SAKE DAY’25 – The Sake Samurai Are Coming, Sake Scholar Course, and More!
They are mysterious, and you rarely see them in large groups. They are extremely unique, but they are the definition of sake passion personified, and for the first time the Sake Samurai will have a dedicated table at the 20th Anniversary of SAKE DAY.
Most of you SAKE DAY aficionados have met and even spoken with some Sake Samurai at SAKE DAY without even knowing it, as they have many titles other than Sake Samurai like “Educator,” “Importer,” “Distributor,” “Author,” etc. These super sake souls have a title bestowed upon them by the most important folks in the sake game – The Japanese Sake Brewers Association – for their passion and efforts for the betterment of sake.
The Young President’s Council within the Japanese Sake Brewer’s Association is responsible for identifying then enshrining select individuals per class selected annually in a very cool ceremony in a glorious “Sake-Centric” shrine in Kyoto. And since the NFL just had their Enshrinement in Canton, Ohio, the Sake Samurai are sort of like Hall of Famers! But, trust me when I tell you that they are grounded and very appreciative sake lovers who have made a large part of their life’s mission to understand and communicate sake in a way that is pioneering and very passionate.
This year the Sake Samurai Table will feature 12 Sake Samurai in rotation, pouring sake donated by the current President of the Sake Samurai, Mr. Tsushima Kitahara, owner and President of Shichiken Sake Brewery from Yamanashi (who was going to attend SAKE DAY this year, but actually had to stay home to prepare for the new class of Sake Samurai who will be enshrined the next week in Kyoto.)
Lastly, I want you to know that pretty much all of the Sake Samurai, who will be attending, will be sheepish and slightly embarrassed knowing that focus and attention will be on them individually, as they are more into celebrating sake than celebrating themselves. In order of their classes here is the list of these super sake peeps who will gladly be pouring you sake at the 20th Anniversary of SAKE DAY : John Gauntner, Timothy Sullivan, Ake Nordgren, Chizuko Niikawa Helton, Chris Johnson, Marcus Pakiser, Elliot Faber, Toshio Ueno, Monica Samuels, Michael Tremblay, and Pat Ellis.
(And yes, sheepishly I am on that list too)
Also, please don’t forget to up your game by attending the Sake Scholar Course with Sake Samurai Michael Tremblay the week of SAKE DAY!
What is the Sake Scholar Course?
The Sake Scholar Course is basically a course on sake regionality. It explores sake
through the cultural, culinary, geographical and historical elements that have shaped each region of Japan, and consequently the locality of ingredients and styles. In addition, it tells the unique stories of many of Japan’s sake breweries and personalities that have helped to shape the industry.
The course starts with a Foundation section where we discuss the main elements of sake regionality. Then, we tackle all 47 prefectures through the lens of sake and honkaku shochu. We also sample a myriad of sakes that correspond to the teaching material. And (most importantly), the course brings together many awesome, like-minded sake lovers.
To cap it off (the icing on the sake cake!), the first 20 students enrolled in the course can opt to purchase a ticket for Sake Day SF at 20% off General Admission pricing. These tickets are available until Sunday, August 31st (THESE ARE THE ONLY TICKETS FOR SAKE DAY LEFT FOR PURCHASE!). SAKE DAY is held the day after the Sake Scholar Course finishes and it will be cool to talk to the many brewers and sake enthusiasts that are on hand to celebrate sake. KJ and I can’t wait to explore the sake world with you!
Date: September 24 - 26
Venue: Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California (JCCCNC) in San Francisco’s famous Japantown.
For more information on the Sake Scholar Course, visit sakescholar.com.
Lastly, the last batch of SAKE DAY’25 auxiliary tickets (100) sold out in 1 minute on August 1st. We alerted you to this in the last True Sake Newsletter and the post was made on Instagram. Please continue to follow our Instagram account @sakedaysf and @truesake
We are getting very close to such a momentous SAKE DAY and we have worked extra hard to bring you some of the most amazing sake breweries in Japan to your doorstep!
Get STOKED!