‘Tips and tricks on how to navigate one of the largest sake events in the world’
Sake no Jin. The name of the event says it all. In English, Sake no Jin translates to ‘sake camp’ or ‘sake army,’ referencing its incredible popularity and devoted attendees.
It’s been many years since I first heard of this epic sake event held every year in the city of Niigata on a weekend in mid-March since 2004. Niigata is well-known for having the highest number of breweries of any prefecture in Japan. They also claim the inimitable Echigo Toji guild, who are masters of tanrei karakuchi, the light and dry style Niigata is famous for.
Following the COVID pandemic in 2023, Sake no Jin moved from a free-entry style admission to rotating 3-hour sessions. Since then, the tickets have been defying legendary status and selling out completely. That’s 4,500-5,000 visitors per session. Little did I know that some attendees buy tickets for multiple sessions. So in theory, one person could attend all four sessions and make a weekend of it!
There is an entire convention hall just for the LINE!
Exceptional Features
This event has many remarkable features. One being the grand event’s sheer magnitude. Anyone who has heard of or attended this event knows of the famed line for entry. I was staying at Hotel Nikko, the hotel connected to the Toki Messe Convention Center where the event is held. To say it was quite a hike from my hotel lobby to the convention hall is putting it lightly. Even without stepping foot outside, I traversed at least 15 minutes in the labyrinth of hallways connecting the two entities. Eventually, I found myself being escorted briskly into an area where tickets were being scanned. It happened so fast, I almost didn’t realize it. As the crowd around me grew, I noticed I was being shuffled into a much larger mass of people. There were so many people moving so fast! As we entered the first large convention hall, It was mindboggling to see that this gigantic room was filled with more people than I had ever seen standing in one place. The entire room was filled with a winding line, moving faster than I could make social media content about it. Within 20 minutes, I was through the line and entered the main event center. There were staircases that led up and down from the snaking line, with the ground floor filled with sake tables and their respective purveyors. Just outside of the main hall were vendors of food, cup lanyards and more.
Once in, you receive a commemorative sake cup. The lanyards with the rubber seat that perfectly fits your Sake no Jin ochoko can be purchased separately. I had two industry friends from California request I bring them lanyards from the event, which alerted me to their existence. I was meeting an industry buddy from Chicago and offered to get her one as well. Between myself, my friends and the 5 souvenirs lanyards I bought for my partner and the True Sake team, I had 8 various colored sake necklaces of sorts dangling from my neck. I must’ve looked insane to Niigata locals for wearing so many lanyards for no particular reason. Devotion can show itself in the strangest of ways!
Getting a Ticket
Besides giving out cups, they offer a sake map that lays out where each sake brewery is located. I was surprised to see that even more lines were forming. With each session holding upwards of 5,000 attendees, the additional lines were taking care of some of the population density. Breweries like Abe Shuzo and Asahi Shuzo had lines comparable to popular theme park rides at Disneyland. Some breweries like Snow Satoyama Sake were brand new and had flights for sale, rather than offering them for free. I was elated to find sakamai jewelry made by a company called Sake Drop, available at the Lagoon Brewery table.
Speaking of Lagoon Brewery, the way in which I was able to purchase a ticket was through a kind gesture by President Tanaka-san. We were introduced through Sake no Jin regular and industry confrère, Eduardo Dingler. Edo, as we call him, has attended Sake no Jin for many years and is an expert participant. The problem with getting a ticket for Sake no Jin is that many tickets are sold early in December before being released for general buyers in January. Even though I waited for the appropriate date window for ticket sales and checked on the first day, I was unable to procure a ticket. When I realized that all of the tickets had been sold, I knew Edo was the one to ask about getting in. He connected me with Tanaka-san who mentioned there was another chance at getting a ticket, but it required a Japanese email.
At this point, I took matters into my own hands and asked another industry friend (this one from Japan) to try and attempt in getting me a ticket. I had two people in Japan simultaneously trying to buy me a ticket for Sake no Jin. If they had both succeeded, I would have bought both and gifted one to another person struggling to attend. They unfortunately both failed to get me a ticket, but said there was another chance; a raffle that could result in a ticket, but it wasn’t guaranteed. They responded to me via email in an almost identical fashion, showing me a good dose of Japanese hospitality. Luckily, one of the two tickets was a success (The one purchased by Tanaka-san) and after sending funds his way and obtaining my ticket, I was on my way to Sake no Jin!
What I didn’t realize was that there is actually an international advance sale of Sake no Jin tickets starting as early as December of the year prior to the event. These tickets can be purchased with an international credit card, but they sell out quickly. Trying to purchase once the domestic sales begin in January proves virtually impossible for a foreigner, leading to a difficult lottery process requiring a Japanese email. If you live outside of Japan, start looking at online partner sites such as ePlus Overseas Sales by December 1st if you want to attend Sake no Jin the March after.
