For the Sake of Good Times

From the loud neon-lit bars to the serene rice fields, sake takes you far and beyond to understand its gentle hold on Japan

- TEJASHEE KASHYAP

The first brush with Japanese local sake is often about how strong it isalmost like vodka-but with a subtle, sophisticated edge. The drink doesn't rush to impress; it builds its reputation slowly with every sip. Two-three sips in, and you begin to appreciate its quiet complexities. It's only a matter of time before you realise you've officially joined the sake lovers' club.

Made with rice, water, yeast, and koji (mould), the simple drink finds you everywhere. A cozy izakaya, a convenience store or a dingy little bar, sake is never far away from your reach. Even in the dead of night, if that sweet thirst hits you, there will be a way to quench it. However, history was not kind to it. Post WWII, the drink was left to gather dust as the land of the rising sun opened up to foreign spirits. Beer and wine quickly gained popularity. But the drink is beginning to experience a quiet renaissance with 'sake tourism'. And it's not just limited to bars in the neon-lit sprawl of Tokyo-its beyond that.