Find what you like. Understand why you like it. Explore what comes next.

“I like sake — but I’m not really sure what kind I like.”

“When I go to a restaurant or sake shop, I usually have to ask someone else to choose for me.”

If that sounds familiar, this experience is for you.

TOKYO SAKE BASE is developing a new kind of sake experience built around one idea:

Explore.

This is not simply a tasting where you sample a lineup of different bottles.

Over two hours, we’ll explore three different dimensions of sake:

What kind of sake do you actually like?
Why do you like it?
And what other ways are there to enjoy and experience sake?

Through three different “Explorations,” we want to help you discover sake in a way that is personal, practical, and a little unexpected.

This event is our First Test Session before the full launch of the program.

We are developing this experience primarily for international visitors to Japan, and this first session will help us turn the concept into a polished, high-quality program.

That means your role is a little different from that of a guest at a regular event.

We want you to enjoy the experience — but we also want your honest feedback.

Your perspective will help us build the final version.

 
About TOKYO SAKE BASE

TOKYO SAKE BASE is a sake curator and experience creator built around the idea of creating new encounters and discoveries through sake.

We don't simply sell bottles.

We curate sake and breweries from across Japan and combine them with people, food, culture and stories to create experiences that help people discover something new.

Much of our work to date has been with international companies, global firms and technology companies, creating sake-centered events and experiences for their teams and communities.

SAKE EXPLORER builds on that experience and takes it in a new direction: creating a sake experience specifically designed for people from around the world who want to understand and enjoy sake more deeply.

 
Three Ways to Explore

1. Explore Your Taste

Discover what you actually like.
We’ll begin by tasting approximately six distinctive styles of sake.

Using TOKYO SAKE BASE’s original tasting map, we’ll explore questions such as:

What kinds of aromas appeal to you?
Do you prefer lighter or richer sake?
How do you respond to sweetness, acidity and umami?
What characteristics do your favorite sakes have in common?
The goal is not to memorize brands or technical terminology.

The goal is to be able to describe the sake you like in your own words.

Once we identify your preferences, we’ll go one step further.

Why does this sake taste the way it does?

We’ll connect what you taste in the glass with how sake is made — including ingredients, brewing methods and the ideas behind different breweries and styles.

By the end of the session, we want you to be able to walk into a sake bar, restaurant or bottle shop in Japan and say:

“This is the kind of sake I like.”

And actually know what you mean.

 
2. Explore New Ways to Enjoy Sake

Sake doesn't have to be enjoyed only one way.
Next, we'll explore another side of sake through approximately four original sake cocktails created by TOKYO SAKE BASE.

We might pair sake with Japanese ingredients such as shiso, or transform it into a refreshing highball-style drink with carbonation.

Sake is one of Japan’s most traditional drinks.

But that doesn’t mean we have to enjoy it only in traditional ways.

Changing the temperature, ingredients or serving style can reveal an entirely different character in the same drink.

We want you to have that moment of discovery:

“I didn't know you could drink sake like this.”

This part of the experience is about exploring what sake can become — not just what it has traditionally been.

 
3. Explore Beyond Sake

Discover what happens beyond the glass.
The story of sake doesn't end when the bottle is finished.

The restaurant hosting this session is involved in a unique project that takes sake kasu — the lees left behind during sake production — and turns it into feed for farmed fish.

Using a proprietary process, this sake by-product is incorporated into feed used to raise a special type of yellowtail.

It creates a fascinating cycle:

Sake → Sake Kasu → Fish → Food

During the session, we'll serve several small food pairings, including this special yellowtail, alongside different styles of sake.

We'll use the food not simply as something to eat between drinks, but as another part of the exploration:

What kind of food works with the sake I like?

By tasting different combinations, you’ll discover how sake interacts with food — and how sake can connect brewing, agriculture, sustainability and the dining table.

 
What We Want You to Take Home

Our goal is not for you to leave saying:

“I drank a lot of good sake.”

We want you to leave knowing:

What you like.
Why you like it.
What foods work with it.
What other ways you can enjoy it.

Most importantly, the next time you visit a restaurant or sake shop, we want you to feel confident enough to choose sake for yourself.

Sake doesn't have to belong only to experts.

Once you understand your own taste, it becomes something you can continue exploring on your own.

That is what SAKE EXPLORER is designed to unlock.

 
What You'll Experience

During the approximately two-hour session, you can expect:

Around 6 different sake tastings
Your personal taste exploration using TOKYO SAKE BASE’s original tasting map
A short introduction to how different sake flavors are created
Around 5 small food pairings
Around 4 original sake cocktails
The story of sake kasu, sustainable fish farming and the circular food system
Practical guidance on how to choose and order sake based on your own preferences
Duration: Approximately 2 hours

 
About This 2nd Test Session

This is the 2nd test session of a new experience that TOKYO SAKE BASE plans to offer primarily to inbound travelers and international visitors to Japan.

This is therefore a little different from a regular event.

We are not simply presenting a finished product.

We are inviting you to help us test, challenge and improve it.

After experiencing the full program, we'd like to hear things such as:

What was genuinely interesting?
What was confusing?
What didn't work for you?
What would make the experience better?
Would this make sense to someone visiting Japan for the first time?
And importantly — what would you realistically pay for an experience like this?

We are looking for candid opinions, not polite compliments.

Your feedback will directly influence the final version of SAKE EXPLORER.

 
Who We're Looking For

Because we are ultimately designing this experience for international visitors to Japan, we are specifically looking for test participants who can approach the program from an international perspective.

You are welcome to join if you live in Japan.

Nationality itself is not the point.

We are primarily looking for people who are:

Foreign nationals living in or visiting Japan
Japanese citizens with roots or a cultural background outside Japan
People who can genuinely approach Japanese sake from an international or non-Japanese cultural perspective
You do not need to be knowledgeable about sake.

In fact, beginners are very welcome.

What matters more is that you have a genuine interest or curiosity about sake and are willing to experience the program with an open mind.

And because this is a test session, we ask one more thing:

Please give us honest feedback.
Tell us what you loved.

But also tell us what was boring, confusing, unnecessary, too complicated, missing, or simply didn't work.

We especially want to understand how the experience feels from an international visitor's point of view.

Your honest perspective is part of what you are bringing to this session.

 
First Test Price

¥8,000 per person, tax included

For this First Test Session, we are offering the experience at cost and at less than half of the price we currently expect to charge when the full program launches.

In return, we're asking you to join us not only as a guest, but also as one of the first people helping us shape the experience.

 
This Experience Is For You If...

You're curious about sake
You enjoy sake but have trouble explaining what kind you like
You want to learn how to choose sake for yourself
You're interested in food and sake pairing
You're curious about sake cocktails and new ways of enjoying sake
You want to understand the culture and stories behind what you're drinking
You have an international background or perspective
You're willing to give thoughtful, honest feedback on a new experience
No sake expertise is required.

All you need is curiosity.

 
Find what you like.
Understand why you like it.
Explore what comes next.

And for this First Test Session, help us build what comes next, too.