A discussion in another thread reminded me of all the wonderful aspects of living in Japan that I miss. Onsens and sake are high on my list! After being transferred to NYC, I regretted not having spent more time in Japan drinking. (How many people can say that?!) Most of the excellent sakes aren't exported and I miss the fun we had exploring tiny izakayas in obscure neighbourhoods.

I thought I'd share my experience in case it will inspire some of you. It turned out to be a great way to practice Japanese, learn something and have a mini adventure! Some old guys have the best stories (at least the ones I could understand - I did a lot of nodding and smiling).

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Armed with a couple sake handbooks, we picked a different izakaya each month - usually in the suburbs on Tokyo. The handbooks have pictures of the labels and notes about the brewery and sake.. Some places were surprised to see us, but any apprehension (both sides) typically vanished after a few glasses.  We were usually treated to great conversation, snacks and knowledgeable owners. I recommend being a bit nerdy about it and trying to keep a record of what you try and your impressions. You will forget...

Make a point of visiting breweries (or a least drinking their sake) when you travel in Japan.  Sake from many prefectures is known for its particular traits. You'll meet some interesting people. A good friend's family had been in the sake business for 350 years in Kobe, so I was able to spend some time at their brewery and sake museum.

These small books give info on brewing and the industry, individual sake, and where to  order, buy and drink it. (They are about a decade old - look for updated info.)

Insiders Guide to Sake - written by a fellow who started in this traditional industry after 3 years of JET.

The Sake Handbook.  This guy's kind of the sake guru for foreigners and has a site: sake-world.com

One of his books (2005) on the site focuses on Tokyo and is apparently written partly in Japanese:  NIHONSHU NO UMAI OTONA NO IZAKAYA (Tokyo Sake Pub Guide - Sake Pubs with Good Sake for Grown-ups)  [er, are there pubs for kids?]

There are obviously lots of sake resources out there in Japanese. If you discover a great sake or great place, let us know!