IWC 2026 SAKE Category Lands in Higashihiroshima — and You Can Drink the Entries

The "SAKE" category of the International Wine Challenge (IWC) 2026 — one of the world's largest wine and sake competitions — will hold its main judging round in Higashihiroshima, Hiroshima Prefecture, from Sunday, May 18 to Thursday, May 21. It is the first time the SAKE category has been hosted in the city.

To mark the occasion, Higashihiroshima City has organized a set of public-facing events. The IWC judging itself is closed to the public, but two tasting sessions, held in the host city, give visitors a chance to drink the same entries being judged.

Two days to taste the entries

The headline event is the "Premium Tasting" on Saturday, May 23, at Higashihiroshima Performing Arts Center "Kurara" (small hall). It runs in five 45-minute slots from 10:00 to 14:45, capped at 100 people per slot, for a total of 500 attendees. Tickets are 3,000 yen in advance or 3,500 yen on the day, and include six tasting tickets, a commemorative novelty, a lottery ticket, water, and a charity contribution.

In parallel, the open-air "Nigiwai Tasting" runs on Saturday, May 23 (10:00–20:00) and Sunday, May 24 (10:00–16:00) at the Saijo Station Front Nigiwai Plaza. Same-day tickets only — one tasting ticket (one pour) costs 100 yen, designed for drop-ins and casual strolling.

Ten Higashihiroshima breweries participate. Kurara is the indoor, sit-down version; Nigiwai is the outdoor, walk-up version. Both fall on the same weekend, so it's possible to do both.

Five nights of welcome projections at city hall

From Saturday, May 17 to Thursday, May 21, the facade of Higashihiroshima City Hall will be illuminated with a welcome message for the international judges, projected from 20:00 to 22:00 (and from 19:00 on the 17th). The theme is "From sake to SAKE" — a pitch that frames Japanese sake as a globally recognized drink. Lighting up a civic building for five straight nights for visiting judges is a noticeable scale of commitment from the city side.

Why Higashihiroshima

Higashihiroshima's Saijo district is, alongside Nada (Hyogo) and Fushimi (Kyoto), one of Japan's three great sake-producing regions. Brick chimneys of active breweries still line the historic "Sakagura-dori" street next to Saijo Station. The city positions itself as the birthplace of ginjo-shu, the polished, low-temperature-fermented style that defined modern premium sake.

Now the SAKE category of a major UK-origin wine competition comes to that stage. The IWC SAKE category was established in 2007 and has been judged in several Japanese cities over the years; this is the first time the main round comes to Higashihiroshima.

Event details

Premium Tasting

Date: Saturday, May 23, 2026, 10:00–14:45 (five 45-minute slots)
Venue: Higashihiroshima Performing Arts Center "Kurara" (small hall)
Price: 3,000 yen advance / 3,500 yen at the door
Includes: 6 tasting tickets, commemorative novelty, lottery ticket, water, charity contribution
Capacity: 100 per slot, 500 total

Nigiwai Tasting

Dates: Saturday, May 23, 10:00–20:00 / Sunday, May 24, 10:00–16:00
Venue: Saijo Station Front Nigiwai Plaza
Price: 100 yen per tasting ticket (one pour), day tickets only

Welcome projection

Dates: Saturday, May 17 – Thursday, May 21, 2026, 20:00–22:00 (from 19:00 on the 17th)
Location: Higashihiroshima City Hall main building (8-29 Saijo Sakae-machi, Higashihiroshima)

Contact

Higashihiroshima City, Industry Department, Brand Promotion Division
Tel: +81-82-422-1032

IWC 2026 SAKE category results are scheduled to be announced in July. We'll be back to see how one of Japan's three great sake regions plays on the world stage.