Friday, December 1, 2023
On November 29 (Wed.) at 4:30 p.m., the 7th Three Towns Umaissho Grand Prix was held at the Hokuryu-cho Community Center (Main Hall) under the auspices of the Three Towns Agricultural Improvement Promotion Council (Amaryu Town, Numata Town, and Hokuryu Town).
- 1 The 7th Three Towns Umaisyo Grand Prix
- 1.1 Opening remarks: Mr. Yutaka Sano, Mayor of Hokuryu Town and Chairman of the Three Towns Agricultural Improvement Promotion Council
- 1.2 Explanation of the judging method: General moderator, Ms. Yayoi Kawamoto, Counselor, Industry Division, Hokuryu Town Hall
- 1.3 3. rice category judging
- 1.4 Judging of Soba category
- 1.5 5. sake category judging
- 1.6 Tasting, tasting, judging and voting time
- 1.7 tally (of votes)
- 1.8 6. Award Ceremony: Announcement of judging results
- 1.9 Triple Crown Winner, Greeting: Mr. Hirokuni Kitakiyo, Representative Director, Hokuryu District, Kitasorachi Agricultural Cooperative Association
- 1.10 Comment: Mr. Yoichi Tagawa, Director, North Sorachi Branch, Sorachi Agricultural Extension Center
- 1.11 Closing remarks: Mr. Hirokuni Kitakiyo, Vice Chairman of the Three Towns Agricultural Improvement Promotion Council and Representative Director of Kitasorachi Agricultural Cooperative Association, Hokuryu District
- 2 all-time record holder
- 3 Youtube Video
- 4 More Photos
- 5 Related Articles
The 7th Three Towns Umaisyo Grand Prix
This is a grand prix in which the three towns of Amaryu, Numata, and Hokuryu bring this year's "new rice, new buckwheat noodles, and sake" to compete for the best taste. This year's event will be the seventh.
About 40 people, including mayors and officials of each town, officials of the Kitasorachi Agricultural Cooperative Association and the Kita-Sorachi Branch of the Sorachi Agricultural Extension Center, participated in the event and thoroughly enjoyed the different flavors.
After a strict judging process in which the production area was kept confidential, Hokuryu Town was declared the winner in all three categories this year!
Opening remarks: Mr. Yutaka Sano, Mayor of Hokuryu Town and Chairman of the Three Towns Agricultural Improvement Promotion Council
I would like to express my sincere appreciation and thanks to the many people who participated in the "7th Three Towns Umaissho Grand Prix," sponsored by the Council for the Promotion of Improved Farming in the three towns of Amaryu, Numata, and Hokuryu.
This year, we had unusually high temperatures in June and July, and strong and long rains from August caused the rice to fall down, making the harvesting work very difficult for the growers. However, despite these conditions, delicious rice was produced again this year. I would like to express my deep respect to all the growers for their efforts in farming techniques and other efforts.
Rice prices are also expected to rise for the second year in a row, but farmers' business conditions are likely to remain challenging due to soaring prices for fuel and other production materials.
It is often said that rice in Hokkaido has become more delicious. Both Mayor Yokoyama and Mayor Shirakawa are proud to say that the rice from Kita-Kuachi is the best rice in Hokkaido, and they have recently delivered rice from Kita-Kuachi to the Hokkaido Governor. I think this is thanks to the hard work of everyone in charge of agriculture, led by the head of the Tagawa Branch Office, the members of the Kita-Kuachi Agricultural Development and Extension Center, and the members of the JA Agriculture Department and the town's Industry Division.
After this, the judging for the Umaissho Grand Prix will begin, and we are very much looking forward to seeing how this year's competition will turn out.
I would like to say a few words to open the meeting. Thank you very much for your kind attention.
Explanation of the judging method: General moderator, Ms. Yayoi Kawamoto, Counselor, Industry Division, Hokuryu Town Hall
We will judge the comparison of eating and drinking "new rice, new buckwheat and sake" from the three towns "Hokuryu-cho, Numata-cho and Hokuryu-cho".
