Miss Sake contest makes India foray, move aims at promoting Japanese traditional drink, food in country

Girls from India can now compete at the Miss Sake Grand Prix in Japan in March 2020 as the country is joining the league of select countries that hold Miss Sake feat in their countries. This was announced by Miss Sake Japan 2019, Sae Haruta at ‘An Evening with Japanese Sake 2019,’ hosted by the Ambassador of Japan to India, Kenji Hiramatsu in New Delhi recently. She announced that India would also hold Miss Sake contest to select the country’s own Miss Sake in 2020, stated a release. [caption id=“attachment_7311431” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Reuters[/caption] Miss Sake contests are held in Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Australia, Vietnam, and now would be held in India. Its finalists from these countries will vie for the coveted Miss Sake Japan 2020 Crown at Kyoto, Japan on 17 March next year. The event ‘An Evening with Japanese Sake 2019,’ was hosted with an objective to spread the charm of Japanese sake (rice wine) through the food and beverage industry of India. The recently-held event was in line with the embassy’s continued endeavour to raise awareness about Japanese food and sake in India. This is the third edition of the event. “Sake has also gradually, but significantly, increased its presence in India. When we started this event three years ago, it was difficult to find sake in India even if you wanted to enjoy it. But, now we are able to enjoy this traditional Japanese drink in many restaurants and hotels,” said Hiramatsu. Sake breweries from Japan including Katoukichibee Shouten (Fukui prefecture), Kobe Shu-Shin-Kan Breweries (Hyogo prefecture), Gassan Sake Brewery (Yamagata prefecture), Ozeki Corporation (Hyogo prefecture), Nagai Sake Inc. (Gunma prefecture), Ninki Inc (Fukushima prefecture) and Akita Seisyu Co (Akita prefecture) took part in the event.