SAKE COMPETITION 2026 Comes to Japan House Los Angeles

The world's largest blind-tasting sake competition brings its top winners to Japan House Los Angeles this summer, with eleven Japanese breweries pouring award-winning bottles across two consecutive tasting events in Hollywood.

The SAKE COMPETITION Organizing Committee will host back-to-back showcases of SAKE COMPETITION 2026 winners at Japan House Los Angeles, starting with a Media and Influencer Preview on Friday, July 31, followed by a free public tasting on Saturday, August 1. Both walk-around events take place in the Salon on the fifth floor of the Ovation Hollywood complex, and both are already among the more anticipated Japanese food events on the LA calendar this season.

About the Competition

Now in its fourteenth year, SAKE COMPETITION is the world's largest sake competition judged entirely through rigorous blind tasting. Under its merit-only system, every brand competes on liquid quality alone, without brand names or marketing budgets influencing the outcome. The 2026 edition, held June 10 in Tokyo, attracted a record 1,139 entries from 367 breweries across Japan. Global attention on Japanese sake has climbed sharply since UNESCO added Japan's traditional sake brewing to the Intangible Cultural Heritage list in December 2024.

Saturday's Public Tasting: Free Admission, Eleven Breweries

The public event on Saturday, August 1 runs from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m., with doors opening at 12:30 p.m. Admission is free for guests 21 and older, and registration is available through Eventbrite. Each of the eleven participating breweries will pour two award-winning labels. Small plates come courtesy of Asakura, marking the Los Angeles debut of the culinary group behind Tokyo's La BOMBANCE, a Michelin-starred restaurant for ten consecutive years, with the LA program curated by chef Makoto Okamoto.

Courtesy of SAKE COMPETITION

The Participating Breweries

Two of this year's headline honors will be represented in the room. Imanishi Shuzo of Nara Prefecture, brewer of Mimurosugi, took the Junmai and Junmai Ginjo Double Crown, and Kiyasho Brewery of Mie Prefecture, brewer of Jikon, won the Super Premium Category.

The full lineup pouring at Japan House LA:

• Imanishi Shuzo (Mimurosugi), Nara Prefecture, Junmai and Junmai Ginjo Double Crown winner

• Kiyasho Brewery (Jikon), Mie Prefecture, Super Premium Category winner

• Sumikawa Shuzo (Toyo Bijin), Yamaguchi Prefecture

• Niizawa Brewery (Hakurakusei), Miyagi Prefecture

• Heiwa Shuzo (KID), Wakayama Prefecture

• Houken Shuzo (Houken), Hiroshima Prefecture

• Nanbu Bijin, Iwate Prefecture

• Hamakawa Shoten (Bijofu), Kochi Prefecture

• Koeigiku Shuzo (Koeigiku), Saga Prefecture

• Mutemuka Brewery, Kochi Prefecture

• Sanyohai Shuzo (Banshu Ikkon), Hyogo Prefecture

Glassware and Pairings

Every pour will be served in Tajima Glass's hand-crafted Hyomon crystal, whose faceted "ice-pattern" surface is designed to lift the aroma and clarity of each sake. Asakura's small plates are built to pair with those pours, drawing on chef Okamoto's La BOMBANCE approach to Japanese seasonal cooking. Guests can expect a rare, side-by-side look at how sake's umami, acidity, and texture interact with a dish, one of the more instructive tasting exercises for anyone still finding their way through the category.

Venue and Parking

Japan House Los Angeles occupies two floors of the Ovation Hollywood complex at 6801 Hollywood Boulevard, with an exhibition gallery and WAZA shop on Level 2 and the Salon, restaurant space, and library on Level 5. Both SAKE COMPETITION tastings run in the Salon on Level 5. Self-parking is underground below the complex, with the entrance on Highland Avenue and Orange Drive. Japan House validates self-parking for four hours at $3, then $2.50 every twenty minutes after. Bring the parking ticket for validation.

How to Attend

The public tasting on August 1 is free with Eventbrite registration here. Media and influencer registration for the July 31 preview is here. Both events are 21 and up. More information on the competition itself is at sakecompetition.com. For readers still mapping the best food in Los Angeles, a room this full of Junmai Daiginjo winners inside one of Hollywood's most compelling Japanese cultural landmarks is worth clearing a Saturday afternoon for.