I do have a soft spot for Japanese sake or nihonshu (日本酒） as it is called here. For the last few years, a good friend and I have been attending the bi-annual (spring and autumn) sake tastings held in Iidabashi.
What makes this event great is that for 4000 yen, you can try all the different varieties of the more expensive varieties of Japanese sake. Specifically, this event caters to the more expensive brews - what is known as daiginjo (大吟醸）. What this means is that the rice used in the fermentation process is polished all the way down below 50% - resulting in sake that is usually light, crisp and thoroughly refreshing. I have a preference for slightly sweeter, crisp sake's so there are many brews here that fit my particular tastes. At this event, sake brewers from all over Japan come to showcase their premium sake in a large banquet hall. In addition, the 4000 yen tasting fee includes a box of snacks for the tasting (advance reservations only) and mystery bag of sake - some worth more than the entry fee! (both my friend and I have gotten sake that was worth more than 4000 yen - totally worth it.)
Last year, we both felt that eastern Japan did better with their brews but to our great surprise, the west did much better than the east this year.
I highly recommend this event and encourage you to check out their website (Japanese only) if you are interested!
http://www.ginjyoshu.jp/index.php
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