Flying to Japan — to Source Sake Directly
On May 27th, I am flying back to Japan. The primary purpose of the trip is to attend a sake gathering in Tokyo on June 1st — not as a guest, but as a buyer exploring the possibility of establishing direct import relationships with Japanese breweries.
This deserves some context. The sake available in the United States is consistently disappointing relative to what is available in Japan — not because American importers lack taste, but because the logistics of sake distribution in this country create structural problems that are difficult to overcome through normal distribution channels. Sake is a living product; it is sensitive to temperature and time in a way that most imported sake doesn't account for. By the time a bottle has traveled through a Japanese distributor, an American importer, a state distributor, and a retailer, it may be months old and stored inconsistently throughout. The result is sake that is technically correct but flattened, missing the freshness that makes the best Japanese sake genuinely extraordinary.
We have been frustrated by this for a long time. The solution is to go directly to the breweries.
What DC Regulations Make Possible
Washington DC has a specific regulatory structure — unique among US jurisdictions — that permits retailers to import alcoholic beverages directly from producers outside the United States. This is the same framework that allowed us to bring wines from Oregon and California directly to Rice Market. It applies equally to sake imported from Japan.
The meeting on June 1st is with some of the best sake brewers in Japan. If the relationships we establish there lead to a direct import arrangement, the sake that arrives at Rice Market and our partner DC Sake Co will be fresher, more interesting, and more fairly priced than anything currently available in DC through conventional channels.
This is the same logic that drives our fish sourcing: go as close to the source as the logistics allow, eliminate the intermediary steps that degrade quality, and deliver something that is genuinely better rather than incrementally so. We will report back after the June 1st meetings.
This Week's Fish
Operating fully at Rice Market, seven days a week. A small allocation of Bafun Uni is available — reserve online before coming in. Fujisan White Salmon arrived this week. Nagasaki Bluefin Tuna in all cuts as always. Knife sharpening available at the counter — bring yours in. Fresh Wasabi available.
Wine & Fish Pairing on May 19th and 20th — tickets available at the Rice Market Ticketleap page. Two seats remaining as of this update.
On fresh sake: The Japanese concept of shinshu (新酒) — new-season sake, released shortly after the brewing cycle — is something almost never experienced in the US. At its best, fresh sake has a brightness and vitality that aged or traveled sake doesn't retain. If the direct import arrangement we are working toward succeeds, shinshu is one of the first things we want to bring to DC. Stay tuned.