"Kato Liquor Store" ( Nishishigemori , Hirosaki City, TEL 0172-32-9346) at the entrance of Zenringai, Hirosaki was relocated and renewed on December 23.

The store sells more than 200 kinds of alcoholic beverages such as sake, wine, cider, and craft beer. Moved to a new store diagonally opposite the old store.

The store was founded as a tobacco store and obtained a retail liquor sales license in 1965 (Showa 40). The current president, Takahiro Kato, is the second generation. After working as a bank clerk in Tokyo, he made a U-turn to Hirosaki in June last year. Mr. Kato said, "I started in my father's generation, but my father passed away 25 years ago. For the past 10 years, I continued to shop with my family, returned to Hirosaki to see the shop, and kept in touch by phone or online. I continued. "

The relocation and renewal was planned earlier this year. “The old store was small and there was a limit to the products that could be shown,” says Kato. The store area, which was 9 tsubo, is now 25 tsubo, and the refrigerator inside the store has tripled. At the old store, you can now see the sake that was sleeping in the backyard. It also sells books and glasses about sake.

The highlight of the renewal is the event space of 15 tsubo, which will be equipped with a simple counter kitchen and display, as well as a "sale server" that is rare in Japan, and will also offer a sake sales service. We installed a refrigerator that can be stored at -5 degrees Celsius so that aged sake can be laid down.

It was more than 25 years ago that Mr. Kato himself realized the goodness of sake. It is said that he will never forget the excitement of drinking the sake that was in the store. Now he has qualifications such as "Sake Sake Master" and "Sake Science Lecturer". "In recent years, the number of local craft beers and ciders has increased, and diversification is progressing. As my experience was, I want to be a matchmaker between customers and unseen liquor." mr.kato.

"When the infection with the new coronavirus subsides, we will use the event space to hold events and seminars to convey the enjoyment and deliciousness of sake, especially for young people, and create a place to support local sake breweries. I want to go on. "

Business hours are from 9:00 to 18:30.