Friday, December 1, 2023
The 7th Three Towns Umaissho Grand Prix, sponsored by the Three Towns Agricultural Improvement Promotion Council (Amuryu Town, Numata Town, and Hokuryu Town), was held at the Hokuryu Town Community Center (large hall) from 4:30 pm on Wednesday, November 29th.
- 1 The 7th Three Towns Umaissho Grand Prix
- 1.1 1. Opening remarks: Mr. Yutaka Sano, Chairman of the Three Towns Agricultural Improvement Promotion Council and Mayor of Hokuryu
- 1.2 2. Explanation of the judging process: General moderator, Yayoi Kawamoto, Counselor of the Industry Division of Hokuryu Town Hall
- 1.3 3. Rice category judging
- 1.4 4. Soba Section Judging
- 1.5 5. Sake category judging
- 1.6 Tasting, tasting, judging and voting time
- 1.7 Vote counting
- 1.8 6. Award ceremony: Announcement of the judging results
- 1.9 Triple Crown Award Recipient: Kitakiyo Hirokuni, Representative Director of Kitasorachi Agricultural Cooperative Association, Hokuryu District
- 1.10 Commentary: Yoichi Tagawa, Director of the Kita-Sorachi Branch of the Sorachi Agricultural Improvement and Extension Center
- 1.11 7. 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 Past winners
- 3 YouTube videos
- 4 Other photos
- 5 Related articles
The 7th Three Towns Umaissho Grand Prix
This is the seventh time the three towns of Uryu, Numata, and Hokuryu have held this grand prix, where they bring this year's new rice, new soba, and sake to compete for taste.
Approximately 40 people participated, including mayors and town hall staff from each town, officials from the Kita Sorachi Agricultural Cooperative, and staff from the Kita Sorachi Branch of the Sorachi Agricultural Improvement and Extension Center, and thoroughly enjoyed the flavors of each dish.
After a rigorous judging process in which the origins of the products were not revealed, Hokuryu Town was declared the winner in all three categories this year!
1. Opening remarks: Mr. Yutaka Sano, Chairman of the Three Towns Agricultural Improvement Promotion Council and Mayor of Hokuryu
"I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all of you for making the 7th Three Towns Umaissho Grand Prix, hosted by the Three Towns Agricultural Improvement Promotion Council of Uryu, Numata, and Hokuryu, possible with such large numbers of participants.
This year, the weather was unusually hot in June and July, and the long, heavy rains that began in August caused the rice plants to fall over, making the harvesting process extremely difficult for producers. However, despite these circumstances, delicious rice was produced this year as well. I would like to express my deep respect for the producers, as this is the result of their hard work, including their farming techniques.
Although rice prices have reportedly risen for the second consecutive year, farmers' business conditions are likely to remain difficult due to the rising cost of production materials such as fuel.
It's often said that Hokkaido rice has become more delicious recently. Mayors Yokoyama and Shirakawa are proud to say that Kita Sorachi rice is the most delicious among all the rice grown in Hokkaido, and recently presented some Kita Sorachi rice to the Governor of Hokkaido. I believe this is thanks to the hard work of everyone involved in agriculture, including the Tagawa Branch Manager, the Kita Sorachi Agricultural Improvement and Extension Center, and the JA Farming Department and Town Industry Division.
The judging for the Umaissho Grand Prix will begin soon, and I'm really looking forward to seeing what the results will be this year.
I would like to say a few words to conclude my opening remarks. Thank you very much for your cooperation."
2. Explanation of the judging process: General moderator, Yayoi Kawamoto, Counselor of the Industry Division of Hokuryu Town Hall
We will be judging a taste comparison of new rice, new soba, and sake from the three towns of Hokuryu, Numata, and Hokuryu.
The origin of each rice, soba, and sake is hidden, and participants are asked to taste and line up the varieties as A, B, and C, and then, taking into account the following criteria, vote for the one they think is the most delicious by marking it with a circle.
Judging criteria
- Rice:Aroma, gloss, sweetness, stickiness, texture
- Soba:Aroma, texture, smoothness
- Japanese sake:Aroma, flavor, richness, and aftertaste
❂ Vote for the most delicious item by checking each condition.
ballot box
You vote by dropping your ballot in a ballot box of the same color as your ballot paper.
Ballot papers placed on each table
3. Rice category judging
- Uryu Town:Uryu rice "Yumepirika"
- Numata Town:Snow-grown rice "Yumepirika"
- Hokuryu Town:Sunflower rice "Yumepirika"
4. Soba Section Judging
- Soba varieties from three towns"Kitawase"Taste comparison
5. Sake category judging
- Sake rice "Suisei" from Uryu Town100% special pure rice sake
"Special Junmai Uryu Suisei" produced by Kamikawa Taisetsu Sake Brewery Co., Ltd. (Kamikawa Town)
- Sake rice "Suisei" from Numata Town100% Yukimuro Matured Junmai Sake
"Yuki Nagori Zuika" produced by Takasago Brewery Co., Ltd. (Shintotsukawa Town)
- Sake rice "Suisei" from Hokuryu Town100% special pure rice sake
"Ryujin Special Junmai" Produced by Ryujin Sake Brewery Co., Ltd. (Tatebayashi City, Gunma Prefecture)
Tasting, tasting, judging and voting time
The rice is cooked fresh using the same amount of water and time in the same rice cooker.
Vote counting
All ballots are removed from each ballot box and the votes are counted carefully.
Everyone is watching the vote count intently.
A moment of joy!
Congratulations on winning!
