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[Kaku-uchi in Kitakyushu]

Do you know the word "kaku-uchi"? The word "kaku-uchi" is derived from "to drink sake with one's mouth on the corner of a masu" or "to drink sake in a corner of a sake shop." Most sake is now sold in bottles or packs, but in the old days sake shops sold sake in barrels by weight using a square box (masu). Standing drinking at a sake shop is mentioned in Edo period genre paintings and haikai, and was called "masu-nomi (drinking by a masu)" or "masu-zake (drinking by a masu).

Kaku-uchi in Kitakyushu means to drink sake sold at sake shops at the selling price of the sake shop or at a price equivalent to the quantity sold at the sake shop. It is not a standing drinking establishment, but rather a place to drink in an atmosphere where you are borrowing a small space at the counter or in front of a sake shop. Although they are not restaurants and do not provide attentive service, some stores have tags with the brand name and price of alcohol like a menu list, and some offer not only canned or dried foods but also handmade snacks such as oden, yakitori, pickles, and chilled tofu.

In Kitakyushu City, where the government controlled Yahata Steel Works opened in 1901 and many workers worked in three shifts, the kaku-uchi culture is said to have flourished as an indispensable place to take a break after work, day or night. Of the 500 or so sake shops in the city, about 150 offer kaku-uchi now. Kaku-uchi is still a part of many people's lives and continues to be loved by many, whether it is as a substitute for a drink for the evening, a pick-me-up before a drinking session, or as an after-party or third-party drink at a downtown store.

When I was a child, sake shops in residential areas also sold ice cream and sweets, and I went shopping there as casually as I go to convenience stores today. There were always a few old men in the store, and they drank alcohol with a side dish of squid or squid roe on a stick in a container. It was so commonplace that I was surprised when I grew up to know the word "kaku-uchi" and the culture of kaku-uchi.

Kaku-uchi is also attracting attention as a sightseeing experience in Kitakyushu City. Each store has its own style of drinking and the types of sake available, so it is recommended that you ask the staff or observe the customers before you and experience it for yourself. Enjoy the sake only available at the sake shop or locally brewed sake while gazing at the large refrigerators and shelves lined with bottles of sake. Most of the stores are rooted in the community and are places of relaxation for residents, so you may find yourself in the company of regulars who have a heavy presence. The secret to a comfortable stay is to learn from the atmosphere of the store and to maintain good communication with the owner and customers.

Wakamatsu Showroom
https://www.shokunin.com/en/showroom/wakamatsu.html
Akakabe Sake Shop
https://goo.gl/maps/651wCPgyHvtNHdWUA

Reference
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/角打ち