Sake San Jose Serves as Open House for Japantown
By J.K. Yamamoto
SAN JOSE—The annual Sake San Jose, a benefit for Yu-Ai Kai/Japanese American Community Senior Service, brought crowds to Japantown on May 27 despite the threat of rain.
The evening event consisted of sake-tasting and snacking at various businesses and non-profits in the neighborhood, with entertainment provided by such local groups as San Jose Taiko, Wesley United Methodist Church’s jazz and ukulele groups, the koto ensemble Marimokai, and Aunty Sandy’s Hula Group.
Fittingly, the opening ceremony included a kagami-wari, in which a barrel of sake is broken open with mallets to mark an auspicious occasion.
Each participant was given a map of Japantown with numbers marking the sake-tasting eligible for a drawing for a mixed case of sake.
Two Santo Sake Stores were set up, one on 5th Street and one on Jackson, especially for the occasion.
Visitors were also invited to top off the evening with a free cup of coffee at Roy’s Station.
One of this year’s highlights was the new home of the Japanese American Museum of San Jose (JAMsj), which is almost completed. Participants sipped sake in the lobby while listening to ukulele music.
Outside, where Japanese lanterns complemented the Japanese farmhouse-inspired design of the new building, JAMsj President Aggie Idemoto encouraged everyone to come back for the grand reopening on Aug. 28.
A few doors down at the Issei Memorial Building, visitors learned about non-profits like San Jose JACL and Contemporary Asian Theater Scene (CATS).
This was the second Sake San Jose for Yu-Ai Kai Executive Director Sophie Horiuchi-Forrester, who noted that last year’s event was held right after she succeeded Wes Mukoyama as director.
She said of her first full year at the agency, “I consider myself very blessed. I work with an amazing staff, very committed board members and volunteers.”
Now that Sake San Jose is in its fifth year, she said, “It’s wonderful to see an experimental event turn into a signature event for Yu-Ai Kai. We’re very pleased.”
This year’s event proved so popular that occasional cloudbursts were not enough to keep people away.
Sake San Jose has been getting a lot of coverage from the mainstream press just as sake is becoming more and more popular among the general public. “It’s gaining a lot of momentum, definitely,” Horiuchi-Forrester observed. “Certainly events like this help expose a new audience to sake … If you look at the types of sakes that are coming, both imported and domestic, just the interesting blends that they’re coming up with—filtered, unfiltered, fruit-flavored — it’s very exciting, actually.”
She added, “It’s great to see the sake distributors contribute and be part of the community, too.”
This year’s participating sake contributors were Gekkeikan, Hakutsuru, JFC, Joto Sake, Ozeki, Pacific International Liquor, Sake One, Sapporo, Silkroad Wine & Spirits, Takara, True Sake, and Yaegaki.
Horiuchi-Forrester emphasized that the event is for Japantown regulars, newcomers, and everyone in between. “We’ve done a lot of different things to help promote the event. We’ve incorporated a website that also uses Twitter and Facebook, and that’s really helped us reach kind of a new crowd, too.”
For first-timers and occasional visitors, “it’s exposure to Yu-Ai Kai, it’s exposure to Japantown, it’s exposure to the culture,
too,” she explained. “So we’re pleased to kind of hit all those different notes … For a lot of folks (who) just come for the restaurants and never pop into any of the shops, it’s a great way to take a peek, see what it’s like, see what else Japantown has to offer.”
Those who only dine in Japantown may not have been aware that the neighborhood also includes the Art Object Gallery, Classic Rock (jewelry), Nakashima Golf, Sakura Nail Bar, Uchida Travel and Ukulele Source, to name a few.
Of course, eating establishments like Hukilau, Kumako, Minato, Okayama, Shaburi, Sushi Maru and Tsugaru are also very much part of the event.
Sake San Jose also serves as a fundraiser for Yu-Ai Kai. “I don’t think we’re any different than any other non-profits in the area — it’s going to be challenging in the year ahead financially,” Horiuchi-Forrester said. “Everybody’s struggling, but we’re committed to our seniors and we’re going to try new and creative things because we plan to be here a long time …
“We’re fortunate the Council on Aging (of Silicon Valley) continues to support our Meals on Wheels program, our caregiver support program. They have been out there in the community promoting for senior issues, so we’re appreciative of what they have to offer.”
She added that the federal Administration on Aging, whose regional director, David Ishida, attended the event, has also been helpful.
One satisfied customer who posted a message on Sake San Jose’s website is already looking ahead to the next one: “This year was my first time doing the Sake San Jose. It was fun. Can’t wait 'til next year. Good job!"
