It’s on Canon Dr.
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Nice thanks for this report.
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Hi @beefnoguy,
Thanks for the great info on Daishichi… wow! Did you feel it was worth it for the Daishichi you tried? (Did you get to try all 3 (Myoka Rangokyu, Grand Cuvee and Ginkan?) It sounds amazing! 
! 
I will be living vicariously through you, @J_L @ipsedixit @Porthos @BradFord on this one then. 
I’m guessing this is on a completely other level than BORN “Dreams Come True” Junmai Daiginjo? Thanks.
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I first tried Myoka Rangokyu two years ago in Tokyo. Luckily it was about US$100 give or take retail from a high end department store, but there was something about it that didn’t work for me (and I paired it with very good quality sashimi purchased from the same department store). Purists say that this sake requires further breathing (similar to decanting but without using a decanter) but I’m going to say that each release will taste different, and the same goes for their lower end Junmai Daiginjo.
If you end up loving this sake, then likely you will enjoy the GV and the Ginkan.
Before you try the MR though, it may be worth trying the Houreki which is the lower end version (Mori Sushi is a good place to try it, and remember the Houreki is a sipper, it’s not a good pairing with anything other than white fish or uni).
Otherwise the far more affordable Minowamon Junmai Daiginjo, I feel is by the best and most value offering. Looks like Shiki has it as well. You get pretty much all the techniques and rice polish, minus the undiluted and free run drip process. MAO’s twitter picture shows that bottle in a cabinet, though I don’t quite see it on the sake menu pictures. If anything drink the Minowamon first to understand it, then Houreki, then Myoka Rangokyu.
Fukukomachi, I may have seen the 400th anniversary bottle at the same department store a couple months ago, and if it is the same one it retails about US$300 over there which is already considered very very expensive. This is the same top of the line or near top of the line offering by Urasawa some years back (these come in super exquisite fancy packaging/wooden boxes). Fukukomachi also brews a lineup of Junmai Daiginjo called “Kimura” which you will have seen at Mori Sushi and of course Urasawa (and probably far more affordable).
Chogin is by Born. Gorgeous bottle and in the vein of “Dreams Come True” but more limited and exquisite (never tasted it before).
In addition to Minowamon, I would recommend the Tsukinokatsura Yanagi $90 Junmai Ginjo, it’s the sake that is a step down from the Heiankyo Junmai Daiginjo you brought to Shunji and is a bit more versatile for food pairing in general and would work very well with the delicate kaiseki style cooked dishes/appetizers.
Kyokusen ($350 on the menu) is a fantastic elegant sake though it’s a bit too steep even at double retail…
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Yep, the Minowamon would be the bottle to the right, in the box with the beautiful adorned flowers symbol.
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Hi @beefnoguy,
Thanks again. 
We’ve definitely seen / remember Minowamon at a few places locally (was it at Raku? I need to check my photos when I get back). Do you think it’d go well with Izakaya dishes?
Although the Houreki being offered at Mori… if you’re saying it’s only good by itself or with white fish / uni, I wonder why they’d serve it there?
Chogin: Wow, so is Chogin Born’s most limited / rare offering? I always figured Dreams Come True would be the one to put on my bucket list since you mentioned it a few times to me. 
Your & @J_L’s reports are really, really exciting. @Chowseeker1999 -
Tough crowd though. Judging by the critiques, high-end washoku is war. I can see why Mori-san took some time off.
I mean, yikes… If I recall correctly, this was once the domain of Shige-san. All is fair in sushi and war?
I digress - to me this means Shiki might survive Canon Dr.! Mori-san has always been described as an artist and a total delight. I hope he will find happiness there, despite the pottery and rice issues. 
Can one really have it all? Yes, but not at the same time.
Great report. Excited! But I already said that.
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Hi @TheCookie,
Thanks. We never got a chance to try Shiki when Shige-san was there, but good to know. I hope you get a chance to try Mori-san at Shiki now, but perhaps after your 301 at Mori Sushi with Maru-san one of these days.
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Oh yes. I almost wrote that, but didn’t want to be too, too wordy. I’m definitely not ready for any of these guys. Clue? I thought dinner with Mori-san at Shiki was a 301. I’m good with their well-trained apprentices for now and Shiki is perfect for my studies. 
Hi @TheCookie,
You’ve come a long way! 
From your reports back on sushi, you’ve been appreciating more and more, so that’s great. Didn’t you also go to Shunji already? If so, you’re already in 301 classes. 
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Thanks @Chowseeker1999 -
Haha… well… at @JeetKuneBao’s prompting and despite others saying “too soon, you won’t get it”, I went to Shunji for the Lunch Special early on in my journey. I was hoping to go back and take pictures before posting. But if I find my receipt w/notes I might be able to make it interesting enough. To be continued on the Sushi School thread…
P.S. We went to Aburiya Raku again. Will soon post something about food & sake on that thread. I read @beefnoguy’s post above. It’s amazing he knows so much about super, high-end Sake, but can still recommend the perfect starter-kits for me. That’s a real gift my friend.
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Izakaya Wars: Revenge of the Sake
Palpatine: It’s upsetting to me that the council doesn’t seem to fully appreciate your talents. Don’t you wonder why they won’t make you a Sake Master?
Anakin: I wish I knew. More and more I get the feeling that I’m being excluded from the council. I know there are things about sake that they’re not telling me.
Palpatine: They don’t trust you Anakin. They see your future. They know your power will be too strong to control. You must break through the fog of lies the Junmai Daiginjo have created around you. Let me help you to know the subtleties of the sake.
Anakin: How do you know the ways of the sake?
Palpatine: My mentor taught me everything about the sake - even the nature of the cheap side.
Anakin: You know the cheap side of sake?!
Palpatine: Anakin, if one is to understand “the great mystery” one must study all it’s aspects, not just the expensive narrow view of the Junmai Daiginjo. If you wish to become a complete and wise sake leader, you must embrace a larger taste of sake. Be careful of the Junmai Daiginjo Anakin… only through me can you achieve a power greater than any sake drinker! Learn to know the cheap side of the sake and you’ll be able to save your wallet from certain emptiness.
Anakin: What did you say?
Palpatine: Use my knowledge, I beg you!
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Oh, for goodness’ sake!
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Very nice
Yes that was awesome. Palpatine was brilliantly played in the prequels.
I do the same thing, another thing to look for is the size of each piece, you want them to be cut as evenly and cleanly as possible. Here are some good examples from sushi of gari:
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i haven’t tried their tekka maki yet but that’ll change shortly.
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Does Mori do lunch omakase at shiki or does he only do the private high end premium omakase for dinner? TIA