6. Award ceremony: Announcement of the judging results
- Rice:Winner: Hokuryu Town(13 votes out of 34)
2nd place: Numata Town
3rd place: Uryu Town
- Soba:Winner: Hokuryu Town(15 votes out of 33)
2nd place: Numata Town
3rd place: Uryu Town
- Japanese sake:Winner: Hokuryu Town(12 votes out of 26)
2nd place: Uryu Town
3rd place: Numata Town
Hokuryu Town wins the Triple Crown! Congratulations!!!
Triple Crown Award Recipient: Kitakiyo Hirokuni, Representative Director of Kitasorachi Agricultural Cooperative Association, Hokuryu District
"I'm really happy to win my first triple crown.
There was almost no difference in the rice, and I thought all the rice was delicious. I had no idea about soba noodles, so I went by the texture, but I was wrong.
I knew that the last sake I wanted to make had to be a must. Since last year, I have been growing sake rice called "Suisei" and Ryujin Sake Brewery in Gunma Prefecture has been making delicious sake from it.
Today's Hokuryu sake is "Ryujin Tokubetsu Junmai" made with 100% "Suisei" sake rice from Hokuryu Town, produced by Ryujin Sake Brewery Co., Ltd. (Gunma Prefecture, Representative: Isao Kezuka). This sake won the Grand Prix at this year's "Hokkaido Rice Sake Awards 2023," out of 19 entries from breweries using Hokkaido's prized sake rice varieties, "Suisei" and "Ginpu."
"Ryujin Tokubetsu Junmai" is the "best sake in Hokkaido," so I thought I couldn't lose, so I tried tasting it and got it right!
The producers at Hokuryu will do their best to win the Triple Crown again next year, so we ask for your continued support. We would like to express our gratitude to you. Thank you very much."
Commentary: Yoichi Tagawa, Director of the Kita-Sorachi Branch of the Sorachi Agricultural Improvement and Extension Center
"The new rice, new soba and sake were all delicious.
This year, I was worried about what kind of rice and soba would be produced under the high temperature conditions, but all the rice was delicious. Yumepirika in particular has the softness and stickiness that are characteristic of Yumepirika, and when it ripens at high temperatures, it has a slight mochi aroma. With these characteristics, all the rice was very delicious. I really felt that rice from Kita Sorachi is delicious.
Among them, Hokuryu Town came in first place.
My impression after tasting it was that it had a slightly lighter taste than the other three, but it was sweet and easy to eat. All the rice was delicious, which I think is a testament to the efforts of the producers.
All of the new soba noodles had a good flavor and I thought they were good quality soba.
Eating it without the sauce brought out the flavor even more. The noodles were cut in different thicknesses, each with its own unique character, but they were all delicious.
Although the sake is made using the same Suisei variety, the breweries, water, and brewing methods are all different, making each one unique.
The winner was "Ryujin Tokubetsu Junmai" from Hokuryu Town. It is a relatively sweet and fruity sake, and I think it is a delicious sake that even people who don't usually drink alcohol can enjoy. I felt that it was worthy of winning the Grand Prix at the "Sake Awards 2023."
I think all three are excellent drinks in their own way, so if you are purchasing them, I would encourage you to buy all three bottles and enjoy comparing them.
Finally, I would like to thank everyone at the secretariat who has been preparing for this Umaisho Grand Prix.
It's now November, so there's still about a month left in the year, but I hope that you all end the year in good health and happiness, and that you have a bright new year.
I would like to conclude my comments by vowing to each other that we will definitely take first place next year. Thank you very much for today."
7. 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 Three Towns Umaissho Grand Prix finished without a hitch. Thank you to everyone in the Industry Division who helped with the arrangements.
This year has been extremely hot, and I felt it was going to be a very difficult year. After the Obon festival, on August 17th, Typhoon No. 7 caused strong winds, and many of the rice plants in the rice fields were knocked over. They fell just as the rice was about to ripen, and I was worried that there would be a lot of broken rice. However, when I harvested the rice, I was relieved to see that it was about as good as usual.
This year has made me realize once again that we cannot go against nature, and that we must continue farming in harmony with nature. I hope that next year will be a year of better weather and we will have a wonderful autumn harvest.
This Three Towns Umaisho Grand Prix allows the towns of Uryu, Numata, and Hokuryu to boast to the world that their produce is equally delicious. I hope that the connections between these three towns will lead to activities that will benefit farmers in each region.
Today, I would like to express my gratitude to Hokuryu Town for achieving the triple crown, and I would like to cherish and enjoy the few remaining days of this year.
"I would like to express my sincere gratitude to everyone who came together today and who was able to see the Umaisho Grand Prix through to the very end. I would like to conclude my closing remarks by saying, "Thank you very much for coming today."
The rice, soba, and sake grown with love amidst the natural blessings of each of the three towns are wonderful and great!
With boundless love, gratitude, and prayers, we offer our heartfelt thanks to the 7th Three Towns Umaissho Grand Prix, where participants can enjoy the unique flavors of each town.
Past winners
- 1st (2017) Rice category: Numata Town,Soba category: Hokuryu Town
- 2nd (2018) Rice category: Uryu Town, Buckwheat category: Uryu Town
- 3rd (2019) Rice category: Uryu Town,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 category: Hokuryu Town, Soba section: Uryu Town,Sake Category: Uryu TownHokuryu Town
- 7th (2023)Rice category: Hokuryu Town、Soba category: Hokuryu Town、Sake category: Hokuryu Town
YouTube videos
Other photos
Related articles
◇ Interview and text: Ikuko Terauchi (Photography and editing assistance: Noboru Terauchi)
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