Japan's rice wine — the drink that frames the meal.
What it is
Sake (nihonshu) is brewed from rice, water and koji — closer to beer in process but wine-like in strength. Served chilled, warm or at room temperature depending on the style, in tiny cups poured for one another.
What it means
Sake is woven into Japanese ritual, from shrine offerings to New Year toasts. At the table, pouring for your companions (never your own cup) is a small act of care that defines the meal's warmth.
Why it's wonderful
The range is vast: fruity and floral ginjo, rich junmai, sparkling or aged. Pair it with sashimi, grilled fish or izakaya plates and the food and drink lift each other.
A legendary fish izakaya tucked beneath the Yurakucho railway arches since 1946, run by Brit-owner Andy who hand-picks the catch at Toyosu Market each dawn.
The towering wooden-beamed izakaya that inspired Kill Bill's House of Blue Leaves, where lantern light conjures an Edo-era warehouse over plates of fresh soba and charcoal skewers.
★ Seasonal shojin kaiseki paired with sake and wine, refreshed every three weeks
A refined Roppongi shojin restaurant led by chef Daisuke Nomura, formerly of two-Michelin-starred Daigo, pairing plant-based Zen cuisine with carefully chosen sake and wine.
