Miss SAKE’s First Step and First Gateway
Hi, everyone!
I’m Yuka Hayashibara, Miss SAKE Tottori 2024.
On March 16th (Sat), the training program for Miss SAKE began. It is called the “Nadeshiko Program”.
The Program is designed to teach the finalists to publicize the charm of sake and Japanese culture domestically and internationally, until the final selection of Miss SAKE JAPAN takes place in June.
Through various courses, participants deepen their knowledge of sake and Japanese culture.
https://www.misssake.org/nadeshiko-program/
In a mixed state of tension and excitement, the first day was held at Ishikawa Sake Brewery in Fussa City, Tokyo, where we attended the following sessions:
- Core Choice Method to Discover Your Unwavering Axis and Individuality:
Secretary General of the Miss SAKE Association, Mr. Shinjiro Nakamura
- Etiquette and Manners Workshop as Miss SAKE:
First Miss SAKE, Ms. Mai Morita
- Kimono Dressing Workshop:
Ethnic Costume Culture Promotion Association
- Administrative Procedures:
Director of the General Incorporated Association Miss SAKE, Mr. Yasuji Tanaka
- How to Serve Warmed Sake and Elegant Drinking Methods:
Representative Director of Kitamura Shoten Co., Ltd., Mr. Kimiyoshi Kitamur
- Core Choice Method to Discover Your Unwavering Axis and Individuality:
Mr. Nakamura shared his unique background and then each participant created a “life chart.” First, think about how long you will live, what is the purpose of your life, and what is happiness for you? Then, work backward from there to the present to determine what you should do now. It is a work to delve into your own values and find your own uniqueness. It is a time to face your inner self.
Individuality = CORE (the desires that form the core of oneself) × RESOURCE (the value I can provide)
CORE (the desires that form the core of oneself) include the following:
-the desire for love and belonging
-the desire for power (approval)
-the desire for freedom
-the desire for enjoyment
-the desire for survival
In order to have a positive influence on oneself and others, I will recognize and utilize my “individuality” while harmonizing and cooperating with others.
During this lecture, the term “middle way,” a Buddhist term meaning to continue walking a balanced life, came up.
Here, balance means “being able to feel happiness even after experiencing suffering.” There are good times and bad times in life, but by recognizing that a good balance can be achieved by having both, you can relax a little without being too hard on yourself even when something happens.
In recent years, psychology has seen many concepts, such as “self-care” and “mindfulness,” that resonate with the teachings of the “middle way,” as ways to maintain one’s own health.
In order to control one’s own life and aim for a goal, it is important to look at one’s own CORE, grasp one’s personality, and create one’s own axis. Therefore, self-control, communication, and way of thinking and perception are also important.
At this time of starting as Miss SAKE, I once again recognized the importance of these factors.
There are various values in the world, and I personally enjoy encountering different values, including different cultures. By reflecting on and recognizing when and what I feel, I can understand myself better. Knowing my own core values allows me to be flexible and tolerant with others while evaluating how these fits into my life’s work
- Etiquette and Manners Workshop as Miss SAKE
We received a lecture from Ms. Morita, the first Miss SAKE in 2014, who is still actively promoting sake domestically and internationally. She shared key points to be conscious of as Miss SAKE, which can lead to more fulfilling activities, even though there are no absolute standards as Miss SAKE.
- Lightness of footwork
- Take the opportunity (Opportunities are fleeting)
- Not shrinking back
- Take charge of your own mood
- Be mindful of how you appear
Based on these points, I would like to fulfill my duties and responsibilities as Miss SAKE. During this training, I will strive to gain more confidence in myself and act confidently as a SAKE ambassador.
- Kimono Dressing Workshop: Ethnic Costume Culture Promotion Association
Activities as Miss SAKE involve wearing the formal attire of a Furisode(Kimono, Japanese Traditional cloth). Therefore, it is necessary to be able to dress oneself, and we had a kimono dressing workshop from the first day of the training.
Teachers from the Ethnic Costume Culture Promotion Association in Nihonbashi, Tokyo, came to the training venue. There were videos for self-study beforehand, but I was filled with anxiety about whether I could do it even after watching the videos.
Due to time constraints on the first day, the workshop ended after learning how to tie the obi in a simple manner. Since other finalists seemed to be feeling anxious, we talked about helping each other overcome our fears by sharing points where we were able to do it! I realized that I wasn’t alone in feeling anxious, and having everyone else there was reassuring and made me feel like I could do it.
４．Administrative Procedures: Director of the General Incorporated Association Miss SAKE, Mr. Yasuji Tanaka.
5．How to Warm Sake and Elegant Drinking Methods: Mr. Kimiyoshi Kitamura, Representative Director of Kitamura Shoten Co., Ltd.
On the first day, we moved to the guest house “SHUBOU -Tamanjiman-” located on the premises of Ishikawa Sake Brewery for accommodation, and had dinner where Mr. Kimiyoshi Kitamura, the president of Kitamura Shoten Co., Ltd., taught us about warmed sake (heated Japanese sake).
We enjoyed five types of sake from Ishikawa Sake Brewery with traditional tofu hotpot from the Edo period. On days with low temperatures, especially in cold seasons, warmed sake and simple yet flavorful tofu hotpot are recommended.
Japanese sake has a unique aspect where its taste changes depending on the temperature.
Depending on the warmed temperature, there are unique names such as Hinatakan which means under the sun (30 degrees) and Hitohadakan which means human temperature (35 degrees), with names assigned at 5-degree intervals.
I have been asked before by people from overseas how to make warm/hot sake, and since Tottori Prefecture, where I am from, has nurtured a culture of warmed sake, I want to try various warming methods at home. I hope to spread the enjoyment of warmed sake to people in Japan and abroad who are not familiar with it yet.
The first day of the program was a mixture of fun and anxiety. There will be many opportunities to meet many people as Miss SAKE, and I would like to be a person that people will be glad to meet. I hope that we, the finalists, will all make it through this Nadeshiko Program together till June.
2024 Miss SAKE Tottori
Yuka Hayashibara
