Japanese wine is becoming increasingly popular both domestically and across the globe. The country is now home to around 500 wineries, with fans hailing their product as being a superb accompaniment to Japanese and other Asian cuisines. This new Yokohama store is the perfect spot to sample and pick up some of these characteristic tipples.
Japanese-speakers will immediately recognise Nihon Budokan’s name as a pun on the world-famous Tokyo concert venue of the same name: here ‘Budokan’ signifies a ‘hall of grapes’ (budo means grape). Dad jokes aside, this spot lives up to that description with an incredibly comprehensive selection of over 320 wines, sourced from some 120 wineries across the Japanese archipelago.
Yamanashi, the prefecture that has become the country’s wine-producing heartland thanks partly to high amounts of annual sunshine, is naturally well-represented. You’ll also find bottles from Hokkaido to the north, Kyushu to the south, and dozens of regions in between.
Looking to try before you buy? A small standing bar on the premises offers between six and eight recommended varieties as a paid tasting menu, complete with snacks.