Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on October 2013
The Joy of Sake, the world’s largest sake tasting event outside of Japan, returns to its
motherland on Nov. 7 with a sumptuous celebration of the pleasures of nihonshu. The event will feature 384 sakes representing every brewing style and region in Japan, with appetizers from 14 top Italian, French, Spanish, Chinese and Japanese restaurants plus a special appearance by Japan’s newly crowned “Miss Sake.”
This is The Joy of Sake’s fourth appearance in Tokyo and the final stop on its annual tour. It follows last month’s New York event, where sake fans from as far away as Boston, Baltimore and Toronto helped push attendance to 700; and August’s Joy of Sake in Honolulu, which drew a record 1,600 enthusiasts—some flying in from neighboring islands and the West Coast.
More than half the 384 sakes available for tasting are in the daiginjo (sake brewed with highest quality milled rice) category. For the first time in its 13-year history, one junmai (sake without added alcohol or sugar) and one ginjo (sake brewed with high quality milled rice) achieved perfect scores from all 10 judges at the U.S. National Sake Appraisal, the professional blind tasting that precedes the Joy of Sake and is conducted under the auspices of Japan’s National Research Institute of Brewing.
The two—Koimari’s “Saki Junmai Ginjo” from Saga and Benten’s “Tokubetsu Junmai Genshu Dewa no Sato 100%” from Yamagata—attracted keen interest in New York and Honolulu. Also for the first time, a daiginjo from the U.S.—Shochikubai’s junmai daiginjo from Takara Sake USA in California—won a gold award.
The Joy of Sake was first held in Honolulu in 2001. Organizers there, combining respect for sake
traditions with the belief that no party is complete without good food and good friends, opened up that inaugural appraisal’s 124 entries for a free-spirited public tasting. Since then, imports of premium sake to the United States have more than doubled and the drink enjoys rising status as a delicious, versatile and accessible beverage across the country.
Restaurants participating in this year’s Joy of Sake in Tokyo are Al Porto, Jukei Hanten, Ningyocho Imahan, Passo a Passo, Koshi no Kanbai Manjia, Danlo, Komahachi, Toritama, Shirogane Baru, Fukuwauchi, Kasumicho 301-1, Capolavoro, Uraya and Suzuya.
The event is scheduled for Thursday, November 7, 2013 from 6 to 9 p.m. at the TOC Building in Gotanda. Tickets are ¥8000 or $85 and are available through PIA and E-Plus or through the online ticket store at www.joyofsake.com.
For more information, please visit www.joyofsake.com/tokyo
