By Kosuke KujiThis year the ceremony of the 11th Sake Samurai was held on the premises of Shimogamo Shrine. Shimogamo Shrine is a great treasure that is also inscribed on the World Heritage List. The system of Sake Samurai started 11 years ago. Japan Sake Brewers Association Junior Council organized...

By Aya OtaThere is a restaurant that has a dignified appearance which makes you feel like stopping by in a corner of the busy East Village. When you step into the space as you are gravitated towards it, a noble and intense looking corridor runs before your eyes, and you feel as if you are entering a...

By Yuji MatsumotoJapanese sake is a drink that Americans still cannot get used to.Majority of Japanese sake sales are from restaurants, and unfortunat...

By Kosuke KujiIwate prefecture I live in is the number one largest prefecture next to Hokkaido and the area is about the same size as Shikoku. Besides...

By Kosuke KujiThis year making it the 5th time this competition has been held, as the title mentions, it’s “a contest to decide the best tasting sake in the world” and would you believe that there were entries from 416 breweries with 1483 sakes from head of breweries from Japan and different countri...

By Yuji Matsumoto1. Cold or HotMany people think that high quality sake should be enjoyed chilled, but that is wrong. Compared to not needing to worry about the temperature for the better quality sakes, it is better to really chill the poor balanced sakes on the contrary. For one guideline, if it is...

By Kosuke KujiTokyo Station that is located in Tokyo which is also the center of Japan.Tokyo Station has been newly born and changed with a large scale renovation construction in recent years and Japanese sake is being offered at different locations so there are more opportunities to try Japanese sa...

2016 International Wine Challenge Sake JudgingBy Yuji MatsumotoI have been a judge of IWC Sake division for 5 years and since 2011, I have been serving this organization as a Panel Chairman. This year was our 10th anniversary since we added sake in the International Wine Challenge so the venue took ...

The 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake Part 3By Kosuke KujiI received a phone call from Master Sake Brewer Morikawa in "Kouro" of Kumamoto prefecture a few days...

The 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake Part 2By Kosuke KujiKumamoto Earthquake that happened at 9:26 pm on April 14th 2016. As mentioned in the previous column,...