GLOBAL SAKE VOICE
JAPANESE SAKE THAT EXERTS
UNIQUENESS IN A COSMOPOLITAN CITY
Chizuko was born in Akita Prefecture but who
now lives in New York - a place where people
from all around the world gather, and a city that
continuously promotes sophisticated state-of-the-art
culture. “I told myself that if I was going to have
mass appeal, I should do it in New York where
people from all around the world come together
- I didn’t consider a plan B”, says Chizuko when
asked why she chose New York.
When asked about recent trends in New York,
Chizuko says: “I feel that pubs resembling stylish
bar lounges and authentic Japanese-style pubs
that aren’t cheap at all have been getting a lot of
attention as ‘chic’ liquor culture. Drinking sake in
a variety of liquor sets made of lacquer or Kiriko
faceted glass and such which give you the feeling
of ‘Made in Japan’ is a new style that I am fond of.”
The one thing that she is now focusing on is
promoting ‘kan-zake’ (warm sake). The fact that you
can enjoy it at a wide range of temperatures is one
of the attractive points of Japanese sake. However,
as ‘hot’ sake equals ‘bad / cheap’ sake for many
people still, it is not easy to convey the profound
meaning of kan-zake. Therefore it is essential to
promote understanding and knowledge of sake.
Taking advantage of her own knowledge as a big
fan of kan-zake, in February she opened a bar called
‘Sake Caliente’ only accessible on Saturday nights.
By being refined in a place like New York, Japanese
sake will take a unique form not found anywhere
else in the world. If you are in New York, you might
want to have a taste of this ‘world standard’ sake
together with Chizuko.
WWW.SAKEDISCOVERIES.COM
MUSEUM OF SAKE JOURNAL 46