Long-awaited by Sake fans! Go behind the scenes of “CRAFT SAKE WEEKEND 2022 at J-WAVE INSPIRE TOKYO,” a spin-off project of the world’s largest “SAKE” event!

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

It has already been four months since I joined the internship program to become a PR person at SUNNY SIDE UP, which I have always dreamed of.

I feel that I am having a very fulfilling experience working here!

This time, I am going to be participating in a spin-off project called  “CRAFT SAKE WEEK”!

I would like to introduce the activities of the “CRAFT SAKE WEEKEND 2022 at J-WAVE INSPIRE TOKYO” (here in after referred to as “CRAFT SAKE WEEKEND”)

It was a event with a lot to cover and with lots of visitors, so please stay tuned till the end!

What is CRAFT SAKE WEEK / CRAFT SAKE WEEKEND?

CRAFT SAKE WEEK is one of the world’s largest “SAKE” events produced by JAPAN CRAFT SAKE COMPANY, which is represented by Hidetoshi Nakata, a member of our company, and has been held since 2016. The event attracted a total of 600,000 visitors, including foreign visitors to Japan.

In addition, the event was awarded the top prize in the “Golden World Awards  (Arts & Entertainment Category)” sponsored by the International Public Relations Association  (IPRA), which recognizes projects that have made outstanding achievements in the promotion of arts and culture. The event has developed to the point where it attracts global attention to sake culture.

*Pre-2019

Click here to see the past events.

However, due to the pandemic that has affected the world tremendously since the end of 2019, the 2020 and 2021 events have been canceled.

This year, “CRAFT SAKE WEEKEND” was held for 3 days as a spin-off project within the festival held by J-WAVE, a radio station that broadcasts the radio program “TDK VOICES FROM NIHONMONO” in which Mr. Nakata serves as a navigator.

Each day had a different theme, with 10 sake breweries selected from all over Japan being showcased each day, so that both regular sake drinkers and those just starting to drink sake could enjoy the event.

In conjunction with “TDK VOICES FROM NIHON MONO,” the “NIHON MONO STORE/NIHON MONO KITCHEN” was also exhibited, where visitors could purchase world-class Japanese products selected by Mr. Nakata, who has visited approximately 3,000 locations throughout Japan.

The event was a great success, and was a place where visitors could enjoy tasty snacks and delicious sake.

Here is a report on the event from the perspective of the staff who worked there!

Unfortunately, the weather during the event was affected by a typhoon, but all three days of the event were much more successful than expected!

In addition to myself, seven other unofficial staff members participated in this year’s Craft Sake Weekend, and were in charge of selling coins at the coin booth and tallying the sales.

I was in charge of providing snacks for the kitchen car✨

NIHONMONO KITCHEN had a menu supervised by Chef Makoto Okamoto of La BOMBANCE, a Michelin-starred restaurant for 10 consecutive years, and other snacks recommended with Japanese sake.

There were 7 items on the menu in total.

Among them, I was in charge of a snack, which was a dish called “Negi Miso (leek miso with squid) with kensaki squid from “Umenoha” in Hagi, Yamaguchi Prefecture, using Tou-yo Bijin ‘s sake kasu (sake lees).

“Tanno₋Konnyaku” made with Yamagata’s famous water, “Tama Konnyaku” made with Yamagata’s famous water,

Assorted ham and sausages made by the Kagoshima “FUKUDOME SMALL FARM,” which won the  Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Award for its dedication to handcrafting everything from butchering pork to mixing spices, manufacturing, and packaging.

Wagyu beef hotchpotch from the famous Nishi-Azabu yakiniku restaurant “Komiyama,” which uses A5-rank Wagyu beef cheek meat that has been slow-cooked for eight hours.

All of the products were very popular, with some people coming back for more, and the lines were almost endless during the event.

How popular the kitchen car was a memorable experience, but what I personally remember most about participating in the CRAFT SAKE WEEKEND was the customer service I was assigned to provide on the last day of the event.

We sold products that could be eaten immediately after purchase, such as dried firefly squid and pickled cheese, etc. As I talked directly to customers and recommended products, I was able to see the smiling faces of visitors enjoying themselves up close for the first time since pre-pandemic, and once again, I felt of rush of how great it is being able to have events this large.

Some were couples, some were friends, and some were people who had met that day. All of the eating and drinking areas were packed, and everyone looked very happy and enjoyed the event.

Some of the customers said, “There is no other event like this,” or “I have been coming to this event every year, so I have been looking forward to this one,” while others said, “I came to compare teas” or “I came to buy this producer’s products” sold at the NIHONMONO STORE , and some of them even told us their overall summary on their experience.

Being able to hear directly from customers, which I could not see from behind the kitchen, made me truly realize that I was a part of a truly wonderful event.

Conclusion

This was the long-awaited event for sake fans, held for the first time in three years as a three-day limited “CRAFT SAKE WEEKEND. I never imagined that I would be involved in such a big event during my internship period.

As for myself, I was involved in setting up the venue, serving food, and selling products sold at the NIHONMONO STORE.

I was overwhelmed by the energy of the event, and at times I was in a hurry, but seeing the smiles on the faces of both staff and customers made me think that it would be wonderful to be involved in events like this again in the future.

I will be a member of SUNNY SIDE UP from April.

Until then, I will do my best to think about what I can do during my remaining internship period, and do my best to catch up with and overtake my seniors as soon as possible after joining the company!

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