By Ryuji TakahashiCelebrating the New Year, Tokyo is still in the middle of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. I finished my work for 2020 on January 1, and started my New Years holiday on January 2. However, drinking at home is nothing different from the ordinary, so I attended a live jazz performa...

By Yuji MatsumotoWhile I’ve written repeatedly in the past about the lack of marketing efforts in branding Japanese sake bottles, it’s very disappointing that most breweries still haven’t implemented my suggestions. Every time a new Japanese sake product is introduced, many manufacturers still use l...

By Kosuke KujiA video of Japanese breweries pouring sake and toasting each other throughout Japan was uploaded and widely covered by the media across 47 prefectures. *Iwate Nippo Daily Newspaper (https://www.iwate-np.co.jp/article/2020/6/15/79765) Of course, Japanese sake breweries were praised for ...

Gathering information such as the type of premium sake, rice-polishing ratio, sake rice, water hardness, etc., can help to predict the flavor of sake to a certain degree. However, other indicators can also indicate flavor more frankly. Such indicators are the sake meter value, acidity, and amino aci...

By Ryuji TakahashiTokyo is facing the end of this year very different from the previous year due to the coronavirus increasingly spreading and restaurants requested to shorten business hours since November. Corporations are prohibited from hosting large banquets, while restaurants close at 22:00 wit...

By Yuji MatsumotoRecently in the U.S., wine discount stores like BevMo and Total Wine and More, etc., are prosperous. Also, rural areas have local large liquor stores that sell various alcoholic beverages (tequila, ji-beer (local craft beers), champagne, whiskey, etc.) in addition to wine. When I we...

By Kosuke KujiSince Japan’s nationwide state of emergency declaration ended, gradual efforts started to recover the economy while stopping the spread of the coronavirus. Along with Japan as the Japanese continue to fight the novel coronavirus; the world is also experiencing shutdown fatigue. In Japa...

1. Audibly Hearing is the first sense to enjoy sake. Please listen for the sound of sake pouring into the sake bottle and bubbles audibly forming in carbonated sake. 2. Visually Once the sake is poured, please examine the sake inside the sake cup. The type of sake will generate differences in the sh...

By Ryuji TakahashiAs nationwide restrictions imposed on events, etc., throughout Japan due to the Coronavirus pandemic relaxed in November, we covered the “Nippon National Products Exhibition 2020,” held over two days inside the Sunshine City Shopping Mall in Ikebukuro district, Tokyo. The event was...

By Yuji MatsumotoHappy New Years! We look forward to your continued support. let’s consider when the appropriate timing is and how to communicate the appeal of Japanese sake in a way that leads to sales. Consider who the message is directed toAre chefs, servers, and bartenders trained appropriately?...