Sakura Sake Shop

Sakura Sake Shop Online sake specialty store. Exporting Japanese sake to over 14 countries. Established in 2013.

Tasting sake from the morning!The Gonge series is made with rice grown without pesticides or fertilizers, using even the...
27/06/2025

Tasting sake from the morning!
The Gonge series is made with rice grown without pesticides or fertilizers, using even the rice bran. Brewed in wooden vats with no added yeast or lactic acid, and bottled unfiltered, unpasteurized, and undiluted.
You can almost smell the soil of the rice fields.

[Toronto, Canada]Hi, this is Takeshi, writing from Toronto.I joined the largest B2B sake exhibition in Canada, where our...
15/06/2025

[Toronto, Canada]
Hi, this is Takeshi, writing from Toronto.
I joined the largest B2B sake exhibition in Canada, where our importer partner, Nippon Sake Imports, had a booth!..Though due to jet lag, I was completely useless—haha.

The next day was for local market research.
We visited an LCBO store (Ontario’s government-run liquor stores — not refrigerated, so we don’t supply to them!), toured the warehouse of Nippon Sake Imports, and checked the condition of sake served at local restaurants.

Despite being a whirlwind trip, I gained a lot from understanding the market situation in Toronto to getting a clearer picture of the importer landscape here.

Now heading back home, still jet-lagged.✈️

Sake Competition 2025: The World’s Best Sake Is Chosen Here"KANKOUBAIi Junmai Ginjo Yamadanishiki 50%" has been crowned ...
11/06/2025

Sake Competition 2025: The World’s Best Sake Is Chosen Here

"KANKOUBAIi Junmai Ginjo Yamadanishiki 50%" has been crowned the world's No.1 Junmai Ginjo! 🌍✨

For sake breweries, winning 1st place in this competition is truly the highest honor in the world of sake.

Just how prestigious is this award? ↓

The Sake Competition has the largest number of sake entries in the world. The judging is done in two stages—preliminary and final—and every sake is ranked from top to bottom (although only the top 10 are publicly announced). All judges are professional sake tasters carefully selected from across Japan, and poor judging means you won’t be asked back. This competition is regarded as the ultimate benchmark for sake quality.

For those of us in the sake industry, it’s an incredibly special event—dare I say, the most respected and competitive sake contest in Japan or abroad. Even getting into the top 10 is a major achievement. (Fun fact: it’s the only competition that the legendary Juyondai brewery enters!)

When the brewery owner of Kankoubai heard they had won 1st place, the first person he called was his brewing mentor. And what did the mentor say?
"Call and thank everyone who has ever supported you."

That’s the kind of award this is.

Later, we also got a call from him, and honestly, it felt like our own victory.
Huge congratulations to Kankoubai Shuzo‼️

[London]The purpose of this trip to London was to exhibit at the London Wine Fair and to host a sake event at Kioku Sake...
25/05/2025

[London]
The purpose of this trip to London was to exhibit at the London Wine Fair and to host a sake event at Kioku Sake Bar in the Raffles Hotel.
Of course, the bigger goal behind both was expanding our distribution channels!

We only brought sake that hasn't been distributed in the UK yet—and all of them received great feedback!
At the London Wine Fair, we even served quickly warmed sake using a borrowed tokkuri and a hotel kettle!
One buyer who visited our booth said, “That was the most moving sake experience I’ve ever had!”

The event at Kioku Sake Bar was also a full house, attended by passionate sake fans. With the help of organaizer Kikuya-san, we were able to share not just the flavors but also the stories behind the sake, which everyone seemed to enjoy.

It was our first time back in London in a while, and we feel grateful for all the new connections.
We even tried some old-school walk-in sales, going into shops without appointments to introduce our sake—just like when we first started.

Now in our 13th year, we really felt that we’re still pushing forward and embracing new challenges.

Heading back to Japan!

Final stop: London! Exhibiting at the London Wine Fair!
19/05/2025

Final stop: London!
Exhibiting at the London Wine Fair!

[Luxembourg]The judging for the Luxembourg Sake Challenge—an event Sakura Sake Shop proudly supported—was held at the Am...
18/05/2025

[Luxembourg]

The judging for the Luxembourg Sake Challenge—an event Sakura Sake Shop proudly supported—was held at the Ambassador’s Residence of Japan in Luxembourg.
While we were not present for the judging itself, we had the honor of joining the Japan Life Tasting Event afterwards together with Niizawa Sake Brewery.
Their booth was incredibly well received. Even sommeliers who serve as judges at various contests across Europe were amazed by the high quality of their sake.

In the evening, we had a pairing dinner featuring Hakurakusei and dishes from Grünewald Chef’s Table, a Michelin one-star restaurant.
It was truly exceptional—an inspiring collaboration between the creativity of young chefs and the ultimate food-pairing sake that brought pure joy to our palates.

That said, the trip also revealed some challenges we need to address.
We’ll continue to give our all to support the growth of sake in Luxembourg, one step at a time!

