Sunday, September 28, 2008

Saké Sunday: Saké Day--October 1

This Wednesday, October 1, is a special holiday: Saké Day ("Nihonshu no Hi"). Saké Day originated in 1978 by a declaration of the Japan Saké Brewers Association. It is now celebrated all around the world.

Why was October 1 chosen? Interestingly, the Chinese character for Saké is very similar to the Chinese zodiac sign for the Rooster 酉, the tenth sign. Thus, the first day of the tenth month, October, became Saké Day. It may also be due in part to the fact that October is also generally the start of the Saké brewing season.

Sadly, I am unaware of any Saké events in the Boston area to commemorate this holiday. Does anyone else know of any? The lack of any such events may indicate that Saké still has not made sufficient inroads into the Boston area, that more work is needed to bring Saké to the forefront. for my readers outside Boston, do you know of any Saké celebrations in your area? I do know that other locales are holding events, especially if places like San Francisco and New York City which have all-Saké stores.

For my local readers, I would like to do something to commemorate Saké Day this Wednesday. Who would like to join me? There is a very good Japanese restaurant, Kyotoya, in Stoneham that allows you to BYOB and they do not charge a corkage fee. So, we could eat dinner there and bring our own Saké! If you are interested, email me and we can try to make plans to do so.

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