Sakaya NYC Blog

Along with the Holiday Season this month comes our 4th anniversary celebration to make our tastings  even merrier!

Our lineup begins with a tarusake with a tantalizing new twist, followed by our two-day  annual all-daiginjo anniversary celebration,  the introduction of a new daiginjo from Ishikawa, and finally a pre-New Year’s Eve sampling of the new Dassai 50 Sparkling Nigori.

Please join us for one or all.  We look forward to seeing you at SAKAYA!

Kanpai!

Rick & Hiroko

Saturday, December 3, 2011, 5-7pm

Choryo Brewery Tasting (Nara)

Yoshinosugi Taruzake

Friday, December 9, 2011, 6-8pm

Saturday, December 10, 2011, 5-7pm

SAKAYA 4th Anniversary Daiginjo Sake Tasting

Friday, December 16, 2011, 6-8pm

Kikusui Brewery Sake Tasting (Niigata)

Kikusui Junmai Ginjo & Nigori

Saturday, December 17, 2011, 5-7pm

Mujou Daiginjo Tasting (Ishikawa)

Friday, December 30, 2011, 5-7pm

Dassai Sparkling Sake Tasting (Yamaguchi)

With the unofficial end of Summer approaching, our tastings this month sequentially bridge the transition to Fall with sake that reflect the shift in flavors of the seasons….

Saturday, September 3, 2011, 5-7pm

Dewazakura Oka Ginjo 30th Year Anniversary Sake Tasting (Yamagata)

Saturday, September 10, 2011, 5-7pm

Kubota Senju Tokubetsu Honjozo Tasting (Niigata)

Friday, September 16, 2011, 6-8pm

Nishiyama Brewery Sake Tasting (Hyogo)

Kotsuzumi Junmai Daiginjo, Tokubetsu Junmai, and Yuzu-shu

Saturday, September 24, 2011, 5-7pm

Kozaemon Tokubetsu Junmai Sake Tasting (Gifu)

Please join us for one or all!

Kanpai!

Rick & Hiroko

Our exciting lineup of  tastings in May includes visits from Miho Imada, the toji (master brewer) from Imada Brewing Company, producer of Fukucho sake and Nobuo Shoji, President of Yumekokoro Brewery which makes Naraman Muroka Junmai.

We also continue our “Drink Sake to Help Japan” series with more super sake from the Tohoku breweries in the earthquake and tsunami zone.  Please join us in showing your support for these brewers and their local economies by spreading the good word about their sake.

Saturday, May 7, 2011, 5-7pm

Fukucho Tasting

Fukucho Moon on the Water Junmai Ginjo & Biho Junmai Ginjo (Hiroshima)

Saturday, May 14, 2011, 5-7pm

Drink Sake to Help Japan

Okunomatsu Tokubetsu Junmai (Fukushima) & Hoyo Genji Tokubetsu Junmai (Miyagi)

Thursday, May 19, 2011, 6-8pm

Yumegokoro Brewery Tasting (Fukushima)

Naraman Muroka Junmai

Saturday, May 21, 2011, 5-7pm

Drink Sake to Help Japan

Urakasumi Junmai (Miyagi) & Ichinokura Himezen Junmai (Miyagi)

After launching this year’s Masumi Arabashiri and  Chokaisan Junmai Ginjo Nigori Namazake in NYC, the focus of  our April tastings shifts to showing our support for the brewers in the area of Japan affected by the earthquake and tsunami disaster.   For the balance of this month and into May,  we will feature sake from Miyagi, Iwate, and Fukushima prefectures as one small means of contributing to aiding the recovery.   Please join us to show your support through sake!

Saturday, April 2, 2011, 5-7pm

Miyasaka Brewery Namazake Tasting (Nagano)

Masumi Arabashiri Junmai Ginjo

Saturday, April 9, 2011, 5-7pm

Winebow Sake Tasting

Chokaisan Junmai Ginjo Nama Nigori (Akita)

Saturday, April 16, 2011, 5-7pm

Drink Sake to Support Japan

Daishichi Minowamon Junmai Daiginjo (Fukushima) & Ken Daiginjo (Fukushima)

Saturday, April 23, 2011, 5-7pm

Drink Sake to Support Japan

Urakasumi Zen Junmai Ginjo (Miyagi) & Nanbu Bijin Daiginjo (Iwate)

Saturday, April 30, 2011, 5-7pm

Drink Sake to Support Japan

Naraman Junmai (Fukushima) & Hakurakusei Tokubetsu Junmai (Miyagi)

If you share our concern for the sake brewers located in the earthquake/tsunami zone in the prefectures comprising the Tohoku region, you’ll be interested in John Gauntner’s  recent compilation of information on their status.

We continue to urge you to show your support for them and all of the people affected by this tragedy by donating to the Japan Society’s Japan Earthquake Relief Fund.

For our first vacation since opening SAKAYA in December 2007, we closed the store to visit sake brewers in Miyagi, Yamagata, and Akita prefectures. which are located in the Tohoku region well-known for growing rice.

