TSUNAN SAKE BREWERY (Tsunan, Niigata Prefecture; President: Kengo Suzuki; hereinafter “TSUNAN SAKE BREWERY”) participated as the collaborating brewery in the fourth installment of the restaurant event series “Savor the moment, Sense the sake.”, held by Sunshine City Prince Hotel (Ikebukuro, Tokyo) on Friday, March 13, 2026, serving six of its sake varieties at the Japanese restaurant “Musashino” (B1). The chef prepared dishes and desserts using seasonal ingredients, and each course was paired with a sake that reflects the terroir of snow-country Tsunan, giving guests an evening in which place of origin and table came together. President Kengo Suzuki also took the stage and spoke about his convictions on sake brewing. Through this collaboration, TSUNAN SAKE BREWERY delivered the appeal of sake born from the region’s rice and water directly to urban diners, and it will continue to expand its work connecting place of origin with dining occasions.
Event Overview (As Held)
“Savor the moment, Sense the sake.”, the restaurant event series hosted by Sunshine City Prince Hotel, deepens the experience cup by cup and dish by dish through pairings of cuisine and Japanese sake. As its fourth installment, the hotel held a collaboration welcoming TSUNAN SAKE BREWERY, a brewery based in Tsunan, Niigata Prefecture.
- Event name: “Savor the moment, Sense the sake.” (Vol. 4) / TSUNAN SAKE BREWERY x Japanese restaurant “Musashino” collaboration
- Date and time: Friday, March 13, 2026, 6:30 P.M.-8:30 P.M. (reception from 6:00 P.M.)
- Venue: Japanese restaurant “Musashino” (B1), Sunshine City Prince Hotel
- Program: Dishes and desserts prepared by the chef using seasonal ingredients, paired with six TSUNAN SAKE BREWERY sake varieties; a talk by President Kengo Suzuki of TSUNAN SAKE BREWERY
- Host: Sunshine City Prince Hotel (TSUNAN SAKE BREWERY participated as the collaborating brewery)
Over the course of the evening, sake of differing character was served in step with the progression of the menu, and guests enjoyed pairings that shifted from dish to dish. President Suzuki’s talk shared the snow-country environment and the brewers’ intentions behind each sake, making for a time that deepened guests’ appreciation of the flavors.
Sake Served
TSUNAN SAKE BREWERY is a brewery in Tsunan, Niigata Prefecture, one of the snowiest regions in the world. The snow that envelops the brewery creates the low-temperature environment ideal for delicate fermentation, while the snowmelt water (extremely soft) from the Naeba mountain range gives the sake a clear definition. On the day, six sake varieties reflecting this snow-country terroir were served alongside the chef’s kaiseki.
TSUNAN SAKE BREWERY’s range is built on three layers: the traditional label “Kiri no To”, the terroir label “Tsunan” committed to rice, water, and people all from Tsunan, and the premium label “GO” designed around dining occasions. The six bottles served on the day were composed from two of these series – the terroir label “Tsunan” and the premium label “GO.” Pairing “Tsunan,” which mirrors the Tsunan terroir directly, with “GO,” refined for specific dining occasions, created a flow from a fruity opening pour to food-friendly sake and a junmai meant for the wine glass, following the progression of the menu and letting guests experience the breadth of snow-country sake.
Significance
With roots as a third-sector brewery, TSUNAN SAKE BREWERY has walked alongside its region, and in recent years it has advanced new value creation in sake brewing under the banner of “from traditional craft to deep tech.” This collaboration was an attempt to deliver sake born in its place of origin, together with cuisine, on the stage of a hotel dining room. It connected the production region of Tsunan, Niigata Prefecture, with the consumption hub of Tokyo over a single evening’s table, handing guests the story of regional resources – rice, water, and snow – as a lived experience.
Executive Comment
“The Tsunan winter, sealed in by snow, is the finest brewing environment we could ask for. That snow-country sake met the chef’s kaiseki here in Ikebukuro and became an evening for our guests. In my talk, I feel we were able to share the story of snow, water, and people that lies behind the sake. We hold this kind of occasion – where place of origin and table connect dish by dish – very dear. Building on the response we felt this time, we aim to keep delivering the region’s story, through sake, to ever more people.”
Kengo Suzuki, President, TSUNAN SAKE BREWERY
Looking Ahead
Building on the response felt at this restaurant collaboration, TSUNAN SAKE BREWERY will continue its work connecting place of origin with the table. Through experiential occasions of pairing sake with cuisine, the brewery aims to deliver the terroir of snow-country Tsunan to urban diners and to widen the flow of carrying sake “from origin to table.” It will further share the story of the region’s resources – rice, water, and snow – in Japan and abroad, and, balancing its path as a traditional brewery with new value creation, will work to sustainably elevate the appeal of the region.
About
TSUNAN SAKE BREWERY
- Location: Tsunan, Niigata Prefecture, Japan
- Representative: Kengo Suzuki, President
- Business: Brewing and sale of sake
- Principal brands: Kiri no To (traditional) / Tsunan (terroir) / GO (premium)
- Official website: https://tsunan-sake.com/
