Nagoya's First "Shin SAKE SQUARE" Draws 6,000 Over Three Days

"Shin SAKE SQUARE 2026," held at Yaba Park in Nagoya from March 20 to 22, closed after drawing 6,000 visitors over its three-day run. The inaugural event featured 60 breweries from Aichi, Gifu, and Mie prefectures, pouring 178 varieties — over 90 of them shinshu (freshly pressed new-season sake).

As our preview article covered, the festival was co-organized by the sake brewers' associations of the three Tokai prefectures and local radio station ZIP-FM, with a focus on locally brewed new sake.

Sake Barrels Lining the Park Entrance

Rows of komodaru — traditional straw-wrapped sake barrels — from breweries across all three prefectures greeted visitors at the entrance: Yorosan, Minoji no Bishu, Okage, Isekeihan. Tables and benches were spread across the park lawn, and attendees settled into the early spring weather with glasses in hand.

Brewery booths, labeled A through H, each had brewers pouring directly. On stage, a toji in a traditional happi coat raised his glass mid-interview — the kind of direct, face-to-face moment with the people who make the sake that isn't common even at larger Tokyo events.

"Sake Quest" Steers You Toward the Unknown

The "Sake Quest" feature in the official "Sake Fes Guide" app worked as a stamp-rally game. Tasting four new sakes from each prefecture earned bonus coins — a nudge toward trying breweries you'd normally skip. Light gamification, but effective.

Food booths offered sushi, grilled clams, karaage, and yakisoba — all purchased with coins, all built to pair with sake. The coins apparently didn't last long.

MC: Reina Kato, 2025 Mrs SAKE

The stage was hosted by Reina Kato, a ZIP-FM radio navigator and 2025 Mrs SAKE titleholder. She led brewer interviews and live Sake Quest updates throughout the event. Meijo University's sake research club assisted with operations, and the notably young crowd stood out.

6,000 at a First Edition

This was the first time the brewers' associations of the three Tokai prefectures teamed up for a public event, and 6,000 people came. The straightforward concept — drink locally brewed new sake in the region where it's made — proved it can pull a crowd.

Sixty breweries, 178 varieties, three days. With the daily brewery rotation, each day was a different experience. Here's hoping it becomes a Nagoya spring tradition.