kazu-sake

Who I am / What I do linktr.ee/kazunihonshu

-Izakaya Meetup- 4 countries—Japan, Thailand, America, and the Netherlands. Different backgrounds, but real connections! "Himeji International Exchange" just hit 50+ members! meetup.com/himeji-english… I’ll keep hosting events like this:-)

New Sake Every Week (6th & 7th week) ・Icebreaker (Kinoshita Shuzo, Kyoto) Not exactly new to me, but I picked it up because this bottle is from 2021. ・Sukigokoro (Suto Shuzo, Ehime) Unique brewery—no toji (master brewer), just three brothers crafting sake together.

Last weekend, I had an amazing time with two true enthusiasts and experts in the sake world! They traveled to Himeji to attend a sake event that was held that day and were kind enough to reach out to me. It’s definitely one of the most memorable moments I will cherish:-)

-New Sake Every Week- The 5th week -Daisekkei from Nagano- As the label depicts, the sake is enjoyable at a low temperature to the point where snowflakes fly around in the air. Drinking it super chilled in a warm room with a comfortable AC can’t be replaced with anything!

Turns out, it’s pretty good!

Experimenting with a new combo: sake, avocado cheese-flavored Doritos, sake lees, and squid with spicy cod roe. Let’s see how this tastes😁🍶💡

爆 (baku) means explosion, and 雷 (rai) means thunder. As I was tasting the sake, I couldn’t agree more with the brewery’s choice of kanji to describe its flavor profile!

So, you can now get an idea of just how extreme this number is. In fact, according to the retailer, this sake is the driest sake in Japan. As someone who gives a tour called the sake-kanji-hopping tour, I immediately noticed the unique combination of kanji on the bottle: 爆雷.

I’ve been enjoying the “New Sake Every Week” activity since the beginning of 2025. Amazingly, my go-to sake retailer, located relatively close to my place, adds several new sake bottles from various regions across Japan to their lineup every week.

If you’ve got 22,000 yen to burn, you can make yourself a Lego Himeji Castle 🏯

I’ve started a fun challenge, “New Sake Every Week!” 🍶 At one bottle per week, I’ll get through about 2,000 in 40 years. With 1,394 sake breweries in Japan, each producing multiple styles, there are easily over 15,000 types of sake out there—far too many to try in a lifetime!

I’m truly grateful for his unwavering support and for being someone I can always reach out to casually. Every meetup we’ve had has been deeply meaningful, and I’ve learned so much from him. I can’t wait to see what our next meetup will bring!

I just received a wonderful review from one of the sake professionals I respect the most—my friend, Gordon. This feedback means the world to me, especially coming from someone like him, who has been devoted to the sake industry for nearly 30 years!

Lately, I’ve been hooked on “タコハイ” Plain Sour by Suntory. You might think “タコ” means octopus 🐙, but it actually comes from 多幸 (lots of happiness), and “ハイ” is short for highball. It’s perfect between beer and sake or even as a finisher. A true game changer!

Tonight, I finished a bottle of 無濾過 (muroka) sake—a type that skips the charcoal filtration process. What is unique about muroka is the final sip. No matter how carefully you pour, it’s almost impossible to avoid some rice solids and particles settling at the bottom.

I’m creating a new cultural experience in Himeji! -Discover Sushi, Kanji, and Sake- 🍣 Learn sushi-related kanji 🖋️ Explore sushi history and etiquette 🍶 Optional sake tasting with Himeji delicacies Looking forward to taking on this new challenge:-)