Natsuko no Sake (夏子の酒, literally "Natsuko's Sake") is a Japanese manga series by Akira Oze. It was adapted into a live-action television series in 1994.[1]
The story centers around Natsuko Saeki, a young woman trying to break into sake making, a business that's traditionally carried out by men.
A prequel to the story by the same author, Natsu no Kura, tells the story of Natsuko's grandmother, Natsu.
Plot
Natsuko Saeki, a young woman working for an advertising company in Tokyo, returns to her family's home in the countryside. There she finds her brother, Yasuo, searching for a "phantom" rice seed called tatsunishiki, rumored to create a new form of sake. He finds a few seeds, but after he passes away suddenly, Natsuko quits her job and begins working at the sake brewery to realize Yasuo's dream of making the best sake in Japan.