they make," says Kumiko Maeno, the proprietress.

Kumiko Maeno, the landlady

It was a good idea to do it, but it required a lot of cleaning to renovate the space that used to be the children's room and storage room in the main house into a dining room and shop. It is said that 60 tons of tools and other items were disposed of from 27 rooms. ``It was amazing, 30 cups in a 2-ton truck. I thought there would be more treasure, but there wasn't that much,'' he says with a laugh.

A space overlooking a beautiful Japanese garden

Extended two-room former Buddha room seating area

Inside the restaurant, there are table seats overlooking the beautiful Japanese garden, and a two-room Buddhist altar room that was added later.Especially on Saturdays and Sundays, it can be difficult to get a seat without making a reservation.

Two seasonal lunch options available

“Thank you for fermentation lunch” (1,500 yen)

At Oimatsu Dining, we use the koji used to make Japanese sake to make salt koji, soy sauce koji, amazake, sake lees, etc., and use them as seasonings in our dishes . The sauces for the tempura soup and shabu-shabu are also homemade with soy sauce koji, and the dressing and mayonnaise are also homemade, and they go perfectly with sake.

We offer ``Fermented Thank You Lunch'' (1,500 yen) and ``Fermented Tsunagara Lunch'' (2,200 yen) depending on the season.Tsunagi Lunch has a larger volume of main dishes. First, choose one type of aperitif from sake, glutinous rice amazake, or fruit vinegar.

I chose "glutinous rice amazake". A rich sweet sake with a delicious natural sweetness. On the day of the interview, the main dish of the ``Fermented Thank You Lunch'' was ``Sakazo Karaage'' with homemade tartar sauce. The lineup of side dishes includes powdered sweet potato with cod roe, soy sauce malted umami-dashi tofu, vegetable namul, sashimi konnyaku, and Harihari pickles.

That must be quite a volume.

enzyme brown rice

The standard ``rice'' is ``enzyme brown rice,'' which is brown rice cooked in a pressure oven and fermented for three days. It has a chewy texture and is delicious.

Soup is all-season lees soup

The ``soup'' is of course the classic ``Oimatsu sake lees soup.''

Enjoy the deliciousness of seasonings

The original seasonings ``Sakagura Yuzu Moromi'' (right) and ``Sansho Moromi'' (left) were also included, and it was delicious even when eaten with fried chicken. The dessert ``brown rice soy milk yogurt with apple jam from Shiso'' is also a standard. In addition, some of the vegetables we use are carefully grown by local farmers using fermented fertilizer.

"What you eat makes up your body. I was interested in fermented foods that energize your body," says Kumiko. After opening the dining room and direct sales store at the same time, it was featured on NHK and other TV stations, and quickly became a ``very popular restaurant that was hard to get reservations for.''

There are many regular customers from Hanshin and Okayama areas who come back every time the dishes change, saying, ``Everything was delicious'' and ``When will the dishes change next time?''

In the future, she would like to focus on fermented sweets, such as cheesecakes made with sake lees and fermented red bean paste, and soft serve ice cream made with sake lees and amazake, and Kumiko's power knows no bounds.

You can also buy sake and seasonings at the direct sales store.

All brands are lined up in a row

We also have products for gifts

There is a direct sales stand in front of the dining entrance. All the brands handled by Oimatsu Sake Brewery are displayed here.

There is also a mini card on the bottom shelf with detailed descriptions of the product's features, making it easy to shop. We also have assorted samples for gifts, so it's easy and convenient to give as a gift.

I like the small 300ml bottle.

The unique feature of this brand is that all brands come in small 300ml bottles. This can be considered a part of the service. It's also a good idea to buy a few small 300ml bottles and compare them when you get home.

From the left: ``5 Year Old Sake Zenjiro'' (720ml/3,520 yen), ``Junmai Daiginjo (Tsunagi)'' (1800ml/4,378 yen), and ``Kotobuki Ehiro Oimatsu Junmai Ginjo Sake'' (1800ml/3,520 yen)

Let's introduce three brands recommended by the landlady.

“5 years aged sake Zenjiro”

This is a mellow, full-bodied, amber-colored sake that has been carefully aged for five years in an old pine brewery that remains cool even in summer. It also goes well with Western dishes such as carpaccio and camembert. This sake was named after the 6th generation owner, Zenjiro, who was credited with increasing shipments during the Meiji period.

"Junmai Daiginjo (Tsunagi)"

Junmai Daiginjo is made using 100% Yamada Nishiki and is slowly fermented at low temperatures, and is rich in aroma and flavor. We named this sake "Tsunagi" in hopes of creating even stronger connections with everyone.

“Yoshihiro Kotobuki Oimatsu Junmai Ginjo Sake”

Junmai Ginjo sake made with 100% Yamada Nishiki from Hyogo Prefecture. Raw and unfiltered unprocessed sake. It is a masterpiece that is brewed with the unique aroma of Ginjo and the tradition of a long-established brewery, and is characterized by its gentle flavor and sharpness.

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"Zenjiro's Wife Ume Sake" "Zenjiro's Grandson Apple Sake" "Zenjiro's Daughter Yuzu Sake" (720ml/1,650 yen)

We also have a lineup of fruit wines. It's interesting that ``Zenjiro-san'' appears in the naming as well.

The umeshu made with Kishu Nanko plums is made by Zenjiro's wife, so it feels a little older. The cider wine is made with apples grown locally in Shishiwahaga, Zenjiro's grandson, so I guess the freshness is a big plus.

Also, the yuzu sake made with yuzu from Kochi is Zenjiro's daughter, so I wonder if it has a nice, calm flavor? It stirs up the imagination.

“Mochi rice amazake” (540 yen), “Sakagura soy sauce koji”, “Sakagura salt koji”, “Sakagura moromi (Japanese pepper, yuzu)” (518 yen each), “Sakagura moromi” (486 yen), “Sakagura Hariharizuke” (237 yen), apple jam (572 yen)

They also sell the seasonings used in the dining room, so if you can find something like this, you'll want to buy it to take home.

(Writer Utami)

*This article is information as of August 2023. Prices include tax. Product contents and prices may change.

Access information

Great value one-day bus ticket “Hyogo Amazing Pass”

We recommend these for sightseeing in Shiso City, the birthplace of Japanese sake! Normally, it costs 1,190 yen one way, but this ticket is a great deal that allows you to ride unlimited Shinki bus routes for 1,000 yen a day.

To access from Himeji Station, take the bus bound for Yamazaki from rotary No. 4 or No. 18 at Himeji Station (north exit). It takes about 1 hour one way.

``Hyogo Amazing Pass'' is a great value bus ticket for 1,000 yen per day.

basic information

Oimatsu Dining/Oimatsu Sake Brewery

Address: 12 Yamazaki, Yamazaki-cho, Shiso City, Hyogo Prefecture

Phone number: 0790-62-2345

Business hours: Oimatsu Dining 11:00-14:30 (LO 13:30) Direct Sales Office 10:00-17:00

Closed: Thursday

Access: Approximately 60 minutes by Shinki Bus bound for Yamazaki from JR Himeji Station North Exit, 8 minutes walk from Yamazaki bus stop, approximately 4 minutes from Chugoku Expressway Yamazaki IC

Parking: Yes

HP: http://s-oimatsu.com/

SNS: Instagram