Sake News from Japan

The brewery credited with producing the Tobu train company sake in the story above is also interesting–it's named as Kobayashi Jōzō (小林醸造) but searching on the brewery address gives a different name, Maenikko Jōzōjo (前日光醸造所). But the website domain is "small forest"–a...

In a perfect combination of tourism promotion, regional revitalisation and commemoration, Tobu Railways are celebrating 25 years since the shrines and temples of Nikko were listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site with a special sake. Named Sha-So (車窓, "train window")...

Looks like I'm not the only person who likes the idea of sake x chocolate! As covered in a previous newsletter, Japanese confectionary company Lotte searched high and low for a suitable sake to blend with chocolate for their new YOIYO product line before coming across...

Hananomai Shuzō in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, are putting a western-style twist on two new releases by making sake with wine yeast from Domaine Simon Bize in Burgundy. Hananomai have actually sold a sake made with wine yeast, called Abysse, for some time but now...

New import tariffs imposed by the USA on Japanese products, initially 10% but increasing to 24% as of 9 April 2025, will pose a significant problem for sake producers–especially in Fukushima Prefecture. Hiroyuki Karahashi, president of Homare Shuzō in the Aizu area of...

Not content with creating astonishing pairings like deep-fried gammon steaks stuffed with blue cheese and finished with a cup of doburoku as the (literal and metaphorical) sauce, pairing meister Marie Chiba is upping the ante while promoting local sake and sweets from...

You've no doubt heard plenty of complaints about the ageing workforce in sake, and aside from simply not having enough people to do the work there is also the risk of losing invaluable experience and wisdom as senior workers retire. The nihon no dentoutekina koji-kin...

Ever wish you could see sake flavours? You might be in luck. Japanese national broadcaster NHK reports on a collaboration between an Akita Prefecture brewery and a local plant for electronics manufacturer TDK that resulted in a machine that plots sake flavour...

Although the preconception that "sake has to be drunk with Japanese food" is the bane of many European importers, distributors and even brewers, it looks like it's even a problem in Japan. An article from Shokuraku Web reported in Yahoo News suggests recipes for...