We first visited 287 year-old Urakasumi Brewery located outside of Sendai City, Miyagi.

Old fashioned way of straining water using bamboo basket after washing and soaking rice.

At Take no Tsuyu Brewery in Tsuruoka, Yamagata.  CEO, Aisawa-san (left) with workers in the koji muro

Newspaper journalists taking photo of Rick working.

Kamenoi Brewery known for making Kudoki Jozu sake brand.

Temperature controlled sake tank for storage.

Rick tasting moromi at Kamenoi Brewery.

The historic Sankyo Storehouses in Sakata built in 1893 for rice.

Dinner with Kodama-san, CEO of  Kodama Brewery in Akita.

View of Japan Ocean/East Sea with Sait0- san,  CEO of  Saiya Brewery.

Saiya Brewery in Yuri Honjo, Akita, known for Yuki no Bosha brand.

Takahashi Toji talks about sake yeast at Saiya Brewery.

At Asamai Brewery in Akita, known for Ama no To “Heaven’s Door” brand sake.

Moriya Toji, brewmaster of Asamai Brewery, famous for his love of cooking, served us some of his otsumami (sake kasu marinated food) with the freshly pressed Ama no To sake.

Moromi at Hinomaru Sake Brewery.  Rice used in this moromi is Sake Komachi rice.

With Hinomaru Sake Brewery’s  Takahashi toji (seems to be a popular name for toji in Akita!)

Microbiologist, Dr. Konno with koji mold produced by his company.

Visiting Mr. Ito, the president of Akita Seishu Brewery, maker of Dewatsuru brand sake at his historic home.

Very old-school fune (sake pressing machine).

Tasting the newest sake brand at Akita Seishu Brewery.

Trying to find Yokote Station on snow covered street in Yokote, Akita.

Although  Fall officially started in late September, for us  it is the arrival of  Hiyaoroshi, the autumn seasonal namazake that truly ushers in the season.  In the next month we’ll be offering the full complement of  available Hiyaoroshi at two of  our tastings as well as a visit from our friend Mr. Yageta from the Fukumitsuya Brewery in Ishikawa and a first-time tasting of a delicious sake made from the usually-reserved-for-shochu black koji .

Saturday, November 6, 2010, 5-7pm

Hiyaoroshi Sake Tastings

Kikusui Junmai Ginjo Hiyaoroshi & Urakasumi Tokubetsu Junmai Hiyaoroshi

Friday, November 12, 2010, 6-8pm

Fukumitsuya Brewery Sake Tasting (Ishikawa)

Kagatobi Junmai Ginjo & Kuroobi Do Do Junmai Yamahai

Saturday, November 20, 2010, 5-7 pm

Japan Prestige Sake Association Sake Tasting

Sawanoi Junmai Hiyaoroshi & Wakatake Onikoroshi Tokubetsu Junmai Hiyaoroshi

Saturday, November 27, 2010, 5-7pm

Black Koji Sake Tasting

Kurokabuto Junmai Daiginjo (Fukuoka)

After we kick off the month with our third annual Sake Day celebration, October becomes “Akita Sake Month” at SAKAYA.  We want our sake enthusiast friends to learn more this region where so much great sake is produced so we’ve partnered with the Akita Prefecture Tourism Office to dedicate this month’s tastings to familiarizing you with a few of these delicious brews.

Once you’ve tasted their sake, you’ll most likely want to visit the source!

Friday, October 1, 2010, 6-8pm

Sake Day Celebration

Saturday, October 2, 2010, 5-7pm

Saiya Brewery Tasting

Yuki no Bosha Junmai Ginjo & Yuri Masamune

Saturday, October 9, 2010, 5-7pm

Kodama Brewery Tasting

Tenko Junmai Daiginjo

Saturday, October 16, 2010, 5-7pm

Akita Seishu Brewery Tasting

Dewatsuru Junmai Kimoto

Saturday, October 23, 2010, 5-7pm

Asamai Brewery Sake Tasting

Ama no To Tokubetsu Junmai

Saturday, October 30, 2010, 5-7pm

Hinomaru Brewery & Tenju Brewery Sake Tastings

Manabito Junmai Daiginjo & Chokaisan Junmai Daiginjo

With Labor Day behind us, the Fall season unofficially begins.   Our September schedule begins with two tastings this week highlighting dramatically different sake from opposite ends of Japan.  We’ll then debut a new nigorizake from Akita and last, but not least we’ll have a TBD visiting brewer (or brewers) pouring their new offerings…

Thursday, September 9, 2010, 6 to 8pm

Sake Story Imports Sake Tasting

Housui “Fragrant Water” Tokubetsu Junmai (Tokushima)

Saturday, September 11, 2010, 5 to 7pm

Shindo Brewery Sake Tasting

Ura-Gasanryu “Koka” Honjozo (Yamagata)

Saturday, September 18, 2010, 5 to 7pm

Winebow Imports  Sake Tasting

Chokaisan Junmai Ginjo Nigori (Akita)

Friday, September 24, 2010, 6 to 8pm

Mutual Trading Sake Tasting