Photos

Sake barrels outside a temple.

Sake is a Japanese word meaning "alcoholic beverage", brewed mainly from rice, and known in Japan as either nihonshu ("Japanese alcohol") or sake.
Sake is widely referred to in English as "rice wine". However, this designation is not accurate. The production of alcoholic beverages by multiple fermentation is more characteristic of beer than wine. Also, there are other beverages known as "rice wine" that are significantly different from nihonshu.

Ritual uses; Sake is often consumed as part of Shinto purification rituals (compare with the use of wine in the Christian Eucharist). Today barrels of sake are broken open during Shinto festivals and ceremonies or following sports victories: this sake (called iwai-zake, literally "celebration sake") is served freely to all to spread good fortune.