We're east bound and down, loaded up with SAKE and truckin'!

Here's one of the new ways you can enjoy your visit to Japan Village: Buy your favorite food at the Food Hall, stop by Kuraichi to buy your favorite cup sake, and enjoy your meal and drink at our dining area or courtyard! (Drinking alcohol is prohibited outside of Japan Village.)

This is one of the big highlights and features of the new Kuraichi and Japan Village. Kuraichi's new store is more compact than the old one, but our selection aims to be even more diverse. One example of this is our wide variety of cup sake. All cup sake is stored in the refrigerator with an arrow indicating the flavor of light/mild/rich, so you can always enjoy a sake that fits your taste and is well chilled.

The next new feature is that all our sake (except aged sake and fruit sake) is stored in the refrigerator. At Kuraichi, we make it a priority to store the bottles in optimal conditions so we can deliver high-quality products to customers. This does not mean that all sake needs to be stored in the refrigerator after purchasing. How you store it is essentially up to you. We try to share the recommended storage methods from each sake brewery. However, sake is an alcoholic beverage that is more flexible and allows for more experimentation than wine, so if you try it and think it tastes good, then that's the right method for you! (This winter we are also planning a tasting of "heated up" sake that is close to boiling!)

Another feature is sweet flavored sake, or fruit sake. These are perfect for those who prefer lower alcohol percentage, fruit flavors, or sweeter drinks, and are a good introduction to exploring the new world of sake cocktails. The new Kuraichi has a wider variety of these products.

In addition to sake, or "brewed alcohol," Kuraichi also features a wider range of "distilled alcohol," such as shochu, awamori, and Japanese whiskey, gin, rum, and vodka, both in terms of type and how to drink them. In particular, Kuraichi has now welcomed a spirits specialist to its staff, which should help to increase understanding and interest in this category.

Finally, let's briefly introduce the new members who will be supporting and enhancing these new features of Kuraichi.

Jeff: He has a unique career as a mezcal sommelier and has a wide range of tastes when it comes to sake, shochu, and other spirits in general.

Julian: He is an outstanding specialist who speaks passionately about spirits (especially rum and cane sugar), and is also an experienced sake tasting specialist.

Mira: She loves the acidity and refreshing taste of plum wine and other fruit flavors, and is a fun and easy introduction to the enjoyment of sake and shochu. She will be available to answer questions in Japanese.