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［Last updated: August 4, 2022］
Each year, the Meishu Center—a renowned sake tasting bar in Tokyo’s Hamamatsucho district—hosts the Tokyo Sake Collection, a celebration of all things sake. Featuring talks aimed at young sake fans, as well as English information sessions for sake aficionados from around the world, this event truly has something to offer sake lovers of all stripes. Today, we’ll share our impressions from the 2015 edition of the event.

Stage #1—Taste and Enjoy: Opening the Door to the Wide World of Sake

The four-stage event began with a lecture on “cool sake” targeted at sake fans in their early twenties. The instructor was Euka Isawa, president of the Students’ Sake Association. Ms. Isawa is a student at the University of Tokyo who is also involved with her family’s business—Katsuyama Shuzo, a famous sake brewery. In her lecture, she taught those of the younger generation—who may not drink often—how to enjoy sake. From drinking etiquette to tips on appreciating good sake, she used familiar examples to convey knowledge on a wide variety of topics to her peers.

Smiles abounded as the young audience split into groups for discussions and tasting exercises, and the excitement in the air was unlike anything seen at your typical sake event.

Stage #2—Enjoying Sake in English, As Taught by a Sake Samurai

The next lecturer was Etsuko Nakamura, an interpreter and tour guide, and one of the few sake specialists to earn the title of Sake Samurai for her accomplishments in promoting sake culture overseas. The audience was filled with sake fans of all nationalities, including tourists and longtime residents of Japan alike.

Seeing their enraptured faces, it was clear that sake has become an increasingly worldwide phenomenon.

Stages #3 and #4—A Sake Tasting Fashion Show!?

The final two stages of the event featured a doubleheader tasting party. Kicking off with a runway show that wouldn’t be out of place in Paris, visitors were treated to sake brewers taking center stage one by one to display their latest creations—a sight true to the Sake Collection name. Perhaps unaccustomed to the bright lights, more than a few brewers appeared nervous the first time, but the smiles flowed freely by their second go-around.

After the performance, the floor was opened, and sake fans eagerly made the rounds with their o-choko (sake cups) in hand, sampling delicious sake from the twenty-three breweries in attendance. This opportunity to speak directly with the brewers while tasting their sake is perhaps the greatest allure of this event. You could see eyes light up and smiles beam as attendees listened to the brewers’ answers to all their sake-related questions.

An Event that Will Make a Sake Fan of Anyone

The Tokyo Sake Collection 2015 was unlike any sake event we had ever attended. In particular, the lecture directed at prospective fans in their early twenties was a refreshing and admirable approach. In a society where the younger generation is said to be drifting away from sake, it was inspiring to see young fans like those of the Students’ Sake Association working to improve the image of sake among their peers.

Of course, there’s nothing quite like being able to talk face-to-face with the people who brew this amazing sake, while sampling everything from fresh new sake to exclusive limited-edition brews. The scale of the event was also just right, allowing attendees to communicate with the brewers in a friendly, cozy environment.

The Tokyo Sake Collection is held every year. If you have even the slightest interest in sake, why not check it out for yourself? There are also plenty of other sake tasting events to appeal to sake lovers (and would-be sake lovers) of all kinds. So what are you waiting for? There’s a whole world of sake out there just waiting to be discovered!

▲During a break from the festivities, representatives from each brewery make an offering of fresh sake and a prayer at Zojoji Temple.

*This article was originally posted on May 21, 2015.

Translation: Jon Machida