Discover New Flavors, Pairing Sake with Jukusei Matured Sushi at a Renowned Restaurant

A High-powered Partnership of Trust Between Sake Purveyor and Sushi Restaurant

Sake is the iconic drink of Japan. The country is said to be home to over 1,400 kuramoto, or sake breweries, and more than 10,000 brands of sake. Although sake is only made from rice, koji fungus, and water, its brewing process is so complex that a wide variety of aromas and flavors are possible depending on the brewery and brand.

Appreciating the label and bottle designs each brewer uses to distinguish their brands

Kanagawa Prefecture liquor seller Sakadoya is a business with over 120 years of history behind it. Its owner Yoichi Mukasa visits breweries across the country to meet with makers, and chooses his stock based on taste, terroir, and his personal preferences. As a supplier to restaurants, he curates his proposals according to the cuisine on offer, factoring in his firsthand knowledge of the brewer’s approach. 

Sushi Kimura's calming interior of zelkova and cypress wood

One of Sakadoya’s clients is Sushi Kimura, a restaurant with the vanishingly rare distinction of having been awarded two stars in the Michelin Guidebook every year for ten straight years since its opening in 2004. Its owner Koji Kimura puts full faith in Mukasa’s understanding of his sushi to curate a sake list that enhances it. This is as much a special experience of gustatory delights as it is of the decade-plus collaboration between two experts at the top of their game trying to bring the very best out of the intersection between sushi and sake.

Discover the Characteristics of Japanese Sake, Categorized into 4 Types, through Tasting

Yoichi Mukasa, Sakadoya’s fifth generation head, worked for a major beer producer before departing to take over the family liquor business. Watching one after another of Japan’s sake breweries go out of business, he stumbled into the world of regional brews through a visit to the last brewery standing in his hometown of Kawasaki City, therein discovering a powerful charm. He currently carries 300 brands of sake made by roughly 30 breweries from around Japan, all of them the sort of small-batch brews you’re unlikely to find at your average liquor store. 

Mukasa introducing regional sakes from Kyoto, Fukuoka, Shimane, and Aichi

Mukasa categorizes sake according to its aroma and flavor: as crisp, mild, rich, or aged. He will explain the characteristics of each in detail before participants enjoy tasting them once poured straight from the bottle and then a second time served as hot sake to illustrate in practice how the flavor profiles shift with serving temperature.

Hot sake – or okan – is a Japanese tradition with an ancient pedigree

Mukasa explains that heating sake strengthens its aroma and umami flavors, yielding a gentler profile. Perhaps not unlike with the decanting of red wine to bring out its aromas or mellow its flavors, expertise goes a long way when it comes to choosing the proper temperature at which to serve each brand to best pair with a given dish.

The delicate palate of sake, highlighted by special thin-lipped sake cups

Jukusei Sushi: a Demonstration

Koji Kimura, founder of Sushi Kimura, had a grandfather who ran a sushi restaurant. After mastering his heritage techniques of the Edomae sushi style, Koji struck out on his own.

Kimura’s beautiful, masterful knife work is a highlight

Sushi Kimura’s standout offering is its jukusei – matured – sushi. Kimura created his lineup of jukusei sushi toppings based on years of original research, striving for a sense of union between the matured toppings themselves and the vinegared sushi rice on which they are served, harnessing the bedrock principles of Edomae sushi. Resting the fish for proper periods of time brings out a moistness, tenderness, and richness of flavor. This plan allows you to try the jukusei sushi creations that have captivated gourmet guidebook judges and foodies alike, alongside a carefully curated sake pairing selection.

Vinegared sushi rice combined with special toppings as only sushi Kimura does them

A Marriage of Sake and Sushi

When you’ve had a chance to appreciate the characteristics of the four types of sake, and the way temperature changes the palate of each, it’s time to discover the surprising emergent flavors that come from pairing them with jukusei sushi.

Delight in freshly made sushi at the countertop

As the dining commences, Mukasa keeps the sake flowing while Kimura serves up the sushi. Enjoy a sip of sake on its own, then another sip with your sushi to really appreciate the synergy of aroma and flavor.

A set of roughly 10 pieces of sushi paired with 4 kinds of sake that can only be had in this experience

The sakes served in this experience are the perfect match for Kimura’s sushi, carefully chosen by Mukasa after a great deal of comparative testing. They are also brands that Kimura himself fully endorses. Experience the complex emergent flavors that arise dramatically from these pairings.

Sake served at the perfect temperature to go with the sushi

A Premier Dining Experience Crafted by Two World-Class Pros

Learn all about the four categories of Japanese sake in this experience, taste them, and experience their marriage with jukusei sushi. A curated selection of top shelf sake and fine matured sushi are the highlights. Mukasa is a man in whose judgment both brewers and drinkers place a lot of stock, and his drink choices make the perfect pairings for the excellent jukusei sushi made by Kimura, who is always striving for better.

The air of camaraderie between the two greats is another highlight

Diners are sure to come away from this experience with a whole new view on sake and jukusei sushi. Let yourself be taken by surprise by the delights of these painstakingly perfected pairings, enjoying with all five senses the work of two epicurean comrades who have forged a collaborative partnership of mutual reliance over the years.