Long-awaited by sake fans! Going behind the scenes of “CRAFT SAKE WEEKEND 2022 at J-WAVE INSPIRE TOKYO,” a spin-off of one of the world’s largest sake events!

Hello! My name is Maeda, and I have been working as an intern for prospective hires since June.

It has already been four months since I joined the internship to become a PR professional at the SUNNY SIDE UP I have long admired,
and I truly feel that I have been spending a very fulfilling time!

This time, I would like to introduce our efforts at the spin-off project of “CRAFT SAKE WEEK,”
“CRAFT SAKE WEEKEND 2022 at J-WAVE INSPIRE TOKYO” (hereinafter, CRAFT SAKE WEEKEND), in which I was also involved as a member of the team.

It was an exciting event that welcomed many visitors, so please stay with me for a moment!

What are CRAFT SAKE WEEK / CRAFT SAKE WEEKEND?

CRAFT SAKE WEEK is one of the world’s largest “SAKE” events, produced by JAPAN CRAFT SAKE COMPANY, led by Hidetoshi Nakata, who is affiliated with our company, and has been held since 2016. At the first event, a total of 600,000 people attended, including international visitors to Japan.

In addition, the event received the top award in the “Golden World Awards (Arts & Entertainment category),” hosted by the International Public Relations Association (IPRA), which honors projects with outstanding achievements in the promotion of arts and culture.It has earned high acclaim worldwide and has grown to the point where it draws global attention as an event where people can experience sake culture.

* Scenes from 2019 and earlier

▼Click here to see past events
The second half of “CRAFT SAKE WEEK,” one of Japan’s largest “SAKE” events produced by Hidetoshi Nakata, has begun! Bringing you a full lineup of the best places to drink and eat!

However, due to the pandemic that spread worldwide from the end of 2019, the event was canceled in 2020 and 2021.

This time, “CRAFT SAKE WEEKEND” was held for three days only as a spin-off project within an urban festival hosted by J-WAVE, the radio station that broadcasts “TDK VOICES FROM NIHONMONO,” a radio program for which Mr. Nakata serves as navigator.

To ensure that everyone—from regular sake drinkers to those just getting started—could enjoy the event, a theme was set for each day, and carefully selected breweries from across Japan appeared, with 10 breweries per day.

In addition, in collaboration with “TDK VOICES FROM NIHONMONO,” we hosted the “NIHONMONO STORE / NIHONMONO KITCHEN,” where visitors could purchase outstanding Japanese products selected by Mr. Nakata after visiting approximately 3,000 locations across Japan.

The event was a great success as a place to enjoy delicious snacks and excellent sake.

Event report from the perspective of staff who worked on site!

During the event period, the weather was unfortunately affected by a typhoon, but all three days were far more crowded than expected!

In addition to myself, seven other prospective hires participated in this CRAFT SAKE WEEKEND, handling tasks such as sales and tallying at the coin booth.

I was in charge of serving snacks from the food truck.

At NIHONMONO KITCHEN, the lineup included menus supervised by Chef Makoto Okamoto of La BOMBANCE, which has earned Michelin stars for 10 consecutive years, as well as snacks recommended to pair with sake.

There were seven items on the menu in total.

Among them, the snacks I was responsible for were: swordtip squid and green onion miso from “Umenoha” in Hagi, Yamaguchi, made with sake lees from Toyobijin;

the local specialty “Tanno Konnyaku” tama konnyaku, made with famous spring water from Yamagata;

a ham and sausage platter made by “Fukudome Komakibokujo” in Kagoshima, a recipient of the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Award, which is particular about doing everything by hand—from butchering pork to blending spices, production, and packaging;

and the “wagyu cheek dog” from “Komiyama,” a renowned Nishi-Azabu yakiniku restaurant, made with A5-grade Japanese black wagyu cheek meat simmered slowly for eight hours;

for a total of four items.

Because they were high-quality ingredients selected by Mr. Nakata as he travels across Japan, every item was extremely popular. Some visitors even came back for repeat purchases, so the lines hardly ever let up during the event.

The busy food truck is a memorable experience, but what left the strongest personal impression on me during this CRAFT SAKE WEEKEND was the customer service I was entrusted with on the final day.

We sold items that could be eaten immediately, such as dried firefly squid and marinated cheese. As I spoke directly with customers and recommended products, I was able to see visitors’ happy smiles up close for the first time, and I truly felt just how many people had come.

Whether they came as couples, with friends, or gathered with people they had just met on the spot, the food and drink areas were packed everywhere, and everyone looked genuinely happy as they enjoyed the event.

Some customers told us things like, “There’s no other event like this,” and “I come every year, so I’ve been looking forward to this one.” Others shared their own reasons and ways of enjoying it, such as “I came to compare different teas,” or “I came to buy products from this producer,” referring to items sold at the NIHONMONO Store.

By hearing directly from customers—something I could not do from behind the kitchen—I sincerely realized that I was supporting a truly wonderful event.

Summary

This event, eagerly awaited by sake fans, was held for the first time in three years as the three-day-only “CRAFT SAKE WEEKEND.” I never imagined that I would be able to work on such a large event during my internship.

Personally, I was involved in venue setup, serving food, and selling products available at the NIHONMONO Store.

There were moments when I was overwhelmed by the energy of the day and became flustered, but seeing both staff and customers smiling made me think it would be wonderful to be involved in events like this in the future as well.

Starting in April, I will become a member of SUNNY SIDE UP.

Until then, I will think as hard as I can about what I can do during the remaining internship period, and I will do my best so that after joining the company, I can quickly catch up to—and surpass—my seniors!