The first brush with Japanese local sake is often about how strong it is—almost like vodka—but with a subtle, sophisticated edge. The drink doesn’t rush to impress; it builds its reputation slowly with every sip. Two-three sips in, and you begin to appreciate its quiet complexities. It’s only a matter of time before you realise you’ve officially joined the sake lovers’ club.
Made with rice, water, yeast, and koji (mould), the simple drink finds you everywhere. A cozy izakaya, a convenience store or a dingy little bar, sake is never far away from your reach. Even in the dead of night, if that sweet thirst hits you, there will be a way to quench it. However, history was not kind to it. Post WWII, the drink was left to gather dust as the land of the rising sun opened up to foreign spirits. Beer and wine quickly gained popularity. But the drink is beginning to experience a quiet renaissance with ‘sake tourism’. And it’s not just limited to bars in the neon-lit sprawl of Tokyo—its beyond that.
Though sake breweries date back centuries, many are just starting to let tourists visit and have a taste of it. Nagayama Honke Shuzojo Sake Brewery, a 137-year-old establishment nestled in the mountains of eastern Ube City, smells like something sacred. Nagayama Takahiro, the man at its helm, crafts sake with a priest-like devotion. He guides the process through sacred choreography—from steaming, fermenting, and polishing to the delicate tasting rituals. Their finest variety? Domaine Taka. Crafted from Yamada-nishiki rice and pure Koto river water, it has a soft, silky profile on the palate—best enjoyed chilled and served in a wine glass.
Interestingly, the quality of sake is an expression of a region’s rice quality—with heavy polishing making for a cleaner, purer sake. For instance, in Okayama Prefecture, the dominant Omachi rice lends sake a rich, earthy, and complex profile. Travel further north to Tohoku—where winter lingers longer and the air is crisp—the sake softens. The region holds the highest reputation for sake, where the use of Miyama-nishiki rice lends the sake a light, delicate, and refined character.
After nights of spirited sipping, the answer was revealed in the quiet Yamaguchi Prefecture. Sipping sake is a whole new experience in rural Japan: peaceful rivers, vast rice fields snuggling traditional Japanese architecture, and a stillness so profound that it almost feels alien to what Japan we know of. Unlike the loud, neon pixelated Tokyo bars—where you gulp it in a race to get high—sake here has a calm personality. Sipped as you sit, talk, and unwind while understanding the drink’s quiet complexities. Considered holy in Japan’s Shinto faith, sake brewing still finds a role in temples and shrines.
Traditionally poured into small cups over low-lying tables, the act of serving sake involves a lot of polite bows. It’s always offered with a gracious ‘Arigatou gozaimasu’, thank you in Japanese. Artisanal brewers, across Japan, are introducing quirky labels and creative infusions—with a noticeable rise in touring sakagura (sake breweries). New travellers are keen on sake-themed tours like guided brewery walks, expert-led tasting masterclasses, curated sake-and-food pairing sessions and cultural workshops regarding the drink’s role in festivals and rituals.
There’s a quiet belief in Japan—never to pour your own sake. Instead, let someone else do it for you. It builds trust and connection. The more you see sake being poured, the more you realise people here are a lot like the drink itself: kind, warm and quietly generous!