Surprising Details & Things to Keep in Mind
When thinking about Sake no Jin, I always imagined an event featuring 80-90 of the 90+ breweries in the prefecture would equate to a room full of tanrei karakuchi sake. All light and dry, with virtually no aroma, but incredibly elegant texture and quality. The surprise was that there were so many different styles, varying widely from fruity, refreshing modern styles, to craft styles with additions of hops and tomato, as well as bourbon barrel aged, and more. The event felt very wide-ranging regarding style, which shows how Niigata as a whole still represents tanrei karakuchi, but is breaking the mold and diversifying for both younger generations and export markets.
Another surprising element was how many people I ran into even though I am from a different country. As an industry professional from an export market, I assumed I’d be exploring the event by myself. Many of the people I recognized were Presidents and overseas managers from Japan who have visited the US over the past decade. Others were friends who live in Japan or international attendees. Feeling very welcome at an event in a foreign country where I already knew so many people was encouraging. That’s when I truly realized how powerful sake is becoming globally.
Logistically speaking, the event had ample staffing and flowed seamlessly. From the guidance through the immense line to the movement of attendees inside, it felt very comfortable even with 4500+ people in one room.
Another surprise was being introduced to my first Japanese porter potty. It was in the washiki, squat style, but was very clean and high tech with an actual flush mechanism. This was a nice touch for guests who didn’t want to wait in the long bathroom lines.
While there seemed to be very clear etiquette about backpacks on Japanese transit such as removing it completely or placing it on the front of the body, there were people wearing very large bags and easily knocking into other people. Personally, I think bringing bags in is okay, but actively wearing backpacks while in a crowded room of people who are drinking felt problematic.
That leads to my next point… the option to purchase a ticket that includes a seat! As a foreigner, I thought this meant that there was a seated seminar at some point. It actually means that you can purchase a reserved seat at a long table on the east side of the convention room to eat, socialize and leave your things. This is a perfect solution to backpack wearing, but there are only very limited seats per session. Perhaps installing a locker system for attendees with bags would be a good idea.
Speaking of bags, it is likely many people had them because you can actually purchase sake at the event and bring it home with you! This is not the case at every consumer event with alcoholic products since special permitting is necessary. At Sake no Jin you can make purchases and carry them out or have them shipped to your desired address. It makes sense that people bring large bags to the event so they can carry home their bounty.
One major issue was the fact that there was absolutely no option for spitting! To go to an event with this many sake samples for tasting and not be able to spit or pour out is unwise. As a professional, the only way to be able to taste through a high quantity of sake samples and still be standing at the end is to practice the art of spitting. There were no spit cups available and also no place to pour out the spit once accumulated. I knew this ahead of time and took a paper cup from my hotel’s breakfast buffet to use for spitting. Every time I filled up the cup, I had to visit the bathroom to dump it into the toilet. Sake no Jin should find a way to accommodate those who would like to spit so they can experience as much of the event as they’d like without feeling intoxicated.
Benefits of staying at Hotel Nikko
It goes without saying that being right in the hotel connected to the Toki Messe convention center is ideal for enjoying Sake no Jin to its fullest. For one, there is no need to go outdoors into the chilly late winter weather between the hotel and the events area. Also, depending on how drunk one is, breaks can easily be taken in the room if feeling unwell. Staying an additional night or two gives people the option to sign up for multiple sessions and stretch out the experience to allow for more networking and socializing.
The beauty of Niigata City itself can be enjoyed greatly by visiting the observatory at the top of the hotel, which also includes a gift shop and casual restaurant. You can see an almost 360 degree view from the top, leading to ideas of where to go while visiting. Discoveries such as Bandaijima Fish Market and West Coast Park facing Sado Island are easily possible with a jaunt around the observatory above.
In addition to the observatory, the hotel has a personal Ponshukan of sorts on the registration floor called the Yorinase Niigata Sake Lounge SAKE STAND. Guests have the ability to buy coins at the front desk to use in the sake vending machines. This was a very relaxing experience and I found myself enjoying all 12 sake over the two days at the hotel.
Experiencing deep insight about the Sake no Jin event is also possible while staying at the hotel. The night before the event, I went down to the lobby to receive a clothing iron and witnessed a tour leader giving a group of Japanese people an Okinawan hangover cure for the next day. At breakfast, I spoke to a few of these people and realized they were no longer Japanese citizens, but actually second generation Hawaiians. Seeing this tour group interact with their leader made me finally understand that this is primarily a commercial event, not an industry one. Sake no Jin is a celebration and part of the fun is getting drunk and letting loose.
As long as you can get a ticket, Sake no Jin is a must-do for any sake enthusiast around the world. It is one of the only places to try over 500 sake from one prefecture in one place, with sake friends and colleagues from around the world.