On April 18th (Thursday), the Japanese culinary festival 'CRAFT SAKE WEEK 2024 at ROPPONGI HILLS'　commenced at Roppongi Hills Arena. Launched in 2016, this year marks the 9th iteration of 'CRAFT SAKE WEEK,' now extended to an unprecedented duration of 12 days. The event features 120 carefully selected sake breweries and 15 popular restaurants that are usually hard to book. On the opening day, the event kicked off with the theme "Go for it, Hokuriku!!" featuring ten breweries from the Hokuriku area. After　the doors opened at noon, eager attendees enjoyed sake and food, creating a lively atmosphere at the　venue.
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Each day of the event is themed around different types of sake. On the opening day, the theme "Go for it, Hokuriku!!" highlighted the charm and energy of Hokuriku, supporting the local sake breweries and　aiding the region's recovery from the earthquake in January. From April 18th (Thursday) to April 22nd (Monday), the first half of the week features a lineup of diverse restaurants, including the hard-to-book yakiniku restaurant 'Komiyama' by legend Hideki Komiyama in Nishi-Azabu (Tokyo), the creative　culinary collaboration between Chinese and Spanish cuisines at 'TexturA' (Tokyo, Hibiya), and the bistro 'Naomi Ogaki' in Utsunomiya (Tochigi) by Naomi Ogaki, who trained in France for 11 years and is praised for creating dishes "more French than the French." Featured by Gen de Art, we introduce two particularly noteworthy restaurants:
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Elio Locanda Italiana (Tokyo, Hanzomon)
An acclaimed Italian restaurant certified by the Italian government, where owner-chef Elio Orsara uses fresh cheese and salami made in his own factory in Hokkaido, organic vegetables, and seafood directly supplied by fishermen, to craft traditional Southern Italian flavors with a contemporary twist. This health-conscious and innovative Italian restaurant allows guests to freely enjoy Japanese sake with their meals, maintaining the generous portions served at the restaurant during the event.
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Haku (Tokyo, Ebisu)
A top-tier brand of the elusive Japanese restaurant "Komeru" in Ebisu, specializing in "freshly cooked rice in a clay pot" as the main dish of its course. The chef, who hails from a Michelin two-star background, uses the ultimate rice "Ryu no Hitomi" found after traveling across Japan. At the event, the highly popular bonito TKG and tuna bowl are featured, offering guests a chance to enjoy the al dente moment of the rice just before it's fully cooked and appreciate the meticulous study of its cooking process along with sake.
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Moreover, from April 23rd (Tuesday) to April 28th (Sunday), the last six days of the event feature producers supporting Japanese cuisine through the production of ingredients and seasonings. These include the centuries-old tea and seaweed shop 'Yamamotoyama,' the miso promoter 'Misomebore,' 'Maison de Charcuterie M' in Higashiyama (Kyoto), which opened in July 2022 and aims to deeply integrate the French tradition of processed meat (charcuterie) into Japan, the authentic cheese shop 'Cheese Kingdom' that sells cheeses selected by a maturation expert recognized in France, and 'kitchen NIHONMONO' by Hidetoshi Nakata, which combines carefully selected producers and compatible ingredients from his travels across Japan.
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This year's event features a fantastical spatial design, orchestrated by the promising architect Taichi Kuma from TAILAND/Kengo Kuma and Associates, among others. Inspired by the concept of 'SAKA-MORI,' the space is designed like a forest with natural woods and leaves, and a giant cedar ball with a diameter of 3.2 meters hanging above. Visitors have expressed that although they are in Roppongi, they feel as if surrounded by a forest, enjoying the primal pleasure of SAKE in a festive atmosphere.
The venue was designed by Mr. Taichi Kuma
This event, which offers a 'new sake experience' through pairings with a variety of cuisines and immerses attendees in the depths and joys of Japanese culture and sake, will continue until April 29th (Monday, holiday).
CRAFT SAKE WEEK 2024 at ROPPONGI HILLS
Date: April 18 (Thursday) - 29 (Monday, holiday), 2024 / 12:00 - 21:00 (L.O. 20:30) each day
Venue: Roppongi Hills Arena (6-10-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-6155 JAPAN）
Number of participating breweries: 10 breweries each day, 120 in total (planned)
Number of participating restaurants: 15 restaurants (planned）
Price: Starter Set ¥3,900 (original sake glass + 11 coins for food and drink)
(For second and subsequent visits, you can bring the glasses from the starter kit and enjoy the event only with the purchase of additional coins.
Website: https://craftsakeweek.com