Shuji Yamamasu

Shuji , the fourth-generation owner of Yamamasu Sake Shop, has dedicated himself to crafting a unique experience for sake lovers. While his family’s store, established in 1921, was originally a general shop run by a lineage of female owners (with husbands traditionally working as teachers), Shuji is the first male owner to take over, redirecting the shop into a specialty sake store. Committed to quality, Shuji keeps the shop cold year-round, even in winter, for ideal sake temperature control, and almost exclusively stocks sake suited for warming (kanzake), with shelves devoted to one carefully selected craft beer brand, some shochu, and wine.

Each sake in the store reflects Shuji’s attention to detail. His collection goes deep with single breweries, often featuring multiple bottlings with subtle variations in production year and brewing techniques. Detailed tasting notes accompany each product, describing the flavor impressions at room temperature and when warmed at 40°C, 50°C, and 60°C, complete with a magnifying glass in-store for those who need help reading the small-font notes.

In Shuji’s words, his favorite sakes are “memorable sakes.” Not overly bold in flavor, they expand gently in the mouth and leave a lasting impression. Shuji sees kanzake as a way to bring out these nuances, preferring sakes with clean, lingering finishes over sweeter, aromatic ginjo styles. Like a record shop for rare albums, Yamamasu Sake Shop is a haven for true connoisseurs who appreciate the intricacies of finely crafted sake.