The rice, buckwheat noodles, and sake were placed in groups A, B, and C, with the place of origin of the rice, buckwheat noodles, and sake hidden.
Screening Criteria
- Rice :Aroma, gloss, sweetness, consistency, texture
- Soba :Aroma, texture, and throat texture
- Sake:Aroma, umami, richness, lingering taste
❂ Vote by ticking the circle for the best tasting one based on the total of each condition.
ballot box
Vote by depositing your ballot in a ballot box of the same color as your ballot paper.
Ballots at each table
3. rice category judging
- Amaryu Town:Uryu rice "Yumepirika
- Numata Town:Yumepirika" snow rice
- Hokuryu Town:Himawari Rice ""Yumepirika
Judging of Soba category
- Buckwheat from 3 towns Variety"Northwest."comparing foodstuffs
5. sake category judging
- Comet" sake rice produced in Uryu Town100% Special Junmai Sake
Special Junmai Amaryu Comet" manufactured by Kamikawa Taisetsu Shuzo Co.
- Comet" sake rice produced in Numata Town100% Snow Chamber Aged Junmai Sake
Snow Nagori Zuika" manufactured by Takasago Shuzo Co.
- Comet" sake rice produced in Hokuryu Town100% Special Junmai Sake
Ryujin Special Junmai" manufactured by Ryujin Shuzo Co.
Tasting, tasting, judging and voting time
Rice is served freshly cooked in the same rice cooker with the same amount of water and uniform time.
tally (of votes)
All ballots are removed from each ballot box and strictly opened.
Everyone earnestly watching the vote count.
A moment of joy!
Congratulations on your win!
6. Award Ceremony: Announcement of judging results
- Rice :Winner Hokuryu Town(Received 13 of 34 votes)
2nd Numata Town
No.3 Amaryu Town
- Soba :Winner Hokuryu Town(Received 15 of 33 votes)
2nd Numata Town
No.3 Amaryu Town
- Sake:Winner Hokuryu Town(Received 12 of 26 votes)
No.2 Amaryu Town
3rd Numata Town
The town of Hokuryu wins the Triple Crown! Congratulations!
Triple Crown Winner, Greeting: Mr. Hirokuni Kitakiyo, Representative Director, Hokuryu District, Kitasorachi Agricultural Cooperative Association
I am very happy to have won the Triple Crown for the first time.
There was little difference between the rice and I thought all the rice was good. I had no idea about soba, I thought about it in terms of texture, but I missed it.
I was determined not to miss the last sake. I have been producing the sake rice "Comet" since last year, and Ryujin Sake Brewery in Gunma Prefecture has been making delicious sake for us.
Today's Hokuryu sake is "Ryujin Special Junmai" from Ryujin Sake Brewery (Gunma Prefecture; Isao Kezuka, President), made with 100% Hokuryu-machi sake rice "Comet". This sake won the Grand Prix at this year's "Sake Made with Hokkaido Rice Award 2023" out of 19 sake breweries' entries made with "Comet" and "Ginpu", Hokkaido's best rice for sake brewing.
Since "Ryujin Special Junmai" is the best sake in Hokkaido, I was determined not to be outdone, so I tasted it and was able to guess exactly what it was!
We, the producers of Hokuryu, will do our best to win the Triple Crown again next year. I would like to express my gratitude to all of you. Thank you very much.
Comment: Mr. Yoichi Tagawa, Director, North Sorachi Branch, Sorachi Agricultural Extension Center
The new rice, soba, and sake were all very tasty.
This year, we were worried about how the rice would turn out under the high temperature conditions and what kind of rice it would be, but all the rice was delicious. In particular, the rice was soft and sticky, which are characteristics of Yumepirika, and when ripened at high temperatures, it had a slight rice cake aroma, but these characteristics also made the rice very tasty. We felt that the rice produced in Kita Sorachi is delicious.
