Experience Premium Sake Tasting and Making your Own Sake at My Sake World in Kyoto

A Unique Sake Salon near Kyoto’s Downtown Area

With over 40 sake breweries, Kyoto has long been considered one of the top sake-producing areas of Japan, and countless cozy sake bars can be found in the city’s backstreets. Located along Teramachi Street, just a short walk from Kyoto's lively downtown district, My Sake World Kyoto Kawaramachi offers a unique opportunity to explore the depth and diversity of Japanese sake through guided tasting and blending experiences.

Based in Kyoto, the venue is operated by Leaf Publications, a company that produces sake media and develops original blended sake in collaboration with sake breweries across Japan, actively promoting and sharing Japanese sake culture. Its open, contemporary interior encourages conversation, providing the perfect setting for this private experience.

A Cultural Introduction to the Brewing and Drinking of Sake

Once you are settled into your seat at the counter, your host will proceed into an orientation session to give you some basic background on Japanese sake. Thought to have accompanied the introduction of rice farming to Japan around 2000 years ago, sake has long been a sacred offering at Shinto shrines. Certain regions in Japan, including Kyoto, have become well-known for producing particularly fine sake due to the quality of their water and their rice.

Like wine, sake is produced through the process of fermentation. However, because sake is made from starchy rice rather than sugary fruit, it requires a rice mold known as koji, which is added to break down the starch into fermentable sugars. Your host will clearly outline this process using visual aids and will also provide explanations of different varieties, including ginjo and junmai as well as modern and aged sake. Feel free to ask questions at any time.

Taste 8 Different Sake Varieties

Feeling well-informed, you will be more than ready to move into the tasting chapter of your session. Building upon the orientation session, your host will guide you through eight carefully selected sake varieties. As you compare each sake, you will take time to savor its aroma, color, flavor, and finish while discussing your impressions with your host.

Each sake glass is carefully labeled so that you can make notes onto a list about each variety that you try. There is no need to worry about being too technical—feel free to record your general impressions and discuss with your host. These notes will be useful to you in the blending chapter of the session.

Both heated and chilled sake will be provided to help you appreciate how the flavor of sake can vary based on temperature. You will also be served sake in tasting glasses and ceramic cups, as these different materials can change the sensation while you imbibe.

Create Your Very Own Blended Sake

As with beverages like whiskey, wine, and rum in other parts of the world, blending sake has been common in Japan for hundreds of years. It is very unusual, however, to witness sake blending performed right before your eyes, much less to participate in it directly. This is exactly what you are invited to do at My Sake World Kyoto Kawaramachi.

In consultation with your host, you will select three or four of your favorite sake varieties from the eight that you have tasted. Feel free to refer to the notes you took during the tasting to help inform your decision. Through conversations with your host, you will discuss the flavors you enjoyed and work together to determine the ideal ratio for your blend. Once the ratio is set, it is time for the magic to take place. Measure by measure, you will personally mix the varieties you have chosen, swirling and blending them into your very own sake.

As you taste the blends you have created, you will be presented with an assortment of specially-prepared appetizers that complement the drinking of sake. Delicacies such as smoked duck loin and dried figs marinated in sake are beautifully arranged, a delight for the eyes as well as the palate. You can also enjoy pairings of sake, a symbol of fermentation culture, with cheese and miso.

Ultimately, participating in this unique blending experience takes you further into the world of sake than a tasting alone. Through time spent thinking about the different flavors and aromas of the sake varieties that you taste, you will leave with a new appreciation of this incredible Japanese beverage.