SAKE COMPETITION lands in LA! A full report on the moment the appeal of sake spread to the world

As summer begins to draw to a close, many of you may have traveled both within Japan and abroad during the Obon holidays.

This time, we focus on the unveiling event for award-winning sakes from “SAKE COMPETITION,” held in Los Angeles in mid-August. Today, I’m Ueno, who was in charge of social media and photography at the event, and I will report on what it was like.

First, what is “SAKE COMPETITION”?

SAKE COMPETITION is a competition held since 2012 to determine the “world’s best commercially available sake.” Its defining feature is that judging is conducted solely on sake quality through blind tastings with brands concealed, unaffected by brand power or name recognition. The aim is to create a place where consumers can discover truly delicious sake.

Scenes from Sake Competition 2025

SUNNY SIDE UP is involved with SAKE COMPETITION as a joint operator together with Hasegawa Saketen Co., Ltd. In its 13th year, the awards ceremony was held for the first time at Takanawa Gateway City, and with the support of the brewers and many other stakeholders and participants, we were able to deliver an outstanding event.

The first time it was held in LA

With the desire to bring sake to the world, we introduced an unveiling event for award-winning sakes starting last year. While the event was held in two locations last year—Seoul, South Korea, and London, UK—this year we chose Los Angeles, USA. As a multicultural hub and a city drawing global attention for its strong ties to Japan, including Shohei Ohtani, it is an ideal place to promote sake worldwide. For me personally, it was my first overseas business trip—and my first time in LA—so I was very excited!

Preparations moved forward with the support of local coordinators. After overcoming various hurdles, including international shipping of sake and selecting the venue, the tickets sold in advance sold out completely! After busy yet fulfilling days, we traveled to LA and finally welcomed the day of the event.

Before we knew it, it was event day

The venue for this unveiling event was an area of Los Angeles known as “Mid-City.” The gallery had a charming atmosphere, featuring an indoor space surrounded by brick and concrete, as well as an outdoor area where beautiful bamboo grew thickly across an entire wall.

The unveiling event held at this venue took place over two days: Day 1 for media and food-focused influencers, and Day 2 for the general public. Tailored to different guests, the program allowed attendees to fully experience the appeal of sake.

In mid-August, Japan’s intense heat makes outdoor events difficult. However, in LA’s dry, low-humidity climate, it was very cool once you stepped into the shade even if it was hot in the sun, and the open-air venue had a pleasant breeze, making it a comfortable environment.

As a result, the event made spacious use of both indoor and outdoor areas. Indoors, we set up a screen to show footage of the awards ceremony and provided Japanese-style catering. Outdoors, we created booths for each brewery and opened the space as a sake tasting area. We also displayed the banners used at the awards ceremony, creating a special space where guests could fully enjoy sake and Japanese culture.

We received support for this unveiling event from a total of seven breweries: Isojiman Sake Brewery, Sumikawa Shuzojo, Niizawa Brewery, Heiwa Shuzo, Houken Shuzo, Nanbu Bijin, and Sanyo Hai Shuzo. Seeing them come in person, wearing aprons and happi coats, was truly reassuring, and they added a vibrant touch to the venue.

Alongside the sake, snacks recommended by each brewery were also prepared.

Representatives from the seven breweries personally poured sake into the SAKE glasses of attendees who stopped by each booth. Many attendees decided to participate because of their interest not only in sake and Japanese food, but in Japanese culture as a whole. When we spoke with them, some said they had traveled over an hour to get to the venue, which truly made us happy.

Processed with MOLDIV

Processed with MOLDIV

It was also memorable to see attendees, savoring the sake, eagerly asking a wide range of questions. The brewers, too, responded carefully and passionately to each one, with the help of interpreters.

Although we live in an age where information is easily obtained online, being able to directly share the brewers’ real voices across borders is one of the true joys of holding an event locally. And the deliciousness of sake enjoyed while taking in those words is truly exceptional. My heart raced at being present for the moment when the appeal of sake spread across the ocean.

The LA event concluded successfully, and over the two days we also grew closer to the brewers, further strengthening our desire to continue spreading the appeal of sake.

A special program will also air on BS-TBS

Following last year’s broadcast on December 14, “Japanese Sake Connected to the World by Hidetoshi Nakata — SAKE COMPETITION 2024 —,” a special program will again air on BS-TBS this year! From scenes of the awards ceremony held in June to highlights from this unveiling event in LA, the program is packed with valuable content showcasing activities that connect people with sake and food culture through Sake Competition.

The scheduled broadcast date is October 5, 23:00–23:30. Please be sure not to miss it!

We are also posting updates on social media, so please follow us and check them out♡

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