Sake News from Japan / Sake Muse

How does a sake become certified for a Geographical Indication (GI)? Sankei News reports on the certification process for the Harima GI, where 52 sake had their aroma and flavour are checked to see if they measured up to the GI standard. Harima has an examination...

Atsuo Okubo (text) and Jun Utagawa (photos) report for Pen Online, covered in Yahoo Japan News, on some more sake magic from innovative pairing expert Marie Chiba, owner of the GEM by Moto and Know by Moto bars in Tokyo. As many more people find themselves drinking at...

Minyū Net, the online version of the Fukushima Minyū Shinbun newspaper, reports on a recent survey of sake lovers. Around 100 people identifying themselves as liking sake replied to a survey about one one-cup [180 ml] serving size sake put out by the Sakebunka...

Hiroshi Yoshii, head of the Fukuoka Tax Bureau, takes on the subject of increasing the potential of Japanese alcohol in all its forms in a column in the Sankei News. [All alcohol production in Japan is regulated by the National Tax Agency.] Born in 1940 in Tokyo and a...

Kikisake-shi and Sake Expert [yes, it’s a qualification in Japan] Tomoko Takiguchi writes for Nikkei Style, reported in Yahoo Japan News, on the rise of the ginjō style in Japan and around the world, with a focus on one of the breweries responsible – Dewazakura in...

The Sankei News reports on the development of a new yeast in Kagawa Prefecture – and how the prefectural laboratory struggled to get it to produce enough alcohol. The new sake yeast was sampled from olives, a famous local product, and sake brewed with it was released...

The Shokuhin Sangyō Shinbunsha News reports on the part-cancellation of the venerable Zenkoku Shinshu Kanpyokai, the National New Sake Awards (officially the Annual Japan Sake Awards). Currently managed jointly the National Research Institute of Brewing (NRIB) and the...

Mayumi Eguchi (introduced as yoppa-raita/ 酔っぱライター, for those of you who appreciate a good Japanese pun) reports for Zakzak on the tiny downtown location where Wakaze brew doburoku and other things that are not technically sake. I was going to introduce Wakaze as a...

After a discussion on Twitter about sake in Japanese conbini (convenience stores) this article caught my eye. Epoch Times reports on a top 5 list of sake available at your local conbini. [On closer inspection, looks like the list is from Wow! Japan in July 2019.] Why...