The 2025 Miss SAKE India is Aakansha Srivastava

Hello everyone,

I am Kotoko Yamada, 2023 Miss SAKE Japan.

On April 17, the “2025 Miss SAKE India” competition was held at The Japan Foundation in New Delhi, India. I attended the event as the representative of Miss SAKE Japan and as a judge, accompanied by our Chairperson Mika Ohnishi.

Following the successful hosting of the 2nd Miss SAKE India competition in 2024, I am delighted that the Miss SAKE India initiative continues this year as well.

Here is a look back at last year’s event:

 

＜2025 Miss SAKE India＞

The 2025 Miss SAKE India competition was again hosted in India by Mr. Kojiro Honda of Subhirohama Corporation, his work includes operating restaurants and hotels, including the renowned “Kuuraku” a Japanese Restaurant in India.

This year, inspired by the wonderful work of 2024 Miss SAKE India, Menakaa Rai, many Indian women with a strong desire to serve as a cultural bridge between Japan and India applied for the title. After document screening and online interviews, five finalists were selected to gather in New Delhi for the final.

The event began with an opening speech by Mr. Honda. Hearing once again his heartfelt intentions behind hosting the event and his commitment to empowering Indian women and promoting Japanese culture deeply moved my heart.

Following this, Menakaa and I introduced the activities of Miss SAKE.

Menakaa shared her experiences visiting Japan last year as Miss SAKE India, speaking about how she came to understand the sacred role of sake in Japanese culture and its deep ties to Japanese history and tradition. She expressed her heartfelt gratitude for how the experience helped her grow and her deepened love for Japan. Hearing her speak with such passion about her journey was a powerful moment for me as a fellow member of Miss SAKE.

We were honored to have H.E. Mr. Keiichi Ono, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to India and the Kingdom of Bhutan, visit the venue and offer words of encouragement to the five finalists aspiring to become bridges between Japan and India. His words heightened the finalists’ sense of responsibility and excitement for the journey ahead. His warm final comment, “Do your best with a smile,” helped to ease the tension in the room.

The judging panel for this year’s 2025 Miss SAKE India competition consisted of:

• Mr. Koji Sato, Director of The Japan Foundation, New Delhi

• Ms. Mika Eoka, President of Mika Sake Global Inc. and India’s first WSET Sake Educator

• 2024 Miss SAKE India, Menakaa Rai

• 2023 Miss SAKE Japan, Kotoko Yamada

I was honored to serve as a judge again this year. The judging criteria included enthusiasm for Miss SAKE India, understanding of Japanese culture and sake, and much more.

＜2025 Miss SAKE India Finalist＞

The five finalists each gave self-introductions and participated in a Q&A session.

Some delivered speeches in both English and Japanese, some performed traditional Indian dance, and one even led the entire room in a Japanese Bon Odori dance. I was particularly impressed by how many showed genuine interest in Japanese sake—surely a result of the 2024 Miss SAKE India team’s dedicated outreach. It was heartwarming to see people becoming more curious about Japan through Miss SAKE India.

During the Q&A, each judge asked different questions such as, “What aspect of Indian culture would you like to introduce to Japanese people?” and “What kind of activities would you like to do as Miss SAKE India?” Despite the formal setting and many guests, the finalists responded with poise and clear thoughts.

While waiting for the final decision, Ms. Mika Eoka, both a judge and a special guest, gave a lecture on Japanese alcoholic beverages. She spoke about sake’s connection to Japanese mythology—like the Yamata no Orochi legend—and its sacred use in temples and shrines. Many attendees had never tasted sake before, but they learned that traditional sake brewing is recognized as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage and that sake is a symbolic part of Japanese culture. Interest and excitement in the room grew, and many expressed their desire to try Japanese sake.

The lecture also featured sake brands available for purchase in New Delhi. Watching Ms. Eoka explain sake in a way that was easy for Indian audiences to understand inspired me to become better at tailoring my own explanations for international audiences.

After the lecture, Mr. Honda kindly arranged for all attendees to enjoy Japanese cuisine from “Kuuraku” along with sake. As it was my third day in India, I felt comforted to enjoy delicious Japanese food like sushi, grilled tsukune, and udon. During this time, the finalists showed great curiosity about sake, so I shared pairing suggestions with the Japanese dishes available at the venue.

＜2025 Miss SAKE India is Aakansha Srivastava＞

After the meal and drinks, the competition results were announced.

After a rigorous selection process, Ms. Aakansha Srivastava was chosen as 2025 Miss SAKE India!

Aakansha, who works in marketing in North India, expressed her desire to use her marketing expertise to effectively spread awareness about Japanese culture within her local community. Her love for Japan began with a book she read, and she began studying Japanese on her own. Her eyes sparkled when she spoke about Japan, and I felt confident that she would become a passionate and sincere cultural bridge between Japan and India.

During her self-presentation, she even recited a haiku she had written in Japanese, expressing her nostalgic and refreshing summer memories with sake.

She was awarded a sash, bouquet, a gift, and a flight ticket to Kyoto for the final Miss SAKE Japan selection event in June. Following that, she was crowned with a tiara by last year’s Grand Prix winner, Menakaa.

The runners-up were Ms. Thoi and Ms. Sonu Rai, who were awarded sashes, bouquets, and gifts.

The remaining finalists, Ms. Sakshi and Ms. Navneet, also received sashes and gifts from 2024 Miss SAKE India, Menakaa Rai.

Congratulations to all the winners, and thank you to each of the finalists for having the courage to apply and participate in the competition.

The 2025 Miss SAKE India competition was featured in various media outlets. Please check them out:

• United News of India “Aakansha Srivastava Crowned Miss Sake India 2025 at the Japan Foundation” link
• The Shillong Times “UP woman crowned Miss Sake India ’25” link
• Business Standard Aakansha Srivastava Crowned Miss Sake India 2025 at the Japan Foundation” link
• Asian Community News UP girl from Lucknow crowned Miss Sake India 2025 in New Delhi” link
• 時事通信ニュース”Miss Sake India” Contest Held in New Delhi link
• nippon.com”Miss Sake India” Contest Held in New Delhi link
• prameyanews “UP lass Aakansha Srivastava crowned as Miss Sake India 2025: Credited Goodwill Cultural Ambassador” link

 

Having participated again this year, I truly feel that Miss SAKE India is gradually deepening people’s interest in Japan. The 2025 finalists told us they were inspired to apply because of the activities and outreach of last year’s Grand Prix winner, Menakaa.

The passion of these young women deeply moved me. It’s heartwarming to know there are people around the world who love Japan this much, and by the end of the competition, there were tears shared among us.

It was a great honor to witness the birth of 2025 Miss SAKE India and to directly hear the finalists’ heartfelt wishes to serve as bridges between Japan and India.

My heartfelt thanks to Ambassador Ono, Mr. Sato from The Japan Foundation for providing the venue and serving as a judge, Mr. Honda the host, Ms. Eoka for her reliable support as the “Sake Mom” of India, all the staff in India who worked to make this event possible, the finalists, guests, and everyone involved.

Together with the members of Miss SAKE World, I hope to continue sharing the charm of Japanese sake and culture around the world. I sincerely appreciate your continued guidance and support.

2023 Miss SAKE Japan
Kotoko Yamada