A Great Place for 200 RMB All-You-Can-Drink Sake

After the introduction to Sakenojin Niigata, many wandering warriors can't wait until next year and want to fly over immediately. Here, Old Shen recommends a few great places where you can enjoy various sakes anytime and anywhere without spending much.

Ponshukan

Located inside Niigata Station, you can have a couple of drinks without leaving the station. First, buy 500 yen worth of tokens, and the staff will give you a sake cup. Then you can choose 5 cups at the sake machines! One cup of sake is 6 RMB! 6 RMB! 6 RMB!

OMG, isn't that a great deal? For less than 35 RMB, you can have 5 cups. Of course, if you're not a heavy drinker, it's recommended to start with famous brewery sakes, since it's not easy to make the trip. Famous brewery sakes usually cost 3 to 10 tokens. Based on Old Shen's experience, on the first day, it's best to drink only from the vending machines (which also have many junmai daiginjo). Get a general feel for the differences between honjozo, junmai, ginjo, daiginjo... On the second day, move on to the famous brewery sakes, so you can better appreciate the changes and the value of those 10 tokens.

Famous brewery sakes are usually served in a glass that looks very similar to a white wine glass, to better release the aroma. Besides rice aroma, you can also detect notes of pear, melon, white flowers, etc. Old Shen thinks sake pairs quite well with Chinese cuisine. By this point, you might be feeling a bit hungry. Inside Ponshukan, besides various sakes, there are also many local specialties: rice crackers, sake face masks, snacks to go with sake, etc. There's also a rice ball specialty shop. If you think it's too heavy to bring back a bag of Koshihikari rice, just buy a rice ball and a small bottle of sake to enjoy on the Shinkansen back to Tokyo, and keep drinking in Tokyo...

Tip: The small sake tasting cup is called Ochoko. It is said that professional tasters can tell the quality of sake by observing the color changes through the spiral pattern in the cup.

Kurand Sake Market

This sake supermarket has two or three locations in Tokyo. For under 200 RMB, you can enjoy over a hundred types of sake, and you can bring your own food. They provide simple tableware. Many Japanese office workers come here for small gatherings after work. Old Shen booked an experience that included a 2-hour sake course for over 300 RMB, which covered the entrance fee.

Starting at 7 o'clock, the teacher was a British man with a WSET Level 3 sake certification. The class was conducted in English, very relaxed, with materials of moderate difficulty. The first hour covered basic theory, then the teacher began selecting appropriate sakes for you. The more questions you asked, the more enthusiastically the teacher selected. Since Old Shen is an SSI International Japanese Sake Lecturer, it was a pleasure to exchange ideas with this professional British teacher. Besides junmai daiginjo, we also tried many different rice varieties, regions, and types like yamahai and kimoto brewing... There was even a sake specifically made to pair with cheese, which tasted like a refreshing cheese itself—very interesting.

After the class ended around 9 PM, Kurand gradually became more crowded. You could choose to stay and continue drinking, prolonging this wonderful sake night. Who knows, you might even encounter a little romance!

Tip: For the course, sake lovers can book directly on the Kurand website, or just go there to drink. It's recommended for those without sake experience to take a class, as the teacher can help you pick out many interesting sakes from the hundreds available. Alternatively, you can ask the staff at the counter for recommendations; they are also very professional sake connoisseurs.

Nihonshu Johokan

This is a place Old Shen visits every time he goes to Tokyo. Here, you can taste Japanese sake from all over Japan, including sake, shochu, and rare koshu, kijoshu, etc.

It's like a sake museum. All sakes have detailed descriptions including region, rice variety, etc. Most importantly, they have many different tasting sets, allowing you to taste the most varieties for the least money, and also make various comparisons. If you are a sake enthusiast, don't miss it.

Drink slowly... eat slowly... look slowly... life is still long...