Big Announcement: We're Moving!

Yoko and I are elated to announce that we are MOVING our shop! But don't worry, we'll only be two miles up the road, on Broadway, in Oakland!

This is something that we've been working on on-the-sly for about a year now. It's bittersweet for us, as we love our neighbors, lunches in Chinatown, and have made so many amazing memories at 815 Broadway through the last 6+ years.

But an opportunity presented itself that we absolutely could not turn down. And Yoko and I are all about new adventures!

Here's a short FAQ that will hopefully answer some questions:

Why move?
Because we wanted a sake tasting room!

Why couldn't we just open a tasting room in our current space?
Restrictions with our permits and licenses.

When do you move?
We close from April 15-30, and soft open at our new location on May 1.

Where will you be located?
4027 Broadway, Oakland, at 40th Street, in good company next to Copper Spoon, Teni East Kitchen, Clove & Hoof, and Bernal Cutlery! Woot!

Is it a bigger space?
Not really, after accounting for the tasting room.

Did you hire a design team for the new space?
Yes, the same team we have been working with since 2012: Anders Arhoj of Studio Arhoj and Manual Labor!

Where will the tasting room be located?
At the back of the shop.

What will you serve at the tasting room?
Sakes, Japanese beers, and shochus. We will also have special spirits tastings with distillers and makers!

Will you serve food?
No prepared foods. Conbini snacks only.

Will you still be selling barware, glassware, sakes, and spirits from Japan?
Most certainly! We will always be celebrating drinks, design + Japan – even more so with a tasting room!

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The space used to be a burrito shop (very fitting since we love burritos) and was completely gutted in preparation for our new residence. This meant that we had complete freedom to reenvision the space with Anders and Manual Labor (yay); however, building out such a raw space has its twists and turns with contractors, city planners, and inspectors (not so fun). All we can say is that fingers crossed, we'll be open on May 1.

Here are some snapshots of our space now!