Kumamoto shochu brewery hosts tasting event 5 years after rain disaster
A shochu brewery in southwestern Japan's Kumamoto Prefecture that was hit by record rainfall five years ago has hosted an event that allowed visitors to taste classic shochu spirits.
Torrential rain hit the prefecture in July 2020 and turned the region into a disaster zone. The rainfall also damaged the production facility of the brewery in Hitoyoshi City.
The tasting event, which was held at the brewery's compound on Sunday, allowed visitors to sample different shochu varieties and eat salt-grilled sweetfish.
There was also a corner where visitors could enjoy tasting classic shochu, which has been matured in an earthen pot for about half a century. The pot survived the disaster unaffected.
Photographs of the city at the time of the disaster were exhibited on the second floor of the building.
A man in his 50s said the pictures reminded him of how the area was like five years ago. He said he recalls when he returned home in the evening at that time after temporary evacuation, the landscapes were just like those in the photographs.
The brewery's president Tsutsumi Junko said her company is gradually recovering five years after the disaster. She added that she will continue with her efforts for the local community's reconstruction.
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