Wakako Zake

On her way home from work, Wakako heads to her usual place, Oraku, but unfortunately it is closed due to a training trip. She sees a sign for Hida Izakaya and decides to go in. As she eats grilled Hida beef with miso paste on a hoba leaf, Wakako hears about the sake breweries in the Hida region from the staff. Since she has some paid leave saved up, she decides to take some time off and go there. When she gets lost in Takayama city, a Vietnamese woman calls out to her. Her name is Nguyen and she says she works at a brewery. After touring the seven sake breweries in Takayama, Wakako finally visits the brewery where Nguyen works and they decide to have dinner together. Then Nguyen's boyfriend, Tetsuya, shows up...

Wakako happens to meet the chef and the rest of the Oraku crew at the Miyagawa morning market and enjoys some midarashi dango and morning sake. The chef accompanies Wakako on her tour of the sake breweries in Hida-Furukawa, and they enjoy a trip together. Wakako is concerned about the chef, who seems to have a secret, but in the afternoon they part ways and head to Shirakawa-go. After touring the Gassho-style village and enjoying some river fish, Wakako returns to Takayama and finds Nguyen, who says she skipped her date with Tetsuya...