[Held May 23–24] 2nd Local Sake Cheers! Okayama Local Sake Daytime Tasting Event 〜 19 Breweries from Across Okayama Prefecture Gather in the Bikan Historical Area! Enjoy Discovering Local Sake

I want to enjoy a drink in the middle of the day.

If you enjoy drinking, you’ve probably thought this once or twice. When you finally get to do it, you can savor an indescribable sense of satisfaction, along with a little feeling of guilt.

Here’s a look at the “2nd Okayama Local Sake Daytime Tasting Festival: Cheers with Local Sake!,” an event dedicated to “daytime drinking,” where you can enjoy local sake and snacks.

What is the “2nd Okayama Local Sake Daytime Tasting Festival: Cheers with Local Sake!”?

The “2nd Okayama Local Sake Daytime Tasting Festival: Cheers with Local Sake!” is an event where you can enjoy delicious drinks from midday. It will be held on Saturday, May 23, and Sunday, May 24, 2026.

The first event, held in 2025, took place only at Achi Space Plaza.
This year, for the second event, the scale has expanded, with Achi Machi Plaza and Achi 2-chome Plaza added to Achi Space Plaza, the main venue.

As a result, the number of participating breweries has increased from 14 at the first event to 19.

The vendors at each area are listed below.
You can not only sample the sake but also purchase it, and local restaurants will be participating, so food such as snacks will also be available.

• Achi Space Plaza
  • Shiragiku Sake Brewery
  • Tohseki Sake Brewery
  • Banzai Sake Brewery
  • Kumaya Sake Brewery (May 23 only)
  • Marumoto Sake Brewery (May 24 only)
  • Yamanari Sake Brewery
  • Muromachi Sake Brewery
• Achi Machi Plaza
  • Akaiwa Sake Brewery
  • Kikuchi Sake Brewing Co.,Ltd.
  • KAMIKOKOROSHUZO CO., LTD.
  • Morita Shuzo
  • Itano Sake Brewery Main Store
  • Tsuji Honten
• Achi 2-chome Plaza
  • Ochiai Sake Brewery
  • Sankan Sake Brewery
  • Toshimori Sake Brewery
  • Heiki Sake Brewery
  • Horetsu Shuzo
  • Miyashita Sake Brewery

Interview with the Okayama Local Sake Daytime Drinking Support Project Executive Committee

We spoke with Sakamoto Kazuaki and Nakamura Wajun of the Okayama Local Sake Daytime Drinking Support Project Executive Committee, which plans and runs the event.

Please tell us how you came up with the “Cheers with Local Sake! Okayama Local Sake Daytime Tasting Festival.”

Nakamura (honorific omitted)

I work for a taxi company called Kurashiki Taxi, and it originally started with a conversation at work.

The biggest challenge for tourism in Kurashiki is “how to get people to stay overnight in Kurashiki.” The idea that “if we can get day-trippers to drink, they won’t be able to go home, and that might lead them to stay overnight” was the starting point.

Sakamoto (honorific omitted)

This may be a somewhat broad perspective, but as the city center declines amid a falling birthrate and an aging population, we also hope this event can be a catalyst for revitalizing the city. Kurashiki has a historic streetscape, and by combining it with sake as another element, we hope to increase the number of visitors, including inbound tourists, and help revitalize the economy.

How was the response to last year’s first event?

Nakamura

Unfortunately, it rained last year, but even so, many people came to the venue with their smartphones in one hand and cups in hand.

Japanese sake has many devoted fans, and the first event made us realize that “if we hold an event like this, people will definitely come.” It also made us strongly feel that we need to continue holding it every year.

What are the highlights of this second event, or points you’d like people to pay attention to?

Nakamura

The event has grown significantly since last time.

Last year, it was held at just one location, with 14 participating breweries. This time, it has expanded to 19 breweries across three locations.

The event is set up so that participants can visit the scattered plazas and the local restaurants supporting us, exploring and enjoying the whole city.

Finally, do you have a message for our readers?

Nakamura

We have so many delicious drinks, so we’d love for you to come by and try them.

There is a word in Japanese sake brewing, “kamosu,” meaning “to brew.”
We hope you’ll experience the deep flavor of Japanese sake, created by bringing together water, rice, and the hearts of the people who make it.

Sakamoto

We hope to continue this event with a third and fourth edition, and eventually make it a Kurashiki tradition that people look forward to each year—something that becomes part of everyone’s annual calendar, with “Kurashiki’s sake event” marked for this time of year.

We’ll do our best to make this a place where many people from across Japan and around the world can gather and enjoy exchanging with one another, so please come along.

From the Writer

During the COVID-19 pandemic, we drifted away from “dinner gatherings and drinking parties at night,” and before long, that became the norm.

Instead, when circumstances allow, having a casual drink during the day has become a little pleasure. An event that puts “daytime drinking” front and center also feels like a drinking event suited to the times.

Of course, it seems you can purchase sake as well as sample it, so why not visit Achi Space Plaza near the Bikan Historical Area on Saturday, May 23, or Sunday, May 24?

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