An undercover report on the entertainment restaurant “J-WAVE NIHONMONO LOUNGE” Presented by Hidetoshi Nakata and J-WAVE!

Hello, This is SUNNY-chan from Corporate PR department!

Today, I would like to share with you the press preview of the entertainment restaurant “J-WAVE NIHONMONO LOUNGE” held prior to its opening today, on Tuesday, July 14, 2020!

*The restaurant is organized by J-WAVE, Inc. and co-sponsored by SUNNY SIDE UP Inc.

The restaurant will be held at a special venue in front of the new Takanawa Gateway Station on the JR Yamanote Line and will be called the “Takanawa Gateway Fest”.

Various booths in the spacious venue

Former Japanese national soccer player Hidetoshi Nakata, who has toured all 47 prefectures of Japan and knows a lot about Japanese culture including the Japanese traditional sake culture, has been appointed as the director of the restaurant.

Let us introduce you to the various genres of Japanese culture and culture that are gathered in the venue.

159 famous sake breweries from all over Japan!

In collaboration with “CRAFT SAKE WEEK”, the world’s largest “SAKE” event organized by Nakata and held four times in the past, the best Japanese sake from all over Japan will be served at the venue.

During the event period, about 20 sake breweries will change every week, and their weekly recommended brands will be exhibited.

On this day, 19 brands of sake under the theme of “Tokyo/Tohoku” were served during the first week (July 14-19).

From them, the sake tasters recommended one sake each from Tokyo and Tohoku, and here are their recommendations.

Left photo: Okunokami (Toshimaya Sake Brewery) Right photo: Aramasa (Aramasa Sake Brewery)

First up is ‘Okunokami’ from the Toshimaya Sake Brewery, a sake brewery located in Higashimurayama, Tokyo.

This sake was created based on the concept of an “aromatic and gentle taste,” and is characterized by its sweet, apple-like flavor. It was recommended to us as a perfect sake for sake beginners like me 🙂

When we took a sip, we were surprised at how fruity it was. The aroma of apples filled my mouth. It was very easy to drink with a refreshing taste.

Then we had the “Aramasa” from the Aramasa Sake brewery in Akita Prefecture in the Tohoku region of Japan.

The sweetness of this sake and how easy it was to drink, made it hard to believe that it was alcohol. One of the sake connoisseurs in the audience told us that they wanted to create a sake that is easy to drink and that doesn’t really taste like alcohol for people who do not normally drink sake.

Introducing the premium counter “Yebisu Beer,” which celebrated its 130th anniversary.

The ‘YEBISU PREMIUM COUNTER’, a counter for the Yebisu Beer, was set up in one corner of the venue!

The walls were lined with special glasses made especially to drink and enjoy the Yebisu beer.

There were three kinds of beer on tap. One out of the three types of beer changes weekly.

The “Lucky Yebisu”, only one in several hundred, is served in a specially designed glass.

We hope you also come to enjoy the variety of the “Golden Koku.

Special menus from 16 popular restaurants in Japan!

In addition to the sake, a special menu created by Japan’s top restaurants, of which are hard to reserve, will be offered at the venue.

The menu will change weekly, so it will be a great opportunity to try something new.

Here are two of SUNNY-chan’s recommendations from the menu offered at the tasting!

The first item is the “White Liver and Half-boiled Egg Tartine” from the French restaurant “L’Effervescence” in Nishi-Azabu.

On top of the crispy baguette is fluffy white liver and sour cream, and each time you take a bite, the yolk of a half-boiled egg melts and overflows into your mouth!

“White liver and half-boiled egg tartine” at L’Effervescence

The rich aroma of white liver goes perfectly with alcohol. I couldn’t stop drinking, and alomost forgot that I was at work.

The second dish was an assortment of seven kinds of oden from Japanese restaurant “Kudan” in Gakugeidaigaku.

The aroma of the dashi (Japanese soup stock), which I was able to feel and smell even before eating, was exceptional! As the restaurant’s concept of “drinking sake with dashi” suggests, this dish is a must-try with sake.

Kudan’s “Assorted 7 kinds of oden”

Each of the seven kinds of oden was well seasoned with broth, and I was able to enjoy each and every one of them.

A collection of Japanese charms called the “NIHONMONO TOKYO”, and entertainment by J-WAVE were also available.

At the venue, there was also a store called “NIHONMONO TOKYO” where Nakata collected Japanese handicrafts and other Japanese charms from his travels around Japan.

“YEBISU BEER BEGINNINGS ~FROM TAKANAWA GATEWAY~” will be broadcasted live from 12:30 p.m. on weekdays, featuring chefs from restaurants and guests participating in the J-WAVE NIHONMONO LOUNGE, Japanese sake breweries, musicians, creators, and others who will lead the next generation of Tokyo’s culinary scene.

Preventive measures against new COVID-19 infection were also taken.

The health and safety of visitors and staff were taken into consideration and thorough measures were taken at the venue.

Sake alcohol disinfectant solution made by a sake brewery was also located by the “Craft Sake Tower” the moment you entered the venue.

When you actually disinfect your hands, you will notice that the aroma differs depending on the sake that is being used. Some of the disinfectants had the aroma of sake itself, and I was very surprised by the difference.

The restaurant offers a wide variety of Japanese delicacies such as sake pairing with carefully selected dishes, handicrafts, and entertainment.

We hope you also go to enjoy the charm of Japan at the “J-WAVE NIHONMONO LOUNGE” as much as we did!

Advance reservations are required, so please make a reservation prior to your visit.

For reservations and more information, please click here.