Her name is Mimi. Mimi is probably about 76 years old and still driving…
Anyway, our first stop was Mizkan Museum. It’s also called Mizkan Factory. Handa is famous for producing Mizkan Vinegar. They were one of the first factories to produce Vinegar from Sake leaves and ship regularly to Tokyo.
It was really interesting to tour the museum. Then again, I am a history junky.
I think what made it great was the fact that I could actually understand it. Oh yeah, English! Apparently I’m not the only foreigner in Handa :)
These are the storage cases they use for fermenting the vinegar.
These are the storage vats. I think they said that if you drank a cup of vinegar every day from one of these things you could drink for 80 years without refilling the vat.
These are the famous Mizkan warehouses. Apparently they shot a scene here for a very famous Japanese film (that I can’t remember the name of..).
After Mizkan, Mimi and I went to a Japanese buffet. Mimi took the liberty of filling my plate with all kinds of crazy looking foods. I could do nothing to stop her either. Trust me; you don’t mess with this woman. I can’t imagine what she was like when she was younger, she is very forceful at 76..
After Japanese buffet, we went to a Buddhist temple. Mimi and I were the only ones there. The rain fall completely covered the noises that usually come with modern life. As I walked on the stone path, without people or anything else modern to distract me, I could almost imagine I was walking into another age.
We walked up to a water basin that had these wooden scoopers resting across it. Mimi told me that they are used to cleanse the body and soul before entering. First you rinse your hands and then you take a sip.
Thoroughly cleansed we made our way to this traditional Japanese house. I don’t think I will ever forget it. When I first walked in the aroma of tatami mats immediately overwhelmed me. Honestly, I wish I could bottle the smell and take it home with me. It is so unique. The reeds that are used to make tatami were a golden brown and were everywhere in this traditional house. Stepping onto the mats is like combining the best things about hard wood flooring and carpet. The texture is smooth and cool but soft and springy to walk on.
I walked through the house, once again travelling back in time, thinking about how people hundreds of years ago used see exactly what I was seeing now. Smell the same aroma, walk on the same floor, sit the same way, and bow at the same shrine.
Sigh… Moving on… After we left the temple, we went to Kunizakari Sake Museum.
Sadly, this tour wasn’t in English, but they did give me a handout that explained everything in English so it wasn’t bad. Making Sake is very similar to making Vinegar surprisingly. There are only a few different steps. And no, I didn’t get to try anything. The ladies working there kept pushing sake into my hand saying “Try! Try!” But Mimi firmly explained to them my age. Which was a surprise to them, apparently, I don’t look 16…
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