Last night at the Consulate General of Japan in Honolulu a lucky group of friends and guests of the Consulate and the Kokusai Sake Kai joined in a Tsukimi no En, or Moon Vieweing Party. The evening had kicked off with some mingling and drinks, sake of course.

Just a few of the various Japan-only sake on hand for the evening.

The sake on hand last night were all unavailable commercially in the United States, so it was quite a treat to try some of these sake that you can only get in Japan. The only bad part of that is when you come across a sake that you really enjoy, you have to go to Japan to get more.

As the nights program began we were all greeted and welcomed by Consul General Yasushi Misawa, and Kokusai Sake Kai president Yumi Ozaki. After a brief introduction by Chris Pearce, Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Associations Shigetoshi Sudo spoke to the gathering about “Basic Sake Knowledge to Enjoy Sake”.

Yumi Ozaki welcoming the guests on behalf of Kokusai Sake Kai

After the educational talk, the guests were treated to a delicious spread of food provided by the Consulate, and even more Japan-only sake provided by Kokusai Sake Kai.

A delicious spread of food to go with the sake and moon viewing.

More sake to enjoy while moon watching.

Along with the food, sake, and moon viewing, there were also live musicians on hand to add to the mood of the evening. A group of Hawaiian music musicians, and even a shakuhachi (a traditional Japanese bamboo flute) player were among the nights entertainers.

Unfortunately the overcast weather was not on our side, and along with occasional sprinkles of rain, there were a lot of heavy clouds in the sky blocking out the full moon for most of the evening. However, as a small consolation, we were treated to a vibrant rainbow earlier in the evening.

A vibrant Hawaiian rainbow