Japan’s topography is blessed with a wide range of climates and terrains. Such diversity has given rise to unique histories, traditions and cultures deeply rooted in each region. For these reasons, Japanese drinks have their own personality that reflects their distinct terroir and henceforth, their own unique ways to be appreciated.
This is why we release each sake portfolio in seasonality, with each chapter concentrating on a region of Japan.
We hope you enjoy travelling through Japan with every sip of Mai sake.
Our sake collections
Vol. I The TOHOKU Collection
When travelling to Japan, tourists tend to spend time in Tokyo, the nation’s metropolitan capital, before journeying south in search of other famous cities like Osaka and Kyoto. However, today we invite you to venture north to the Tohoku region of Japan.This area encompasses six prefectures (Akita, Aomori, Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi and Yamagata) in the most northern region of Japan's largest island, Honshu. It is known for its unspoiled landscapes, quaint countryside towns, mountainous terrains, abundant hot springs, and the snowy, harsh yet beautiful winters. Such cold temperatures throughout the year impact the style of the sake made in this region. Light and clean with a refreshing finish, there is a unique elegance to the sakes found here. With a historic sake-making culture, the Tohoku is home to many of Japan’s top breweries and the most influential sake brewing guild, Nambu Toji.Although a difficult task to choose from such a high calibre of sake breweries, we have selected the following three producers.Yonetsuru Brewery | Iwate Meijo Brewery | Katsuyama Brewery
Vol. II The CHUBU / KANTO Collection
Located in the centre of Japan’s largest island, Honshu, this area is of paramount cultural, economic, and geographical importance. It offers a huge range of attractions: from the buzzing metropolis of Tokyo to the serene landscapes of Hakone. The region is also home to some of the country’s most awe-inspiring natural wonders: including the Japan Alps, Mt. Fuji, and an array of waterfalls and beaches. Considering all it has to offer, visiting Chubu and Kanto is a must for any sensible traveller. Chubu consists of 9 prefectures: Niigata, Toyama, Ishikawa, Fukui, Yamanashi, Nagano, Gifu, Shizuoka, and Aichi. It's the country's most alpine region and it's well known for its castles, scenic landscapes, and most importantly: sake. The quality of sake is in part explained by the brewer's access to the rich natural environment and the finest ingredients that are yielded from it. It also owes to the unparalleled levels of craftsmanship of the breweries throughout Chubu. Due to the great diversity of flavour profiles that exists in the region, it's tough to ascertain a unifying characteristic of the sake but one thing is for sure: you can expet some of the best that Japan has to offer. Kanto consists of 7 prefectures: Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, Saitama, Chiba, Tokyo, and Kanagawa. It is by far, Japan's most populous region and the centre of the nation's commerce and industry. Yet there is still an abundance of mountainous terrain which brings with it a vast system of rivers flowing through each prefecture. This means great quality rice and water, the two key ingredients necessary for sake brewing. Though historically sake was imported from other regions, due to ever-growing demand, artisan breweries are now proliferating, and we may be entering a golden age for Kanto based sake breweries. A formidable task choosing from such a wide selection of high calibre sake breweries but we have selected the following three producers specially for you.Eikun Brewery | Obata Brewery | Otone Brewery 
