Every year, right before Matsuri, I freak out. For about a week, I worry that no one will show up. This year was no different, and posed the biggest question: what if no one knows we've moved??? What a tragedy it would be if we opened...
We've wrangled a case of Baller Whiskey from St. George! This prized whiskey, aged in umeshu casks, is super hard to come by so we're not putting them on our shelves. Instead, get a drink at our bar for your chance at a...
Umami Mart has evolved immensely since we first arrived 2007. We were first a food and drink blog, then, in 2010, Yoko and I started importing bar tools from Japan and selling them on our website. From there, in 2012, we opened our brick + mortar store in downtown...
Sake Gumi is our monthly sake subscription service with 150 members throughout California. Join today! The sakes this month are unlike any sakes you've had before. Some taste like vermouth, others taste like natural wine. If you are the type that likes to explore the fringes...
We had our very first Sake Gumi Social at Umami Mart last week and it was a blast. Over 40 of our members showed up to taste June's Sake Gumi bottles with us – plus an extra special bottle. This month's theme, sakes...
Our move to a new location was motivated mainly by one thing: opening a bar! The Umami Mart Bar, located inside our shop, is an intimate space where you can enjoy sakes, shochus, and beers from Japan. And cocktails too! We've put a couple of our favorite...
We're hiring a shopkeeper! Umami Mart is a retail store, bottle shop, and tasting bar that specializes in drinks, design + Japan, seeking a hard-working and knowledgeable team member. This position will be at our shop located in Oakland, California and will be for at least...
Did you hear we've moved? It's been nearly a month now that we've been open at our new home at 4027 Broadway. We're still in Oakland, still on Broadway – just two miles up from our old location downtown. This is the rebirth of Umami Mart. When...
Sake Gumi is our monthly sake subscription service with 150 members throughout California. Join today! Sake fangirls and fanboys flock to Omachi rice like Berkeleyites at the site of the season’s first organic Cherokee Purple tomatoes. Omachi is the oldest known sake rice...
Orizake has always intrigued me. Ori, in Japanese, means bottom or lower. In the context of sake, orizake is a style of sake that incorporates the rice particles that settle at the bottom of the tank while aging. The first time I encountered...
Sake Gumi is our monthly sake subscription service with 150 members throughout California. Join today! This month, we plan to unveil our very first bar. It will be in the back of our new space at 4027 Broadway in Oakland. Since 2012 we had...
After nearly a month of being closed, we are thrilled to announce that we are OPEN at 4027 Broadway! Thank you for your patience these last few weeks as we have been getting our shop ready for you. We lovingly refer to our new space as Umami...
We're hiring for two positions! We are a retail store, bottle shop, and tasting bar that specializes in Drinks, Design + Japan, seeking a hard-working and knowledgeable Shopkeeper and Sake Bar Associate SHOP KEEPER This position will be at our shop located in Oakland, California and will...
Last May, Stonemill Matcha opened in the former Tartine space in the Mission. My brother, Keisuke Akabori, was hired as the executive chef of the cafe – a concept from Japan to introduce matcha culture to the Bay Area, complete with sweets and savory dishes for breakfast and lunch. ...
The Umami Mart Sake Dinner this year happened on April 1st. There were many firsts for this event – in past years, our annual sake dinners were held at Camino, which bade us farewell last year. We needed to find a...
A few weeks ago, author Anders Arhoj was here all the way from Copenhagen, signing copies of his new children's book, Catch Me!. We were so happy to see lots of people come out to meet him. At one point,...
Did you hear we're moving? Pardon us while we are reorganizing ourselves back here. We are open online but not shipping any orders until Monday 4/22 - and to thank you for your patience, we are offering FREE SHIPPING for orders $50+ from now through Sunday...
Sake Gumi is our monthly sake subscription service with 150 members throughout California. Join today! Does the type of rice affect the flavor of sake like the type of grape affects the flavor of a wine? The short answer is yes. Brewers will...
Hinamatsuri is one of our favorite events of the year – and we are so happy that the turnout gets better every time we do it. We celebrated a little earlier than usual this year, but both Yoko's and my mom came out, which made this...
It was over six years ago on August 3, 2012, we opened our doors in Old Oakland. We had no idea what we were doing – but we had a solid crew that contributed their blood, sweat, and tears to our DIY build out. We had no idea...
