Drink All the Sake! Japan’s Five Best All-You-Can-Drink Offers
In recent years, the scene surrounding sake, Japanese rice wine, has experienced a huge boom, with new words and terms springing up all over the place, such as nihonshu joshi, or “sake woman.” Especially during the cold months of winter, there’s hardly a more delicious drink to be savored, is there?
This time around, we’ve combed Japan for the best sake places with an all-you-can-drink offer that caters to newcomers as well as gourmets with a lot of experience in the world of rice wine. Without further ado, let’s dive in – head first!
1. A Discount Paradise in Ueno: Drink Your Way Through 100 Types of Sake
For all of those who love to enjoy one, two, or a couple more glasses of sake, a good pub doesn’t only have to serve good yet affordable sake but also needs to have a nice atmosphere to settle down in. Look no further, rice wine friends – we’ve found one of the best and most famous sake taverns in Tokyo’s Ueno area!
Numazu Kokaisho offers an incredible all-you-can-drink lunch service, with around 100 different kinds of sake to enjoy, for only 390 yen per 30 minutes! Even famous brands are on the menu here, to the point where you’ll wonder whether this is really an all-you-can-drink offer. Indeed, the famous Shitamachi area of the metropolis does have amazing pubs!
Numazu Ko kaisho
https://gurunavi.com/en/gdcm100/rst/
2. No Time Limit! A Hundred Sake Sorts for Merely 3,000 Yen
Frequented by newcomers and connoisseurs alike, the next sake stop on our list is a standing bar at Ikebukuro Station’s West Exist and a recommendation for each and every person.
Kurand Sake Market offers the unique opportunity to taste your way through their amazing menu of over one hundred different sake bottles without having to worry about the time – for 3,000 yen per person, you can drink as much as you want for however long you please to stay. This shop and its unique concept provides just the right, relaxing atmosphere to savor delicious sake!
Kurand Sake Market
https://gurunavi.com/en/gevx100/rst/
3. So Famous, It’s Hard to Get a Reservation: Sake Delights in Yotsuya
This sake hotspot is a secret tip by the locals of the Yotsuya neighborhood – a particularly popular one at that. While Junchan, as this izakaya is called, also offers an all-you-can-drink service for around 25 varieties, it has received an excellent reputation for its food menu. The dishes are chosen to fit the offered spirit perfectly and are amazingly delicious!
Because of this, the place is almost too famous, with hardly a day going by on which it isn’t booked to the brim, sometimes for the entire year. At times, however, it’s possible to find an open spot on Junchan’s own blog. Should you find a day on which there are still seats available, make sure to tell us – we can’t wait to go!
Izakaya Junchan
6-9 Arakicho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo-to 160-0007
4. Discover Sake From All Over Japan: A New Selection Every Month
Sake Bar Anbai is located only a one minute walk away from Iidabashi Station. It offers a really unique all-you-can-drink plan that features different products from local breweries from all over Japan – a grandiose selection that changes every single month.
Why not enjoy a snack to your rare local rice wine? The bar also has a rich food menu that goes well with the monthly selection. Our special recommendation is the horsemeat sashimi or the assortment of five different kinds of fresh fish.
Anbai
https://gurunavi.com/en/gc4p131/rst/
5. Amazing Seafood and Amazing Deals: All-You-Can-Drink for 777 Yen!
The last spot on our list is a seafood izakaya in Osaka, located in the vicinity of Japan’s longest shopping street: Tenjinbashisuji Shotengai. Not only the seafood is particularly amazing – especially during oyster season – but also the incredibly cheap all-you-can-drink deal. For only 777 yen per hour, you’ll get to enjoy all kinds of different drinks and spirits, from beer and wine to different rice wine varieties. The seafood specialties on the menu taste especially delicious with a cup of choice sake!
Kikiyakonkon
https://gurunavi.com/en/kchr400/rst/