A quiet afternoon fulfilled at the brewery.
Visit: June 16, 2025
This day in Kyoto was not filled with dramatic events,
but with quiet experiences slowly layering one upon another.
Before the factory tour, I had yakiniku alone —
a “Manpuku Harami Set Meal” I wished I could have enjoyed more slowly.
In the afternoon, I headed to the Suntory Kyoto Beer Factory.
I had joined a special tour held only once a year during a limited season.
Although I had made a reservation and left with plenty of time,
I somehow chose to walk instead of taking the shuttle bus and, as expected, got slightly lost.
I arrived just before the tour began.
Even that small travel-like anxiety later became a moment that stayed in my memory.
I tasted three kinds of beer, one after another.
First, The Premium Malt’s.
Its gentle aroma and clear flavor
felt like the entrance to the time that was about to begin.
Next, Master’s Dream.
With each sip, the depth grew,
and the outline of the taste slowly appeared.
And the third glass—
the limited 2025 Master’s Dream, aged in Hakushu cask.
The color was deeper, the aroma richer, and its character unmistakable.
Not only delicious on its own,
it even made me imagine how it would pair with food.
A sense of youthful challenge
and the craftsmanship built over many years.
Because both coexist, this flavor can exist.
I also felt natural respect for the effort to protect water and culture.
The factory was closed that day and very quiet.
It couldn’t be helped.
Foam is everything.
Starting from the left, each glass was poured slowly, at my own pace.
On the way home, I chose one bottle of Master’s Dream
and some natural water as souvenirs.
I could have bought two bottles of the limited beer,
but quietly gave up when I saw the price.
Such realistic decisions are also part of travel.
With the lingering feeling of three glasses, I smiled softly,
thinking, “Beer really does make you visit the restroom more often.”
With a slight trace of intoxication in my steps, I headed toward the station.
Nothing particularly dramatic happened.
And yet, inside my heart, I was certainly fulfilled.
A quiet, gentle, and slightly deep afternoon.
The day in Kyoto was still continuing.
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Today’s bonus capsule!
✨ Gateway to the Shōwa Era―Listening in the Heat
The Showa era (1926–1989) was a time when modern technology and ideas began to transform everyday life in Japan.
I sometimes remember a steel factory I visited on a school field trip during the Shōwa era.
It was extremely hot, and to be honest, I did not enjoy it at all.
I feel sorry to say this for the people who worked there, but as a child, what remained with me was not the hardship of their work, only the long feeling of time slowly passing.
Even when we receive explanations, the same words do not reach everyone in the same way.
Perhaps learning is something that quietly takes shape inside us, rather than something given from the outside.
Today, more factory visits are hands-on, allowing children to touch and move things as they learn.
I sometimes wonder whether these experiences remain as slightly happier memories than those of my own childhood.