[Vienna, Austria]It’s been 9 years since Sakura Sake Shop began exporting to Austria. Back then, sake was still relative...
16/05/2025

[Vienna, Austria]
It’s been 9 years since Sakura Sake Shop began exporting to Austria. Back then, sake was still relatively unknown in the country, and for a time, most of the sake entering Austria came through us.
In this challenging market, one person kept pushing forward on her own: Yuri Iwata-san from Sakenoba. This time, she kindly guided us through the sake scene in Vienna (and Slovakia).
She once knew nothing about sake, but now she’s a true veteran. I was really impressed by how far she’s come.

Above all, the condition of the sake she handles is outstanding!
How many distributors in Europe manage sake at -5°C like she does?
Every bottle we tasted on this trip was in perfect condition—on par with what you'd expect under top-level storage in Japan.
This trip reminded us just how important it is to have someone who truly loves sake handling it with care.

We also had a surprising and fruitful opportunity to learn about some amazing Korean alcohol and Japanese shochu cocktails—making this Vienna trip even more rewarding.

Next stop: Luxembourg!

[Madrid, Spain]We exhibited at Iberkanpai, the first and largest Japanese sake and food trade show in Spain!Sakura Sake ...
16/05/2025

[Madrid, Spain]
We exhibited at Iberkanpai, the first and largest Japanese sake and food trade show in Spain!

Sakura Sake Shop currently exports sake to over 20 countries, but Spain remains an untapped market for us.
With a selection of sake from all over Japan, we came to find a local import partner and held many business meetings and tastings.

What surprised us was the passion and knowledge Spanish people have for sake.
Words like Nama, Hiire, Yamahai, Kimoto, Muroka, Genshu, Koshu—they understand them as-is in Japanese.
Of course, most visitors were from the food and beverage industry, but even in Japan, it's rare to meet restaurant staff who are familiar with terms like Yamahai.

They also had a strong understanding of proper refrigerated storage, which we believe is thanks to those who’ve worked hard to promote sake in Spain over the years.

However, their taste preferences are quite different from those in Japan.
While clean and easy-to-drink styles tend to be more appreciated in Japan, the Spanish market favors more distinctive and bold flavors.
Natural-style and aged sake, which don’t typically win awards in Japan’s sake competitions, were especially popular.

Despite being held on weekday daytime, the venue was bustling with energy each day—amplified by the cheerful spirit of the Spanish people.
We could truly feel the potential of the Spanish market.

We’re determined to follow up on these meetings with solid results and come back next time with actual export achievements!

A little while ago, we had the opportunity to host a sake tasting event at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan (FC...
20/04/2025

A little while ago, we had the opportunity to host a sake tasting event at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan (FCCJ).

It was an amazing deal—just 2,200 yen for unlimited tastings of 20 carefully selected sakes, including a premium one worth 40,000 yen!

For our team, who usually work behind the scenes, getting to interact with guests face-to-face was a breath of fresh air—we were in our element, sharing the charm of sake in both English and Japanese.

We’re an online sake shop with no physical store, but we’d love to do more events like this in the future!

On April 5, 2025, Sakura Sake Shop Inc. celebrates its 12th anniversary.We owe this milestone entirely to the continued ...
05/04/2025

On April 5, 2025, Sakura Sake Shop Inc. celebrates its 12th anniversary.

We owe this milestone entirely to the continued support of all of you. From all of us at Sakura Sake Shop, thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
Over the past 12 years, we’ve faced many events we could never have imagined when we first started—natural disasters, conflicts, global pandemics, and more.
In November 2022, our company also suffered severe damage due to a fire. Thanks to the tremendous support we received, we were able to quickly resume shipments and rebuild our headquarters. We’d like to express our deepest gratitude once again. Thank you truly.

Since our founding, our mission has been to bring smiles to the world through sake.
As we mark this 12-year milestone, we renew our commitment to that mission and will continue striving to be a company that contributes to everyone we serve.

Sakura Sake Shop Inc.
Yuichi Kondo, Co-founder
Takeshi Komazawa, Co-founder

[Shifting to Earth-Friendly Energy]Sakura Sake Shop has switched the electricity for its headquarters to the "T-Dash" Gr...
02/04/2025

[Shifting to Earth-Friendly Energy]
Sakura Sake Shop has switched the electricity for its headquarters to the "T-Dash" Green Plan*¹, achieving 100% renewable energy use and effectively reducing CO₂ emissions to zero.

This transition helps cut CO₂ emissions equivalent to the amount absorbed by approximately 130 cedar trees in one year.*²

*¹ This plan utilizes non-fossil certificates with environmental value, ensuring the effective use of 100% renewable energy and reducing the CO₂ emission factor to zero.
*² Based on an estimated absorption rate of 14 kg-CO₂ per year per cedar tree (according to data from Japan’s Ministry of the Environment).

Sakura Sake Shop remains committed to sustainable management, striving to build a society where children 100 years from now can live abundantly.

住所

3-chōme-183 Kaihotsuchō Ogaki
Ogaki-shi, Gifu
503-0002

電話番号

+81584747812

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