[Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture] 3 popular corner liquor stores in Morioka! ｜Heiko Shoten, Hosoju ​​Sake Store, Kagiya Sake Store

Morioka, where a clean river flows through the city and has good spring water, has been a thriving area for sake brewing since ancient times, and there were once four sake breweries: Asakai , Kiku no Tsukasa , Sakuragao , and Iwategawa .

For this reason, there are many liquor stores in Morioka City that sell them, and Kakuuchi (called Mokkiri in Morioka) has become a popular part of Japanese sake culture.

Nowadays, there are only two sake breweries left in the city: Asakai and Sakuragao (Kiku no Tsukasa moved to Shizukuishi-cho, and Iwategawa went out of business), but Morioka still retains its old townscape. In the city, there are liquor stores with an old-fashioned feel.

The three liquor stores we introduce preserve the old "Mokkiri" tradition, each with its own unique atmosphere, and even first-time tourists can enjoy a cup of Kakuuchi with the warm hospitality of the local regulars. .

What is "Kakuuchi"?

In the Showa era, there were many privately run liquor stores in the city, where you could buy sake by weight, and in order to drink the sake you bought on the spot, they lent out the sake that was sold by weight and let you drink it on the spot. ” begins.

To drink alcohol from a square measure, you must touch the corner with your mouth, and it is said that the origin of the word is that drinking from the corner was expressed as ``hitting from the corner.''

These days, cheap standing bars are sometimes called ``Kakuuchi'', but the original ``Kakuuchi'' is a system where you buy alcohol at a liquor store and drink it inside the store.

In Morioka, it is more common to call it ``mokkiri'' rather than ``kakuuchi'', and it is called that because it is served in a cup rather than a ``sasu''.

Hirako Shoten

This is a very famous corner shop that every Morioka drinker is familiar with.

Along the Nakatsugawa River in the Konyamacho area of ​​the city, across the street the Kiku no Tsukasa Sake Brewery, a sake brewery that has been operating since the Edo period , but the brewery moved to Shizukuishi Town in 2022.

However, Hirako Shoten remains in Konyamachi, and is crowded every day with local sake lovers enjoying Kakuuchi.

Even after the relocation, the main sake sold at Heiko Shoten is Kiku no Tsukasa sake, and depending on the season, you can enjoy special sake such as Namazake at the ``Mokkiri Price''

Recommended brands at Heiko Shoten

They carry a variety of brands from their relative, Kiku no Tsukasa, and the proprietress will explain the day's recommendations.

The sake that the proprietress pours into the cup will overflow, so please be careful as you will have to sip it without moving it.

Snacks include the shop's canned goods, dried foods, and sweets, as well as edamame and pickles made at the shop, and in winter, oden.

[Additional information]: Notice of closure of Heiko Shoten

Heiko Shoten, which has been loved as a place of relaxation for the citizens of Morioka, closed its 80th anniversary on December 8, 2023 (Reiwa 5).

The store's closing was sadly missed by regular customers who had been coming to the store for many years, as the mother who ran the store had reached an advanced age and was spending her "second life."

Perhaps one of the reasons for the decision to close was that Kiku no Tsukasa Sake Brewery, which is an in-laws relationship across the road, was relocated to Shizukuishi Town next to Morioka City in October 2022. It might have been.

The site of the Kikunotsukasa Sake Brewery has been demolished and turned into a vacant lot, and now that the lights of Heiko Shoten have gone out, this historic corner of Konyamachi, Morioka City, has a desolate feel to it.

Even on my first visit, I was warmly welcomed by my mother and other regulars, and there are many voices in the local area that I regret the closure of Heiko School, which taught me many things.

Thank you very much, Heiko Shoten.

INFORMATION

• Store name: Heiko Shoten
• Location: 6-2 Konyamachi, Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture
• Phone number: 019-622-2753
• Business hours: Monday to Friday 9:30 to 20:00, Sunday and holidays 13:30 to 20:00
• Regular holiday: New Year's Day
• gourmet site
  • eating log

GOOGLE MAP

Hosoju ​​Saketen

Located in Hataya-cho, where many Morioka townhouses still remain, business for over 230 years and an elegant 130-year-old exterior.The friendly proprietress who runs the store is a fourth-generation owner. That's it.

