Shantibhushan Naik

Tag: ibaragi

  • Asahi Brewery Tour in Moriya, Ibaragi

    Asahi Brewery Tour in Moriya, Ibaragi

    We visited Asahi Ibaragi Brewery for a free factory tour today. The tour was a guided tour that left a very good impression on all of us.

    We booked our tour online from Asahi’s website. They offer options to reach their factory either using your own car or using a free bus ride from nearest station which is Moriya. If you take your own car, then you don’t get to taste the beer (don’t drink-n-drive) so your best bet is to use the free bus ride and not miss the chance to taste 3 different kinds of beer in the end of the tour.

    We took the 10 am bus from Moriya. The bus took just under 15 mins to reach the factory. It was a small mini-bus for about 30 people. Upon reaching the factory, we were warmly greeted by a tour guide from Asahi who confirmed our tour reservation and handed out a small numbered card assigned to us. The card was needed in the final beer tasting event at the end of our tour.

    Shortly thereafter, we were led into a small theater room to watch a short introduction video about Asahi. It was less of an advertising shot, but more about their emphasis on how Asahi strives to cultivate the best quality beer with a short video footage about their strict quality procedures.

    After watching the intro video, our tour guide led us towards the factory area. Along the hallway, she explained the various steps involved in making a high quality beer at Asahi. The factory is huge and the hallways are long so there’s plenty of guided posters along the walls to stop & read through the steps. It starts from cultivating wheat, barley, hops to fermentation and into filtration and distillation to final bottling. The tour-guide explained everything in plain simple terms and where we could, she showed around the factory areas from our hallway above. Because this was a weekend Sat tour, we didn’t get a chance to witness anything actual in action. Still, the experience of actually seeing it up close was remarkable.

    We did get a chance to actually eat barley and touch & smell the hops – key ingredients for a quality beer, followed by a tour of the entire beer production process from barley-mashing to packaging.

    Towards the end, we enjoyed freshly brewed beer in open-area tasting room. The entire tour lasts about 90 minutes. Just before heading back to our return tour bus, we did some gift shopping at a small shop near the entrance. I particularly chose to pick some cakes made out of beer & whiskey (yes!) and some high cacao chocolates (again to go with whiskey!). There aren’t too many souvenirs – mostly some snacks, bottles of whiskey, beer glasses, paper-clips and T-shirts with Asahi written on it.


    It was a wonderful experience with Asahi. I definitely suggest visiting the brewery with your family & kids.

    Kanpai!

  • Christmas 2013 performance at 聖母幼稚園 (Seibo youchien)

    Nicolas, Amrita, Elena performing at 聖母幼稚園 (Seibo youchien) Christmas 2013 gathering. Nicolas’s performance was very impressive, Amrita enjoyed being on-stage, and Elena was delighted to join her mother’s club live.

    Merry Christmas 2013 to all!

  • Got my bike license – 大型二輪免許を一発合格しました

    Hurray ! I received my bike license today in Japan ! In my first attempt itself ! Wish me congratulations !

    Bike license in Japan
    My bike license in Japan

    Ok some background – I had a bike license from my country. I had not converted it to International License, so I had to opt only for conversion into Japanese license – 外国免許切り替え. I do have a car license obtained in Japan, so I was exempted from written test (which by the way is too difficult, trust me). Instead, I simply had to appear an actual driving test (which is again difficult, mind you). I was required to produce a translated copy of my original license from my country, which can be done in 30 mins in JAF offices. Rest are your passport (both old, new ones), an application form, few stamps which you can buy right there. I live in Tsukuba, so I had to goto Ibaragi License Center, which is situated in Mito. You can go during weekdays, from 09:00AM. Believe me, you better arrive early. There is plenty of crowd, for all sorts of licenses, and usually you have to spend almost whole day there, in case you pass the test and obtain the license. I spent close fo 6 hours today, but in the end I was a happy guy.

    Once they receive your application, they ask you few questions about your original license – How did you obtain it? Where did you practice? What kind of test did you appear for this license? How many cc bike? Learner’s license? etc. Unless there are any problems, you are then handed over a course map, and timings when your test will start. Mind you, the course map is given so that you “memorize” it, period. You are required to drive the exact course map, observing lane rules, traffic signs, signal, right or left indication, speed or slow. The usual advice is that you have some 45 mins in hand before your test starts. Thus, you should actually take the course map in hand, and walk the entire course by foot atleast once. I did that, making a mental note of the lanes, the distance around which I should turn on the indicator, and so on – till I burnt the course map into my brain cells !

    The most difficult are – Ipponbashi, and Slalom – for me. And I did literally walk on foot imagining I was on bike before my test started.

    I believe I was the only one appearing a bike test today – why I was alone sitting in the waiting room till my turn came. The instructor was kind enough to walk me (verbally) through the course map once again. He also gave me a brief about the bike – Honda CB750 – and for my own safety, in case I should fall, had me wear elbow, knee, body protector before the test.

    When the actual test started, the instructor actually sits in a watchtower, from which he had a complete view of the course. Once he gave a go, I just drove the same path I had walked on foot earlier. I was particularly careful about slow down sign, lane change, and making sure that I move my head from left to right wide enough to show that I am taking visual confirmations before proceeding. At one point when making a turn I did step down, but I guess that was OK, because if I’d had done the same on Ipponbashi or Slalom, or even S-letter, or Crank, I am out without any further discussion. Phew, I did feel once the bike will stop during Crank, but I was lucky enough to make it till the final stop.

    In the end, the instructor appraised my driving skills, and gave me the golden word – “合格” !