20263Month7Sun (Sat)・8The "Niigata Sake no Jin" event was held on Sunday at the Toki Messe Exhibition Hall.2026. "

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic3After a year of cancellations,2023(Reiwa5) year4After many years, it reopened with a completely revamped style.4This will be the first time2026(Reiwa8This is a report on the year's Sake Festival. The following is intended as preparation for those who have never participated in the new style of Sake Festival, and as elements for regulars to strategize on how to enjoy it even more.

I'd also like to introduce events that can be enjoyed even if you can't participate, as well as sake events that will be held in various locations throughout the prefecture in the future.

Let's start by looking back at history.

"Niigata Sake no Jin"2004(Heisei16)Year2In the month, the Prefectural Sake Brewers Association50It was held for the first time at Toki Messe as part of the anniversary celebrations.

In order to consolidate the numerous events that had been held up to that point, after visiting Germany's Oktoberfest and other locations, the venue was relocated to Toki Messe.94"Niigata Sake no Jin" is a festival where breweries gather to enjoy Niigata's sake and food.2Total over the days4Ten thousand9,000People came.

Actually, this event is part of the 50th anniversary celebrations.1Although it was initially planned as a one-off event, it was decided to continue it due to requests from attendees and the local government.

 

after that,2011(Heisei23After being canceled due to the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2017, the following year2012(Heisei24) in the year2The total number of visitors over the day10For all people,2018(Heisei30) in the year14With attendance exceeding 10,000 people, it has become established as one of Japan's leading sake events. It has grown to attract visitors not only from all over Japan but also from overseas.

However, as the number of visitors increased, it became difficult to fulfill the original purpose of providing a platform for communication between the brewery owners and visitors. Therefore, just as preparations were underway to change the event's style,2020(Reiwa2In that year, it was forced to be canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.2022(Reiwa4It was canceled until )2023A year4It resumed after many years.

With the reopening, we will implement a reservation and capacity-based rotation system.

Until then, admission was free, there was no limit on the number of people, and if you purchased a ticket, you could drink as much as you wanted.1Sun2The system was changed to a departmental staffing (rotation) system.2023The year2in days1Ten thousand2,000People came.

Although tickets became difficult to obtain due to capacity limits, the event fulfilled its original purpose of allowing attendees to enjoy sake and food while leisurely conversing with brewers, resulting in increased visitor satisfaction. On the other hand, it is also true that some people who were unable to get tickets expressed disappointment.

 

With the theme "A story worth telling, a story with a unique flavor," the sake breweries also share their stories and enjoy themselves.

"Niigata Sake no Jin" in 202682The brewery will participate. While maintaining the same style as last year, they will increase the capacity.2in days2Ten thousand people attended.

 

"This time, in order to give as many people as possible the opportunity to purchase tickets, we have introduced a lottery system in addition to the usual first-come, first-served ticket sales," explains Yoshiaki Miyao (Miyao Sake Brewing Co., Ltd./Murakami City), the chairman of the organizing committee, describing the improvements.

"We've made changes to ticket types and the location of the waiting lines before entry to allow for smoother entry. In addition, we've made changes to the locations of sponsorship and merchandise booths to improve customer convenience."

The organizing committee works closely with the participants each year to ensure the event is even better.

The organizing committee includes members of the "Shinseikai," a group of young sake brewers from the prefectural sake brewers' association. This event is created and polished by sake brewery owners themselves, who put in the hard work and effort. Many of the people running around the venue in white staff jackets are sake brewery owners themselves.

From the opening30There is also a rule that during the first minute, no tastings will be offered, and only sales will be conducted.

During this time, participants scout out the venue, decide which sake breweries to visit and in what order, or purchase their desired sake and food beforehand and strategize while enjoying them at their seats and looking at the pamphlets.

Visitors in 20262Out of 10,000,60% are from outside the prefecture, of which approximately1.4% of visitors came from overseas. This figure suggests that they are having a significant impact on Niigata's economy.

By the way, the male-female ratio is6versus4The most common age group is40~50They account for about half of the total.20generations30The generation is approximately4It's clear that there are quite a few young people who are interested in sake.

 

For 2026, with the theme "A taste worth talking about," the brewers wore jade-colored tenugui (hand towels), which were the theme color for this year's event, as a way for visitors to easily approach them and strike up a conversation.

As Chairman Miyao recalls, "I think each brewery made efforts to please the customers this time as well," the enjoyment of the sake brewery booths and the way they expressed their desire to share their experiences have grown more passionate each year since the reopening.

