Hirosaki Sake & Snack Box

Description

***Please note: these products can only be shipped within Japan. We can deliver directly to your hotel so it's waiting for you on arrival — just place your order at least 5 business days before your arrival date.*** The Story Behind the Box Hirosaki is apple country, but it's also quietly serious about what goes in a glass. This box is built around that side of the city: a bottle of junmai ginjo sake from a local Hirosaki brewery, a pair of apple cidres, and a handful of savory bites to go with them. At the center is Torai (杜來), a junmai ginjo sake brewed at 16% alcohol with a rice-polishing ratio of 55% — the kind of number that tells you the brewery took the extra step of milling away more of the rice grain to chase a cleaner, more refined pour. Alongside it sit two Hirosaki cidres, Dry and Rosé, made from 100% domestic apples at a gentle 3–5% ABV — fruity, easy-drinking, and a nice contrast to the sake's depth. To drink them properly, the box includes a two-piece set of Tsugaru Biidoro glassware from Hokuyo Glass in Aomori City, hand-finished in the speckled, jewel-toned style the region is known for — one larger glass, one smaller, so you can pour sake and cidre side by side. For snacking, there's a scallop butter-soy-sauce potato chip — a rich, umami-forward Aomori-limited flavor — and salted cod kombu strips, a chewy, savory seafood snack made for drinking. A vacuum-packed corn on the cob rounds things out, though as a fresh item its availability can vary and it may occasionally be substituted with a comparable product from another supplier. Together, it's less a "gift set" and more a small evening in Hirosaki: something to pour, something to sip, and something salty to keep reaching for. ------------------------------------------------------------- What's in the box? Torai Junmai Ginjo Sake (杜來 とらい) Brewed by a sake maker in Hirosaki, Torai is a junmai ginjo with an alcohol content of 16% and a rice-polishing ratio of 55% — meaning more than half of each rice grain is milled away before brewing, a step that typically yields a cleaner, more aromatic sake. Best served chilled or at room temperature to let the ginjo aromatics come through. Hirosaki Cider — Dry (弘前シードル ドライ) A sparkling apple cidre made in Hirosaki from 100% domestic apples, alcohol content 3–5%. The Dry version is light and crisp with restrained sweetness, letting the apple character lead rather than sugar. Hirosaki Cider — Rosé (弘前シードル ロゼ) The rosé sibling to the Dry cidre, same 100% apple base and 3–5% ABV, with a softer, fruitier profile and a pale pink color. Good served well-chilled as an aperitif. Tsugaru Biidoro Glass Set (津軽びいどろ グラス 大小2個セット) A two-piece glass set — one larger, one smaller — handcrafted by Hokuyo Glass in Aomori City. Each glass is finished with the speckled, jewel-toned "Tsugaru Biidoro" technique the region is known for, making every piece slightly unique. Sized for sipping sake or cidre. Scallop Butter Soy-Sauce Potato Chips (帆立バター醤油ポテト) An Aomori-limited potato chip flavored with scallop, butter, and soy sauce — a rich, umami-heavy snack built to go with a drink rather than eaten on its own. Salted Cod Kombu Strips (塩たら昆布) Shredded, salted cod wrapped with kombu (kelp), a chewy savory seafood snack common as an otsumami (drinking snack) across northern Japan. Vacuum-Packed Corn on the Cob (トウモロコシ真空パック) Whole sweet corn, vacuum-sealed for freshness. Note: because this is a fresh, unprocessed item, supply can be inconsistent — it may occasionally need to be substituted with a comparable corn product from another local supplier.