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Cup sake was introduced by Ozeki in 1964, as a convenient way to have a swig while watching the Tokyo Olympics (even today, sake is allowed in Japanese stadiums). The cup is a kind of sturdy glass, with a content of 180 ml., and covered with a metal cap. In the case of Ozeki, you also get a plastic cap on top of that - you can use the plastic cap to reclose the cup. Not that the contents are so huge you would want to keep them for the next day, but Ozeki probably had the kindness of providing this cap for train travelers. When the cup is still almost full, the sake will be shaken out of it, so the possibility to reclose it in between sips is very welcome indeed!

[The classical One Cup Ozeki stands in the middle. Gekkeikan's cup sake, also a large provider, is to the left. To the right is a new development, a superpremium Daiginjo in the form of a One Cup Ozeki.]

I made the acquaintance of sake via cup sake. There was a vending machine close to my first lodgings when I came to Japan way back in 1982. The machine was wonderful: in summer it sold cold sake and in winter hot sake! In Holland, there were no vending machines selling either refrigerated or warmed products (I believe they still do not exist, although today people will cite environmental concerns for what is in principle a problem of both service and technical levels). I realized why the glass of cup sake was so thick: so that it would not break when falling down inside the vending machine on its way to the bottom where you could pick it up.

My local machine was also a gathering place for men from the neighborhood: they would come every afternoon at five and use the plastic crates stacked against the wall of the sake shop as stools. They would sit in a half circle around the sake machine and have a good time, without bothering others.

Of course, cup sake was not premium sake (but anyway, premium sake was still unheard of in the early eighties), but it tasted good all the same. When I was a student at Kyoto University, I usually kept the glass cups of my One Cup Ozeki sake and recycled them as glasses for juice or cold tea. They were almost undestructable.

In the last ten years or so, cup sake has undergone an interesting transformation. In the first place, it has shared in he general quality improvement of sake. Even large makers as Ozeki now provide higher-priced cups with Honjozo or Junmai premium sake. Other makers are doing even better: Dewazakura from Yamagata and Maboroshi from Hiroshima are selling their ginjo sake in cups!

[Aluminum sake cans. Kikusui (Niigata), an unpasteurized, undiluted Honjozo, stands in the middle. A classical ginjo by Dewazakura from Yamagata is to the left. To the right is a delightful ginjo by Seikyo (Hiroshima). These are all three excellent local sakes.]

A second thing is the use of steel or aluminum cans - the last two companies are examples. These are quite common now, but I prefer glass - it is more pleasant to drink from. Another development is that instead of cups we now also have mini-bottles, with about the same contents (180-200 ml.) - these are popular among women as they look more smart than the cups of sake, which have developed an indelible association with “unsmart” men. They are no use when you are traveling, but they are a great way to taste many types of sake at home.

A third phenomenon, already going back further but still going strong, is the cup sake sold by makers of local sake (jizake). These cups with their colorful labels are usually only for sale in the areas where the breweries are located. So traveling around Japan and drinking as many different kinds of local cup sake as possible has become a new sport (some people probably collect the cups or labels as well).

[Books on cup sake]

I found two Japanese guide books to cup sake, attesting to its popularity: The Cup Sake Best Selection 900 (yes, 900 different cups of sake from more than 500 breweries) and the even more interesting Local Cup Sake and Train Travel. To travel around Japan by train - buy a local bento at a small station - and a cup with the regional sake - that is the best way to taste the regional sakes of Japan!

I wish I had time for such a leisurely trip…