Journal

Blog

Stories of makers, ingredients, places and the decisions behind Japan's most compelling drinks.

CRAFT BEER

How Much Should a Brewery Reveal? How Japan’s Craft Breweries Define the Boundaries of Transparency

“How much of a brewery should visitors be allowed to see?” Traditionally, places where alcohol is brewed have rarely been open to outsiders. Brewing requires precise temperature control and careful handling of microorganisms that cannot be seen with the naked eye.

Drink

Polishing Is Not Only for Rice: The “Migaki-Imo” Behind SHIRAKANE-NO-TSUYU

Shochu makers have an old saying: “First comes koji, second comes the starter mash, and third comes the rest of the process.” Shirakane Shuzo, based in Aira, Kagoshima Prefecture, also presents these words on its official website.

Drink

Broadening the Brewing Season, Narrowing the Selection: HANEYA KIRABI, Four-Season Brewing, and Nakagumi

Sake is made in winter. Many people may still carry that image. In Japan, brewing concentrated in the colder months, known as kanzukuri , has indeed been practiced for centuries.

Drink

Rice Polished to 27%, Sake Held at −5°C for One Year: The Design of Shichiken Hakushin

What do 27% rice polishing and one year at −5°C reveal about Shichiken Hakushin? Read the decisions linking Hakushu rice, water, temperature and time.

Drink

Choose by the Table: Food, Serving Style, and Occasion

An educational framework for comparing sake, shochu, liqueur and other distilled spirits through food structure, service variables and dining format.

Drink

How to Read a Japanese Bottle Label Without Knowing Japanese

A practical guide to four fields that explain a Japanese bottle: category, ingredients when shown, alcohol content, and producer.

Selecting Your First Bottle: A Thoughtful Guide for the Curious Mind

Drink

You Don’t Need Expertise to Choose: How to Narrow Down Your First Bottle

A beginner's guide to choosing Japanese sake, shochu and spirits ｜ four simple ways to narrow the choice without memorizing technical terms.

CRAFT BEER

From Rice to Malt: How the Same Water Connects Sake and Beer｜ HEIWA CRAFT Pale Ale

Follow how Heiwa Shuzo connects sake and HEIWA CRAFT Pale Ale through the same Wakayama water, while koji and malt take different paths to fermentation.

SAKE HUNDRED

Connecting Expertise Without Owning a Brewery

How Clear Inc. built SAKE HUNDRED without owning a brewery, connecting specialist brewing partners, brand design and fermentation research across Japan.

AWARD : SAKE

A Measure of Brewing Philosophy Beside Technical Mastery: The “Modern Natural” Category at SAKE COMPETITION 2026

For many years, sake competitions have placed great weight on precision in brewing and the quality of the finished sake: how carefully the rice is polished and how clearly and elegantly the sake is made. The Junmai Daiginjo category represents this emphasis on technical skill. At SAKE COMPETITION 2026, another category stood alongside it with a different measure. Modern Natural evaluates not only the finished sake, but also the philosophy behind its production.

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