As the name “domaine”—a French term for a vineyard that makes wine from self-grown grapes—suggests, Junmai Daiginjo Domaine TAKA is produced 100% from Yamadanishiki rice grown by the company’s own staff in a rice field located within 5 km of the brewery in Ube, Yamaguchi Prefecture. Compared to Yamanishiki rice grown in Hyogo Prefecture, those cultivated in sandy soil of Ube have a silky-smooth texture that pairs well with sashimi or grilled blue fish such as mackerel. Although sake is Japan’s traditional brew made from rice, not many breweries carry out the entire process of sake making from rice cultivation to brewing today. This is due to the fact that after the WWII, a drastic agricultural land reform was implemented in Japan in which farmlands owned by the breweries were subdivided and redistributed. Since then, the custom of breweries purchasing sake rice from ZEN-NOH (the Japan Agricultural Cooperatives Group) under the Food Control Law has continued to this date. As a result, most of the sake breweries have stopped producing rice by themselves. Through frequent visits to wineries in France, Mr. Nagayama, Representing Director of the brewery, has witnessed the differences between French wineries and sake breweries in Japan. He learned that wine production in France is purely an agriculture activity and was impressed by the beautifully manicured vineyards that offer a stunning scenery. On the other hand, finding farm successors has become a serious issue in sake production. With this in mind, Nagayama Honke Shuzojo is committed to rice firming and uses 100% self-grown rice in the products while implementing conservation activities of the local natural environment and beautiful landscapes of the rice paddies on a regular basis in cooperation with four agricultural corporations. In addition, the brewery has been carrying out trials to realize pesticide-free, organic cultivation in the future based on the belief that good sake is only born from beautiful landscape.