Sake is Japan’s most famous indigenous alcoholic beverage and its popularity is growing around the world, as evidenced by booming exports and also the appearance of dozens of overseas breweries in North America, Europe, and even New Zealand. Geography, however, introduces an important point before we take you into the basics of sake. Another word…
These attractive, finely crafted bottle wear designs will turn any standard wine bottle or sake bottle (750ml) into an elegant decoration for your home or business. They make simple but delightful gifts, too. They are fashioned from high-quality cotton and are made to last. We can ship to gift recipients if you input their information…
We’ve been watching the momentum of single-serving (“one-cup”) sake formats in America for some time now, occasionally commenting on it in the magazine and in our social media. We’ve always thought these had a lot of promise and now it seems they’ve crossed the chasm and are gaining significant uptake among consumers. One candidate for…
Nada, the hallowed sake producing district in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, is home to a handful of world-class breweries, Hakutsuru being perhaps the most notable. We featured this brewery in great detail in Sake Today 23. Since its founder, Jihei Kanô, got started in 1743 the brewery has built its reputation on innovation and blockbuster products.…
Many people in this world are familiar with Akita as a dog if not the prefecture from which this iconic breed originates. It’s also the breed of the famous “Hachikô” dog statue in Shibuya–if you’re not familiar with this story of devotion, do look it up. It was actually made into a popular film starring…
Sake heavyweight Ozeki, based in Japan’s sake mecca of Nada, made a powerful statement earlier this year with the release of a new product: the One Love, One Cup. With a rainbow label and the tagline, “We celebrate diversity”, the product was an expression of support for the LGBTQ community in Japan and abroad. It’s…
What can we here at Sake Today write to make you feel good about the present moment? Well, if you’re reading this then perhaps your situation isn’t so bad; you’ve at least found yourself some leisure time for reading. Hopefully there’s access to sake wherever you are, if you aren’t sipping it already. Breweries in…
In this new series for Sake Today, we focus on non-Japanese in Japan who have established themselves in the sake industry. May their stories have the power to inspire! Six or seven years ago, Brian Hutto would have been quite surprised to hear from a time-traveler that he would be running a popular sake bar…
World Sake Day, known as Nihonshu no Hi (simply “Sake Day”) in Japanese, takes place every year on October 1st and has become an international phenomenon. This year’s celebration, in altered form, was proof of that. First, a little about the history. The sake brewing season traditionally starts in October as cooler weather arrives in…
“Sanuki udon is the soul food of Kagawa,” remarks Hideo Tadokoro, owner of several fine dining establishments, including the sake-themed restaurants Sake Tottari and Akatsuki no Kura in Yokohama, both of which proudly serve Kagawa’s own Kawatsuru sake among their selections. He speaks like the true Kagawa native he is and encourages me to delve…