Before this trip to Japan, I had no idea that Nara Prefecture, which borders Osaka and Kyoto in western Japan, is known as the birthplace of sake. The longer we spent in Nara, I realized how much of a major significance it played in Japan’s history, Nara was even the capital from 710 to 784. During that time, there was a brewing department within the walls of the imperial palace in Nara. Sake back then, however, was a far cry from what it is today, and the Imperial Sake brewers focused their efforts for the most part on sake used in ceremonies and events. In fact, they produced upwards of a dozen different types of sake, some colored with ash of black, red or white hues, with varying degrees of alcohol content, mostly for use in ceremonies.  Not sure anything with ash added to it could taste very good but we certainly learned from the tea ceremony that it is not always about the flavor.