Hello everyone, this is Chisato Tateno, 2025 Miss SAKE Japan.
On Thursday, October 16th, I had the honor of attending the 20th Saitama Sake Breweries Grand Tasting Event held at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama City. I participated alongside Tomoko Ishizaki, 2025 Miss SAKE Saitama, and Mako Kaneshi, 2025 Miss SAKE Saitama Finalist, to help enliven the event and welcome guests throughout the day.
About the Saitama Sake Breweries Grand Tasting Event
The Saitama Sake Breweries Grand Tasting Event is a special annual celebration where sake crafted in the fertile lands of Saitama comes together under one roof.
Marking its memorable 20th anniversary this year, the event featured around 100 varieties of sake and liqueur from 18 breweries across the prefecture, all showcased at Saitama Super Arena. Visitors were able to explore the depth and diversity of Saitama’s sake culture by enjoying the unique aromas and personalities of each brewery.
Inside the venue, the Saitama Prefecture Tourism and Local Products Association hosted booths selling regional specialties, along with exhibits introducing “Sake Musashi”, a sake rice developed by the prefecture, and tastings of prototype sake brewed from it. Guests also enjoyed food stalls offering local flavors such as pickles and soy sauce. From industry professionals to enthusiastic sake lovers, the event became a warm, lively gathering where people could discover, converse over, and savor the “taste of Saitama.”
Event Overview:
Date: Thursday, October 16, 2025
Session 1 (for restaurant, wholesale, and retail professionals): 14:30–16:30
Session 2 (for the general public): 17:30–20:00
Venue: Saitama Super Arena, Community Arena 1F Exhibition Hall (Saitama City, Chuo-ku, Shintoshin 8)
Organizer: Saitama Sake Brewers Association (Kumagaya City, Saitama Prefecture)
The Bonds Formed Through Saitama’s Local Sake
Together with Tomoko Ishizaki, 2025 Miss SAKE Saitama, I had the privilege of greeting guests at both the entrance and exit of the venue. This long-standing event, cherished by many over the years, welcomed more than 800 attendees, mainly from within Saitama Prefecture, filling the hall with energy, smiles, and enthusiasm throughout the day.
We, as Miss SAKE representatives, toured the venue, greeting brewers at their booths and sampling the fine sake they proudly presented. Many autumn-themed selections, such as flavorful hiyaoroshi and aromatic kanzake, reflected the season’s charm. Guests joyfully explored their favorite brews, each savoring a personal connection to the flavors of Saitama.
During the evening session for the general public, I joined “Nihonshu,” a comedy duo certified as Kikisake-shi (Professional Sake Tasters), to greet guests and participate in the ceremonial toast alongside Mr. Hideyuki Takizawa, Vice Chairman of the Saitama Sake Brewers Association and President of Takizawa Shuzo.
We were warmly welcomed by many visitors, taking photos and sharing conversations over tastings. These heartfelt interactions allowed me to truly feel the “shu-en” — the serendipitous human connections born through sake.
The Stories Within Every Glass of Saitama Sake
The following breweries participated in this year’s exhibition:
Suzuki Shuzo (Saitama City) – Otemon
Koyama Honke Shuzo (Saitama City) – Kinmon Sekaitaka
Kitanishi Shuzo (Ageo City) – Bunraku
Asahara Shuzo (Iruma District) – Biwa no Sasanami
Igarashi Shuzo (Hanno City) – Tenranzan
Seiun Shuzo (Hiki District) – Seiun
Matsuoka Jozo (Hiki District) – Mikadomatsu
Yao Honten (Chichibu City) – Chichibu Nishiki
Bukou Shuzo (Chichibu City) – Bukou
Gonda Shuzo (Kumagaya City) – Naozane
Fujisaki Soubee Shoten (Nagatoro Town) – Nagatoro
Takizawa Shuzo (Fukaya City) – Kikuizumi
Maruyama Shuzo (Fukaya City) – Kindaiboshi Masamune
Yokota Shuzo (Gyoda City) – Nihonbashi
Kamaya (Kazo City) – Rikishi
Toa Shuzo (Hanyu City) – Haregiku
Kanbai Shuzo (Kuki City) – Kanbai
Ishii Shuzo (Satte City) – Houmei
Meeting the brewers who sustain Saitama’s proud sake tradition and hearing directly about their passion for their hometown was an invaluable experience.
Saitama sake is known for its smooth and mellow flavor, made possible by the soft water of the Arakawa and Tone Rivers. The prefecture also boasts the fourth-highest sake consumption in Japan, reflecting its deep-rooted local sake culture. In recent years, more breweries have been producing sake using Saitama’s original sake rice, “Sake Musashi.”
Even within a limited time, it was inspiring to see so many visitors passionately discussing their favorite local brews and expressing heartfelt gratitude to the brewers with genuine warmth and vitality. These lively exchanges reminded me how sake naturally connects people — and strengthened my desire to help preserve and pass down this cherished local culture for generations to come.
Through the 20th Saitama Sake Breweries Grand Tasting Event, I once again felt the true charm of Saitama’s local sake — the dedication of its brewers, the richness of its regional flavors, and the heartfelt spirit of the community that supports it. Seeing guests animatedly sharing their love for sake reaffirmed the powerful presence of this deeply rooted culture.
As Miss SAKE Japan, I will continue to cherish and share the connections created through sake, while promoting the beauty of Japan’s regional sake traditions both domestically and around the world.
Chisato Tateno
2025 Miss SAKE Japan
