The second half of Japan’s largest celebration of Japanese food culture, “CRAFT SAKE WEEK,” has begun! Introducing a lineup packed with exciting content until the final day!

Hello, this is PR Sunny-chan 🌞

Another huge success this year! The celebration of Japanese food culture “CRAFT SAKE WEEK 2024 at ROPPONGI HILLS,” currently being held at Roppongi Hills Arena for 12 days from April 18 (Thu) to April 29 (Mon, holiday), has already entered its second half.

This time, we’ll introduce all the highlights of the second half lineup at once!

What is the Japanese food culture celebration “CRAFT SAKE WEEK”?

This year’s venue design is handled by Kumataichi with the theme “SAKA-MORI”!

“CRAFT SAKE WEEK” started in 2016 when organizer Hidetoshi Nakata, after traveling throughout Japan and meeting numerous producers centered on sake, agriculture, and crafts, and experiencing the culture and techniques that Japan takes pride in, felt strongly about the depth and potential of sake in particular, and wanted to “convey the wonder of Japanese culture to many people.” The event spotlights carefully selected sake from across the country and promotes the appeal of sake and the food culture closely related to it.

This year marks the longest event ever at 12 days, featuring 120 carefully selected breweries from across the country and 15 popular restaurants, including hard-to-reserve renowned establishments.

During the event period, you can enjoy pairings of special sake available only on that day, provided under different daily themes, with dishes by top chefs! This is a recommended event not only for sake lovers but also for sake beginners and those who simply enjoy gourmet food.

▼ Past event coverage (articles) can be found here

・2024: Powered up to a 12-day event this year! Roppongi’s spring tradition “CRAFT SAKE WEEK” finally opens! Come and you too will be captivated by Japanese food culture?

・2023: This weekend, CRAFT SAKE WEEK 2023 at ROPPONGI HILLS finally opens for the first time in 4 years! The PR team shares how to enjoy it!

・2022: Sake fans rejoice! Behind the scenes of the world’s largest “SAKE” event spin-off project “CRAFT SAKE WEEKEND 2022 at J-WAVE INSPIRE TOKYO”!

After the 12:00 opening on the first day, despite being a weekday, many visitors who had been eagerly awaiting the start enjoyed sake and food, and the venue was bustling! Here’s the second half lineup of this highly popular event.

Cheers with the team!

Second half participating brewery category list here
~A record 120 breweries assembled! You might find your favorite!~

▼April 26 (Fri) Theme: “Tohoku Day”

Carefully selected breweries from one of Japan’s premier sake regions gather together. You can savor the exquisite sake of the Tohoku region, truly representative of Japan, with its soft mouthfeel and elegant aroma nurtured by the cold climate and clear streams.

[Participating Breweries]

Kuchiman (Hanaizumi Brewery/Fukushima), Nakurayama (Nakurayama Brewery/Fukushima), Hirotogawa (Matsuzaki Brewery/Fukushima), Tenmei (Akebono Brewery/Fukushima), Naramman (Yumegokoro Brewery/Fukushima), Aizu Chūjō (Tsurunoe Brewery/Fukushima), Wagauji (Ōu Jiman/Yamagata), Haginotsuru (Hagino Brewery/Miyagi), Kenkonichi (Ōnuma Brewery/Miyagi), Yuki no Bijin (Akita Brewing/Akita)

▼April 27 (Sat) Theme: “Juicy & Fresh Day”

A gathering of sake that pairs excellently not only with Japanese cuisine but also with diverse dishes matching modern styles. This is a lineup that both sake enthusiasts and beginners can enjoy.

[Participating Breweries]

Hanaabi (Ryōzeki Brewery/Akita), Kawanakajima Genbu (Shusenkura No/Nagano), Mikotsuru (Suwa Mikotsuru Brewery/Nagano), Imanishiki (Yonezawa Brewery/Nagano), Jōyama (Jōyama Brewery/Fukui), Ippo-己 (Toyokuni Brewery/Fukushima), haccoba (haccoba/Fukushima), Niida Shizenshu (Niida Honke/Fukushima), Kamikawa Taisetsu (Kamikawa Taisetsu Brewery/Hokkaido), Michisakura (Michisakura Brewery/Hokkaido)

▼April 28 (Sun) Theme: “Sakenomy All Stars Day”

A day to encounter breweries full of talent that have received high support from users of the sake app “Sakenomy.” From up-and-coming breweries to super-talented ones, you can taste them all at once only on this day.

[Participating Breweries]

Oze no Yukidoke (Ryūjin Brewery/Gunma), Yuki no Bosha (Saiya Brewery/Akita), Kudoki Jōzu (Kamenoi Brewery/Yamagata), Katsuyama (Sendai Izawake Katsuyama Brewery/Miyagi), Kinoene (Iinuma Honke/Chiba), Born (Katō Kichibē Shōten/Fukui), Shinshū Kamerei (Okazaki Brewery/Nagano), Saku (Shimizu Seizaburō Shōten/Mie), Nabeshima (Fukuchiyo Brewery/Saga), Hakurakusei (Niizawa Brewery/Miyagi)

▼April 29 (Mon, holiday) Theme: “Team Jūyondai Day”

Truly a modern dream team led by sake world legend “Jūyondai” gathers in Roppongi, befitting the event’s finale. The ability to compare rare lineups all at once is a unique pleasure of CSW.