The production and sale of koji has been a family business for a long time, and there is a place to make koji inside the store, where you can purchase handmade koji.

A white curtain hangs at the back of the store where the products are displayed, and behind that is the corner-uchi space.

There is a single board counter on the dirt floor with chairs, and on the shelf at the entrance to the tatami room there are piles of canned food and dry goods with prices written on them.

You can feel the history in the high-ceilinged tatami room in the back that connects to the dirt floor, and the shinto altar and decorated stairs make you feel as if you've traveled back in time to the Edo period.

Recommended brands at Hososhige Shoten

This shop is related to Tsuki no Wa Shuzoten, a sake brewery located in Shiwa-cho south of Morioka, so you can enjoy Tsuki no Wa brewery straight from the brewery.

``Kinjirushi'' is a regular sake that can be drunk in the form of a square, and is a delicious sake with a refreshing taste and a reasonable price.

There is also a beer server at the counter, and we recommend the draft beer that the proprietress pours into chilled mugs.

INFORMATION

• Store name: Hosoju ​​liquor store
• Location: 3-4 Katayacho, Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture
• Phone number: 019-622-2314
• Business hours: Mon-Sat 9:00-20:00
• Closed: Sunday
• gourmet site
  • eating log

GOOGLE MAP

Kagiya Saketen

This is a long-established liquor store founded in 1906, located in the Sakemachi Shopping Arcade in Morioka City.

In addition to local sake from Iwate, they also sell sake carefully selected from all over Japan, and you can enjoy these recommended items at reasonable prices from evening until 8pm.

There are tables and chairs inside the shop, so you can sit and enjoy your meal.

Dry snacks are available for sale, but you are free to bring them in as long as they don't have a strong smell.

Recommended brands at Kagiya Liquor Store

Kawamura Sake Brewery's ``Yemon'' in Ishidoridani, the village of Nanbu chief brewers, and Akabu Sake Brewery's ``AKABU'', which was rebuilt in Morioka city after being damaged by the tsunami in Otsuchi town on the coast, are located in Iwate Prefecture. We recommend two brands from within the prefecture.

In addition, there are many brands from all over the country selected by the shop owner's discerning taste, and recently they have also been focusing on craft beer selection.

INFORMATION

• Store name: Kagiya Liquor Store
• Location: 1-5-25 Nakanohashi-dori, Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture
• Phone number: 019-624-2036
• Business hours: Tuesday to Sunday 10:00 to 20:00 (Kakuuchi is open from evening until closing)
• Closed: Monday
• URL: Kagiya Liquor Store Official X (old Twitter)
• gourmet site
  • eating log

GOOGLE MAP

Easy-to-understand "Kakuuchi" rules and system

Each store has a slightly different system, but there are two rules:

• Payment must be made in advance in cash (in some cases it may be possible to pay in full at the end)
• Snacks are not limited to products from the store, but you can also bring your own.

Anyone can enjoy Kakuuchi as long as they follow these rules.

However, you should be careful about the following etiquette.

Don't sit silently when you sit down; ask if it's okay to sit there.

In the corner area of ​​a store, the seats for regular customers are often fixed, so even if the seats are empty, don't sit quietly and ask the store staff and people around you if you can sit. It's good to do so.

When bringing in snacks, be sure to ask the staff if you can open them.

You are free to bring your own snacks, but the store also sells snacks, and if you bring snacks with a strong smell, it may be a nuisance to other customers.

Before you eat , ask the staff at the restaurant, "Can I have this as a snack?"

summary

All of the liquor stores in Morioka that sell alcoholic beverages have been loved and cherished as places for communication among regular customers in the neighborhood.

You may need a little courage to visit for the first time, as the regulars are always happily chatting and enjoying drinks.

However, all of these regular customers warmly welcome first-timers as ``new friends,'' recommending the snacks they brought with them, and telling us interesting information about the local area. .

Why not enjoy playing Kakuuchi while immersing yourself in the human nature of Morioka, which was described in the New York Times as ``very warm''?