It's clear that the brewery staff have spent a lot of time preparing to ensure that participants have a great time and to share the stories behind their sake. The event also serves as a platform to showcase the results of their efforts. There was even a PR time set up on stage for the breweries.

 

From staff costumes, headgear, and mascots, to boards introducing alcoholic beverages, raffles and other entertainment, food pairing suggestions, serving warm sake, and selling original merchandise, each booth was creatively designed to entertain the participants.

 

Many sake breweries sell sake exclusively for the Sake Festival, and in some cases, multiple breweries collaborate to produce and sell special products.

Sado5At the brewery, they use an original yeast developed at the prefectural brewing research institute, based on yeast collected from the Sado Gold Mine, to make "Sado Gojo" sake.2026They also held a pre-sale for "[product name]".

The list of sakes entered in Niigata Sake no Jin 2026 isCLICK HERE

 

Aoi Sake Brewery in Nagaoka City (which took over the business from Takahashi Brewery Co., Ltd.), the newly added Yuki to Satoyama Brewery in Tokamachi City, and Sakeai in Sado City brought a breath of fresh air to the event.

 

The "Sakasuke" corner, featuring Niigata Prefecture's original fermented food, was also proving popular.

The event included tastings of "Sakasuke," a sake lees fermented with lactic acid bacteria uniquely developed by Niigata Prefecture, and sales of sweets made with Sakasuke.

Don't miss out on trying Niigata's delicious food!

Niigata sake tastes even better when enjoyed with the delicious foods of Niigata, a treasure trove of cuisine. Many people visit events specifically to enjoy Niigata's food alongside the sake.

The food and drink booths are located in a spacious area outside the main venue, accessible via a walkway, so you won't experience the stress of long queues or a lack of tables.12You can enjoy the restaurant's delicious food along with local sake.

2026 years12The store's top recommendations are as follows:

The foie gras of the sea: Monkfish liver hot pot (Marunaka Foods), Salt-grilled sweetfish (Irori Chaya Hidokoro), Sado salmon nigiri and sashimi (Noriba Shokudo Shiosai), Aged sake lees miso pork skewers (Sakataya), Grilled oysters (Shunkyo Sakana Goro), Sake ramen (Gankoya), Steamed oysters (Ichimura), Niigata oden (Taketoku Kamaboko), Horumon stew (Horumon Bancho), Sakasuke fried chicken (Mt. Japan Company), Hegisoba (Kojimaya Sohonten), Seafood steamed in Sado-produced sake (Buta-da-jirumai)

 

Some stores that were located in the merchandise area on the second floor corridor also set up pop-up shops within the venue.

 

 

Even those who couldn't attend the event can enjoy it!

The collaboration project with "Niigata Sake no Jin" which started last yearNiigata Sake Moon(Niigata Sakazuki). "

This year from March 1st31Until [date], within the prefecture150Participating restaurants in the store offer a special deal: present the coupon and receive a recommended Niigata sake.1They offered a cup service. They also held an SNS campaign, with tickets to next year's "Niigata Sake no Jin" as a prize.

Chairman Miyao said,3"In addition to the Sake Festival, we have been holding 'Niigata Sake Month' since last year so that people can enjoy Niigata sake at restaurants throughout the prefecture. We will continue our efforts to make this campaign a regular event," he said, expressing his enthusiasm.

We received a message from Chairman Miyao for everyone who will be participating in "Niigata Sake no Jin" from next year onwards.

"Every time at the drinking festival..."80Over [number] breweries are exhibiting. You can visit the booth of your favorite brewery that you usually drink from, or you can explore breweries you're not familiar with. There are many ways to enjoy it, but I hope you'll discover even more favorite sakes.

Furthermore, each brewery has put a lot of thought and effort into creating something that will delight our customers, and we look forward to your visit. Please look forward to the next event as well."

 

next year's3Many people are looking forward to the moon, but this year on September 19th (Saturday), the "Echigo Nagaoka Sake Festival" will be held in Nagaoka City, and on October 17th (Saturday) and 18th (Sunday), the Takada area of ​​Joetsu City will host the "Echigo/KenshinSAKEFestivalThe event is also scheduled to be held.

Various events will be held in the future, both individually and jointly by multiple breweries, so please check out the sake breweries!Social MediaCheck it out and enjoy Niigata sake all year round.

Before heading to the event, check the prefectural sake brewers' association official website:Kuramoto storyBe sure to check it out. Learning about the stories of each sake brewery before you go will surely enhance your enjoyment of the event.

 

 

Neil

"CushuNotebook "" From NiigataR"Editor-in-chief

Mariko Takahashi

cushu.jp

n-hatsu-r.com