Something Different : Sengetsu Shochu Festival Kumamoto Part 1

 

For the first time in 4 years, this epic shochu festival has made its return. And due to a series of random events, I was able to find myself in the middle of rural Kumamoto to enjoy such a amazing event. I mean, it has free flow alcohol for free! What is not to love?

The scene right after the opening ceremony

Sengetsu is a Japanese shochu distillery which has centuries of history. Starting in 1903, this proud local establishment has been producing some of the best rice based shochu from Kumamoto. In fact, you can remove that category "rice based" as it can rival to some of the tuber based cousins from Kagoshima as well. And in recent memory they open the distillery to the public for some good old-fashioned Japanese style festival fun. However, due to the combination of the pandemic and rough weather, this proved difficult. So once I got wind of this event and hearing that they are returning after 4 long years, I paid for the bus fare and jumped right in. 

It seems like the shops are sparse, but there is actually a lot as they are evenly spread out. 

It should be noted that the distillery is located in Hitoyoshi, the very rural side of Kumamoto prefecture. Its so far deep, it is actually close to Kagoshima. And the bus ride was not short either. Due to its location, this was a chartered bus from a tour company and it took 2 hours to get there from central Tenjin. Being an unusual bus arrangement, the price was not cheap too, standing at 6000 yen. Very hefty indeed! Having said that, the ride was reasonably pleasant as you can really enjoy the green and hills that has made Kyushu famous. 

Here comes the money?

And after a couple of hours, we finally arrived close to lunch time. However, you cannot just jump into the fun just yet, there is actually a coupon system you need to be aware of. Specifically, there are various stalls selling different types of food. And each stall takes only coupons that you pay for at the front of the venue. A coupon stands at 200 yen each. This seemed reasonable as almost everything was priced at 200 yen. 

Freshly grilled!

Being close to lunch, I had to fill my gullet up before I go straight to the booze. And the first point of attack was some chikuwa. However, they are not the normal fish cakes that you get from the supermarket. They were massive and grilled on the spot. Hot, chewy, and buoyant, they pack a lot of flavour as well. A good start to the chow down and 200 yen well spent. 

Actually really good. 

The next item I got was a deep fried croquette made with wood ear mushrooms. It was pretty delicious, and the mushrooms actually gave it a snappy crunch which I find unusual but tasty at the same time. It has an interesting textural combination which I liked. It was not too oily too and I enjoyed it a lot. This was also for 200 yen. Not too long after, I had something totally different in the form of a meat bun. Also loaded with wood ear mushrooms, it was well seasoned and had a fluffy and pillow-like exterior. The meat filling was chunky and delectable, giving another varied sense of texture. As you have guessed it, it was for 200 yen too. 

So so tasty...

But if you need something more substantial, this event has got you covered. I got myself a serving of fried noodles which was absolutely incredible. Simple but tasty, it was loaded with lots of meat and cabbage and I wolfed it down relatively fast. Not bad for 200 yen. 

Where is the beer? I mean shochu?

Seems like I have talked a lot about the food. But how about the booze? It is a shochu festival after all. But after some thought, I realised that as the shochu is the main star of this event, it should have its own separate article. As such, please stay tuned for part 2 of this great gourmet experience.