‘Shochu Experience’ to be held at Sengan-en and Ishibashi Memorial Park in Kagoshima

PUBLISHED Dec 21, 2021

The illustration for Shochu Experience

The “Shochu Experience” will be held on December 25 and 26 at Sengan-en Garden and Ishibashi Memorial Park.

The organizer is the Kagoshima Sake and Shochu Makers Association. They have usually held a Shochu Street event in Tenmonkan to coincide with the “Honkaku Shochu Day” on November 1, having had to cancel it since 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. This led them to hold the Sengan-en Shochu Night Garden instead last yea to provide a place where people could enjoy authentic shochu. This year, Ishibashi Memorial Park will be added as a venue, and the event will start at 11:00 a.m. at both locations, making it a daytime event.

The concept of the event is “Enjoying Shochu, Market, and Good Music at Cultural Heritage Sites.” At Sengan-en, visitors can enjoy more than 100 brands of shochu selected from 112 shochu distilleries in Kagoshima Prefecture, as well as performances by renowned jazz musicians from Japan and abroad. There will also be a market with local restaurants and stores. “As Sengan-en is a registered World Heritage Site, alcoholic beverages are not normally allowed, but during the event, visitors can enjoy them,” said Junichiro Sakaguchi of the organizing office. On the 25th, as the event will be open until 8:00 p.m., visitors can also admire the garden illuminated at night.

At Ishibashi Memorial Park, brand-name shochu from distilleries belonging to the association, liqueur, and non-alcoholic shochu will be offered, and local food trucks will gather to serve hamburgers, oden, and baked sweet potatoes. There will also be a music program with a big band performance by local artists and a mini-stage with DJs.

Sakaguchi added: “We have a lineup of shochu new this year and ones that are attracting attention. We hope this event will help people discover new ways to enjoy shochu.”

Sengan-en: 11:00 am. – 8:00 p.m. (until 5:00 p.m. on the 26th). Advance tickets (from 2,500 yen) are required.
Ishibashi Memorial Park: 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Free admission.

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