Umami Mart in Oakland is a shop that sells high-quality Japanese products, including sake, shochu, sake ware, and miscellaneous goods. They always have a wide variety of sake brands in stock, and also run the sake membership club "Sake Gumi," which has about 200 members. We spoke to founder Yoko Kumano, who is taking on a unique initiative to spread the appeal of sake locally, about the background to the launch of the shop, the activities of Sake Gumi, and how sake is being accepted locally.

I spoke to this person

Umami Mart Co-Founder Yoko Kumano

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After graduating from a university in the United States and working as a company employee in Tokyo, she opened the brick-and-mortar Umami Mart store in 2012. She has a certified sake sommelier and has obtained WEST Level 3 certification.

It all started with a blog I started with a local friend

After graduating from a university in the United States, Yoko worked in advertising in Tokyo. In 2007, she and her local friend Kayoko Akabori started a blog of the same name, which would become Umami Mart. The blog was about food in Tokyo, where Yoko lived, and New York, where Kayoko worked at the time. The two's blog became popular and was read by many people.

Yoko Kumano (right) and Kayoko Akabori (left), co-founders of Umami Mart (Photo courtesy of Umami Mart)

In 2010, after moving to California, the couple decided, with the encouragement of their readers, to add an online store to their blog, where they began selling cocktail ware, tableware, tea, and other items imported from Japan.

"For the first year, we had no orders at all, but the numbers gradually increased, and our house became filled with packages and materials for delivery. So we decided to open a brick-and-mortar store, and in 2012, we were selected for a project by the City of Oakland, so we opened our own store."

"Just like the online store, the store mainly sold cocktail wear, so at first most of our customers were bartenders. But in response to requests from customers who wanted to buy alcohol as well and wanted a place where they could sample alcohol, we started selling sake, shochu, and beer, and created a bar space where customers could sample alcohol, gradually expanding our business."

Even after moving from a blog to a physical store, the brand has maintained a sincere attitude of listening to the opinions of its readers and consumers, and has now grown into a popular store visited by many people.

Unique Japanese sake membership "Sake Gumi"

Umami Mart always carries around 200 bottles of sake, changing them with the seasons.
"In the past five years or so, a lot of Japanese sake has become available in the United States. We stock a wide variety of flavors, such as delicate daiginjo and rich kimoto, as well as seasonal and limited edition products. We also aim to offer a wide range of prices, from affordable to high-end."

When asked what criteria she uses to choose products, she replied, "Whether we like it or not."
"Many Americans still don't know the difference in the taste of sake. In that situation, no one will buy sake unless I or my staff can explain it with love."

In addition, the sake membership group "Sake Gumi," which has about 200 members, selects two bottles per month based on a set theme, such as "Kimoto," "Unfiltered," or "XX Prefecture," and sends them to its members.
"I think that explaining things is a big factor in getting people to enjoy sake. This is because consumers value not only the taste, but also the feeling of being connected to the maker. For that reason, each month we interview sake breweries and importers on a theme corresponding to the bottle, and share that information. We also provide tasting notes and pairing suggestions so that customers can enjoy the sake with food," says Yoko.

When a brand is being sold for the first time, it is first tried by Sake Gumi members, and the decision is made whether to stock it in stores based on the reaction. In a sense, the Sake Gumi community is the "debut battle" of the new brand.

A scene from a sake and cheese pairing event. The bar space also hosts many events for Sake Gumi members. (Photo courtesy of Umami Mart)

Americans and Sake Today

Yoko has experience working in the tasting room of Takara Shuzo USA, and currently works at the Umami Mart storefront, where she interacts with consumers on a daily basis. When asked what type of people drink sake in America, she answered, "There are three types of people: wine lovers, natural wine lovers, and Japanese food lovers."

"Firstly, traditional wine lovers have sophisticated palates and are always looking for new experiences. They are interested in the flavours of sake and the stories behind them, whether that be participating in a sake tasting or learning more about the makers of the drinks."

"Next are the new generation of natural wine lovers, who prefer a more transparent and natural lifestyle. They are very interested in the process leading up to the creation of the product and are looking for elements such as 'clean,' 'vegan,' and 'gluten-free,' and many of these apply to sake. Personally, I feel that sake is cleaner than wine. For example, designated name sake can only be made using rice, rice malt, water, and distilled alcohol, but wine does not have such restrictions."

"Finally, Japanese food lovers like sushi and ramen, and have a good image of Japan. In restaurants, 80% of people say, 'I want you to choose a sake that goes with sushi,' while 10% prefer ramen, and the remaining 10% prefer pizza or steak."

Purchased by a regular customer who visits several times a year. He says he drinks sake with spicy food and steak.

When asked about the flavors preferred in America, she prefaced her answer by saying, "It depends on whether you drink it on its own or with food."
"When drinking on its own, people tend to prefer fragrant sake such as daiginjo or ginjo, while many people pair their meals with sake that has a high acidity. Just like in Japan, sweet and sour sake is becoming a trend in America."

She also feels that "connections with the local community" are very important in the American market.
"Everyone is proud of their hometown, so many people say, 'I'll buy it because it's local sake.' For example, even people who have never tried sake before will buy it if we tell them it's 'made in Oakland.' People can feel a connection to the local area even outside of where they live, with some customers saying, 'I went to a certain part of Japan, so I want some sake from that area.'"

A guide for people all over the world

Umami Mart celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2022. During the hour-long visit, customers came one after another, some even buying about 10 bottles of sake to take home. It is clear that the existence of Umami Mart has helped to make sake an option for drinking with meals a part of people's lives.

Finally, we asked Yoko what she would like to challenge herself with in the future.

"Right now, Kayoko and I are writing a book about sake, which we plan to publish next spring. It's called 'Everyday Sake,' and we're hoping to create a practical guide to enjoying sake, including how to select and serve it. Many Americans still don't know much about sake. I hope this book will provide Americans, and people all over the world, with a variety of perspectives on sake. My dream is to someday translate it into Japanese and publish it."

Yoko's passion, which started with a blog, has now taken shape as a book, via an online store and a physical store. Just as Umami Mart has helped to establish Japanese sake culture in the city of Oakland, this book will hopefully serve as a catalyst for spreading the appeal of Japanese sake to people all over the world.

Writer: Kanane Urabe
Living in Niigata Prefecture / Master of sake sommelier, sake sommelier, shochu sommelier
I worked for a government agency supporting the export of food products, including sake, and now I work as a freelance writer. I like craft sake, which has a pronounced sweet and sour flavor, and sake made with additional ingredients. https://www.foriio.com/k-urabe