[Participating Breweries]

Jūyondai (Takagi Brewery/Yamagata), Jikon (Kiyasho Brewery/Mie), Tōyō Bijin (Sumikawa Brewery/Yamaguchi), Gakki Masamune (Ōki Daikichi Honten/Fukushima), Isshaku Suisei (Fukurokuju Brewery/Akita), Kamonishiki (Kamonishiki Brewery/Niigata), Hōō Biden (Kobayashi Brewery/Tochigi), Mimurosugi (Imanishi Brewery/Nara), Hōken (Hōken Brewery/Hiroshima), Yokoyama (Shigeie Brewery Yokoyama Kura/Nagasaki)

Second half and final day participating restaurants here
~Unexpected combinations! Encounters with new pairings~

“CRAFT SAKE WEEK” is not just about sake! Popular restaurants that are normally difficult to reserve and hidden gems from regional areas—restaurants that have received high acclaim both domestically and internationally—are participating. As dishes to pair with sake, you can enjoy not only Japanese cuisine but various genres of food, allowing you to discover new food combinations and the appeal of sake.

▼April 23 (Tue)~28 (Sun)

・”Ocha to Nori Yamamotoyama”

A long-established tea and nori shop continuing since 1690, from the Edo period. In 2018, the Nihonbashi main store was renovated into “Yamamotoyama Fujie Sabō,” a place where you can experience premium tea andnori in the best condition.

・”Misomebore”

Miso soup that warms the body when enjoyed between drinks or as a final course. At the physical store, which covers miso from all 47 prefectures, you can enjoytastings and comparisons, but at the event, particularly popular flavors will be offered one type per day on arotating basis.

・”Maison de Charcuterie M”

A specialty shop that opened in Kyoto’s Higashiyama in July 2022 with the desire to deeply introduce charcuterie, a traditional French food culture, to Japan. Please enjoy the compatibility of delicate and gentle-flavored charcuterie with sake.

・”Cheese Kingdom”

Opened in 1985 as a full-fledged cheese specialty shop. At the event, items with good compatibility with sake are carefully selected from over 100 varieties. You can enjoy the deep appeal of cheese together with sake, including aged Mimolette reminiscent of karasumi and Parmigiano with particular attention to ingredients and aging.

・”kitchen NIHONMONO”

After retiring from active duty, Hidetoshi Nakata continues his journey to encounter “nihon no honmono = nihonmono.” The online shop “Nihonmono Store” introduces carefully selected gems and producers from among over 3,000 locations visited throughout Japan, along with the background stories and the thoughts behind the craftsmanship. At the event, special menus that pair with sake will be sold, combining carefully selected ingredients from this store.

▼Final Day! April 29 (Mon, holiday)

・”SUGALABO”

Yōsuke Suga, who has been active in countries around the world as a beloved disciple of French master Robuchon. At the event, Suga, who has been focusing on sake pairings in recent years, will delight you with French cuisine that pairs with sake, using Japanese ingredients encountered during his travels.

・”Torishiki”

Yakitori grilled juicy over “close, strong fire” at Torishiki. Since opening in 2007, it has been called “the most difficult yakitori restaurant to reserve.” At the event, in addition to yakitori by Yoshiteru Ikegawa and disciples of Torishiki ICHIMON, there will also be nimono (simmered dishes) recreating downtown flavors as a return to yakitori’s origins, and “Tsubo-dare Chicken.”

・”Ushimaru”

An Italian restaurant surrounded by the peaceful rural landscape of Sanmu City, Chiba Prefecture. Not only fresh ingredients delivered from nearby seas, mountains, and fields, but also freshly baked bread and freshly made pasta using special wheat grown with the cooperation of farmers and dairy farmers for safer and more delicious products, as well as specially raised Jersey cattle, are highly regarded. At the event, you can enjoy piadina using this Jersey beef, homemade ham, and fresh milk ice cream.

・”Saika”

Located within the grounds of Sennyū-ji in Kyoto’s Higashiyama, Hiroto Saitō’s cuisine, with attention to detail from the space design, is based on the traditions of Chinese cuisine while substituting ingredients that modern people find delicious, adding ingenuity to aroma and texture, and pursuing original flavors—a truly unique taste. At the event, two of Chef Saitō’s ultimate specialties that captivate those who taste them will appear.

・”Mieda”

Nobumasa Mieda, who produces numerous restaurants in Sapporo and also supervises JAL first-class meals. At the event, he pursues flavors that go well with sake, themed around carefully selected Hokkaido ingredients, using his innate creativity and the rich knowledge and techniques from over 30 years as a chef to work with luxurious ingredients including Hokkaido sea urchin and crab, seafood, specialty products from across the country, as well as shark fin, caviar, and truffles.

Chocolate and sake pairing too!?

Furthermore, pairings with sake are not limited to food!

To commemorate Lotte Co., Ltd.’s 60th anniversary of its chocolate business, the company has opened an event booth “Choco meets CRAFT SAKE” within this event.

At this booth, you can enjoy marriages of 10 types of sake per day, one brand from each of the 120 breweries, with Ghana Chocolate (4 varieties: Ghana Milk, Ghana Black, Ghana White, and Ghana Roast Milk) on a rotating daily basis. Please try your favorite pairing where chocolate and sake meet!

How was that?

Whether you’re someone who can’t enjoy it in just one day and will visit again, or someone seeking new encounters wanting to try unexpected combinations, “CRAFT SAKE WEEK,” where you can enjoy to your heart’s content, is being held until April 29 (Mon, holiday). Please discover your own special pairing.