Of these, Hokuryu Town ranked first.
My impression of the rice was that of the three, it was slightly lighter in texture, but I realized that it was sweet and easy to eat. All of the rice was delicious, which I thought was the result of the producers' efforts.
I thought the new soba noodles were all very flavorful and good.
The flavor was even better when eaten without the sauce. The noodles were cut in different ways, some thicker and some thinner, and each had its own unique flavor, but all were very tasty.
Sake is made from the same variety of comet, but brewed in different breweries, with different water, and in different ways, making each sake unique. We feel that each of the three has its own unique flavor.
The winner was "Ryujin Special Junmai" from Hokuryu Town. It is a relatively sweet and fruity sake that even those who do not normally drink sake can enjoy. It is indeed a sake that won the Grand Prix at the "Sake Award 2023.
We believe that all three are good sake, so we hope that you will purchase all three bottles together and enjoy comparing them.
Last but not least, I would like to thank the secretariat for all their hard work in preparing for this Umaissho Grand Prix.
It is November, which means that we have about one month to go this year, and I wish you all a healthy and happy ending to the year and a glorious new year.
I would like to conclude this review by pledging to each other that next year we will take first place. Thank you very much for your time today.
Closing remarks: Mr. Hirokuni Kitakiyo, Vice Chairman of the Three Towns Agricultural Improvement Promotion Council and Representative Director of Kitasorachi Agricultural Cooperative Association, Hokuryu District
The "3 Towns Umaissho Grand Prix" came to an end without a hitch. We would like to express our gratitude to the members of the Industrial Division for their assistance in making the arrangements.
I felt that this year was quite a difficult year due to high temperatures. After the Bon Festival, on August 17, typhoon No. 7 hit the rice fields with strong winds, causing much of the rice in the fields to fall over. I thought there might be a lot of rice waste because the rice fell over just as it was about to start maturing. However, I was relieved to find that the rice crop was a little better than the usual crop.
This year has made me realize once again that we cannot go against nature, or rather, that we will continue to farm with nature. Next year, I hope to have a wonderful autumn with better weather conditions.
We can boast to the outside world that the agricultural products of these three towns, Amaryu, Numata, and Hokuryu, are as delicious as ever. We hope that the connection between these three towns will be a source of sustenance for farmers in each area.
Today, I would like to thank the Town of Hokuryu for achieving the Triple Crown, and I will cherish and enjoy the remaining days of this year.
I would like to close by expressing my sincere gratitude to all of you for gathering here today and making the Umaissho Grand Prix a success to the very end. Thank you very much for your kind attention today," said Mr. Kita Kiyoshi, District Representative Director, in his closing remarks.
The greatness and splendor of the rice, buckwheat, and sake grown with great love in the natural bounty of each of the three towns' regions!
With boundless love, gratitude, and prayers for the "7th 3 Towns Umaissho Grand Prix," where you can taste and enjoy the unique delicacies of each town.
all-time record holder
- 1st (2017) rice category: Numata Town,Soba category : Hokuryu Town
- 2nd (2018) Rice category: Amaryu Town, Buckwheat category: Amaryu Town
- 3rd (2019) Rice category: the town of Amaryu,Soba category : Hokuryu Town, ,Sake category: Hokuryu Town
- 4th (2020) Rice category: Uryu Town, Soba category: Uryu Town, Sake category: Uryu Town
- 5th (2021) rice category: Numata Town,Soba category : Hokuryu Town, ,Sake category: Hokuryu Town
- 6th (2022)Rice Division: Hokuryu TownSoba category: Amaryu Town,Sake CategoryUryu TownHokuryu Town
- 7th (2023)Rice Division: Hokuryu Town, ,Soba category : Hokuryu Town, ,Sake category: Hokuryu Town
Youtube Video
More Photos
Related Articles
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◇ Reporting and writing by Ikuko Terauchi (Photography and editorial assistance by Noboru Terauchi)
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