Basic The History of Japanese Sake The technique to ferment rice into an alcoholic drink was developed in ancient China. It arrived in Japan along with rice cultivation around 2500 years ago. Since then, Japanese people continuously refined production methods to create a truly unique drink called sake.

Rice has been the most valuable grain and a staple for Japanese people for centuries. As a result, sake was one of the finest offerings to the gods along with rice cakes and, of course, rice itself. To this day, sake is an important gift to gods in Japanese tradition.

Sake, just like wine and beer, is made through the fermentation of yeast. Fermentation is the process whereby yeast (a kind of microbes) produces alcohol and CO2 from sugar. Sake is made from rice, koji, and water. Alcohol may also be added.