The Charming Sake

The Tokyo Sake Challenge is back again in 2026, and the organisers are excited to once again showcase the best the sake world has to offer!

Under the theme of “Re-Discovering Sake,” the Tokyo Sake Challenge and Japan Life are once again setting out to showcase Japan’s diverse beverage scene and, through the addition of new categories, create even more opportunities for breweries to enter. Making it the perfect place to introduce new sake, challenge your thoughts about sake, and discover all that sake can be.

2026 TOKYO SAKE CHALLENGE

SSA Sake Sommelier & SSA Sake Educator

•|• Bún bò Huế, the fiery Vietnamese beef noodle soup layered with lemongrass, chili, and fermented shrimp paste, finds a surprising complement in Kaze no Mori Pink Label 507, an unpasteurised, unfiltered, undiluted sake from

•|• Apero. Caviar and Suigei “SHO” from Kochi Prefecture meet in a dance of ocean brine and silken umami, an elegant union of East and West.

Tasting Notes: Melon, Apricot, Rice Pudding
Alcohol %: 16%
Temperature: Best served c

•|• Tokyo Drifted. Musashi in a glass.

HeavenSake x Ambush delivers sharp elegance, while Musashi Extra Dry, crafted by the chef at Aman Tokyo, hits with clean precision. Bone-dry, balanced, with a whisper of ginjo aroma. Perfect alongside

•|• Decades have passed since I wrote a feature, yet some stories still find their way home. Honored to join the Robb Report legacy, a publication that once felt like a distant dream. They say dreams have a way of coming full circle.

Even

•|• April 4, 2025 - We celebrate International Sake Sommelier Day with a toast to the passion, knowledge, and artistry of sake sommeliers around the world.

Whether you’re pairing, pouring, or simply sipping, here’s to the craft

•|• A Creamy Contrast. Hakkaisan “Sparkling” Nigori, with its lightly sweet, unfiltered texture and refreshing acidity, creates an intriguing contrast with tuna sashimi. The sake’s natural creaminess complements the lean a

•|• Pearls of the Deep. A canvas of ocean elegance, each slice of sashimi a brushstroke of freshness and finesse, heightened by the silky embrace of a crisp Ginjo sake, smooth as the afternoon tide.

Music Pairing: Brahms - 16 Waltzes, Op.

•|• Lunar New Year 2025 / The Year Of The Snake 🐍

As you celebrate, raise a cup of sake to new beginnings, good fortune, and cherished moments of joy. Wishing you wisdom, prosperity, and happiness in the Year of the Snake!

Katsuyama Ju

•|• The Charming Sake presents Omasake 357 by @thejamieproject - Part 2

6 Courses w/ Wine & Sake Pairing

•|• The Charming Sake presents Omasake 357 by @thejamieproject - Part 1

7 Courses w/ Sake Pairing

1st Course - A Trio of Otoshi
-Braised eggplant simmered in dashi
-Mashed potato with edamame and furikake
-Pickled cucumbers

2nd Course

•|• Cheers to 2025! ✨

As we step into a new year, may our journeys be as refined as the taste of sake, as bold as its innovation, and as joyful as the moments we share with those we cherish.

This year, we raise a glass of The Sake of the

•|• Happy World Sake Day 2024.

Dassai Future (Polishing Ratio 8%), paired with a limited-edition collaboration between AMBUSH and HEAVENSAKE sake cups.

Music Companion: Chopin - Piano Concerto in E Minor

▫️◼️▫️◼️▫️

Dassai has introduce

•|• A Fresh Nightcap. 3 Types of Zaru (Cold) Soba: Kyoto, Kanazawa and Matcha Soba with homemade Tsyu dash-based dipping sauce. Paired with a Yuzushu Yuzu, citrus sake liqueur.

Sake Class: Liqueur
Subcategory: Yuzushu Yuzu Liqueur
Alcohol:

•|• A Classic Evening. Grilled eel with unagi sauce on top of rice & mushroom miso soup. Paired with an earthy Kurosawa Kimono Junmai.

Sake Class: Junmai
Subcategory: Kimoto
Rice: Miyamanishiki
Rice-Polishing Ratio: 65%
Alcohol: 15.5%

•|• Umami Snack. Miso & mirin baked mussels paired with a special Moon Bloom Kunoichi Yamahai Junmai.

Sake Class: Junmai
Subcategory: Yamahai
Rice: Hitogokochi
Rice-Polishing Ratio: 70%
Alcohol: 15%
Prefecture: Ueda, Nagano
Brewery: @

MANILA // SPRING 2026