On Friday, June 2024, 6, the 7 Miss SAKE Japan Final Selection was held at the Westin Miyako Kyoto. 2024 Miss SAKE Japan finalists, selected from over 1000 applicants from across the country, gathered to promote their local sake and its appeal, competing for the prestigious Grand Prix.

What is Miss SAKE Japan?

The Miss SAKE Japan Contest was launched in 2013, and this year marks its 11th year. Every year, a Miss SAKE Japan is selected at the contest as an ambassador with aesthetic sense and intelligence who will promote the appeal of traditional Japanese sake and Japanese culture both in Japan and overseas.
At the opening, Mika Onishi, Representative Director of Miss SAKE General Incorporated Association, said, "In 2023, we had 500 activities in Japan and 40 activities overseas. Even if people have different cultures and values, when they share a toast and drink the same sake, they can all say with a smile that it is delicious. I believe that sake has the irreplaceable power to connect people like this."

The 18 finalists, selected through a rigorous screening process, have been taking a special course called the "Nadeshiko Program" for three months, working hard every day. This final selection meeting is the stage for the girls to culminate their efforts. "The Nadeshiko Program involved representatives from as far north as Akita and as far south as Okinawa gathering at a venue in Tokyo every Saturday and Sunday, and being busy writing reports every weekday, so it must have been a really tough three months," said Onishi.
2023 Miss SAKE Japan Kotoko Yamada also praised her juniors, saying, "All of today's finalists have worked hard for three months for this day. I hope you will watch over them with warm hearts."

Cheers to the future of sake!

The guests and people involved with sake were divided into three groups, and the sake barrel was opened with the audience shouting "Yoisho!". Sake from all over Japan, including Ishikawa Prefecture's Kurumada Sake Brewery and Yoshida Sake Brewery, was served at the venue to show support for the Noto region.

Also attending the event were Menakaa Rai, 2024 Miss SAKE India, and Peter Ta from Nen RIKI Sake Bar in Vietnam.
Menakaa Rai is currently active in India as an actress, model and singer. She said in her speech, wearing a gorgeous furisode kimono that was presented to her as a commemorative gift from the National Costume Culture Promotion Association, "I have found the rich commonality between Japanese and Indian culture through sake, and I enjoy promoting sake."

Peter Ta runs a restaurant in Vietnam with some friends who previously studied in Japan together, and he expressed his ambitions, saying, "I would like to work hard to make the pairing of Vietnamese and other Asian foods with sake known to more people."

It's finally time for the big day! 18 people shining in 18 different colors

The 18 finalists represented 18 prefectures across Japan and spoke about the charms of their local areas and their love for sake, and promoted their local areas in a variety of ways, including local festivals, traditional Japanese performing arts such as kyogen, dance, and wadaiko drumming, as well as comedy and kamishibai (picture storytelling).

Chiba representative Chinami Terasaki, who won the runner-up award, was enthusiastic about the "SAKE Air" concept, saying, "We will connect the charm of Japan to the world from Chiba Prefecture, where Narita Airport, the gateway to Japan's skies, is located!"

Miyazawa Rei, representing Nagano, also won the runner-up award. Waving pom-poms with great energy, she promoted her strong desire to become a cheerleader for the sake industry. Drawing on her experience working for a foreign consulting firm, she prepared a presentation and appealed for the sake manufacturing industry's shipping value to reach "2024 trillion by 1!" when she becomes Miss SAKE Japan 2040.

The winner of the grand prize, Yuri Minami, representing Osaka, enlivened the venue with her original Japanese sake folk tale, "Yuritaro." The story is about a boy named Yuritaro who travels around the country hoping to bring his father, who loves sake, and his mother, who isn't very good at it, closer together. Yuritaro finally finds the sake that is his destiny for his mother.
"I believe that there is a sake that is destined for everyone. Regardless of taste, season, or brand name, there is surely a sake that is destined for everyone, and I will deliver it to people all over the world through the Osaka-Kansai Expo," he commented, with the World Expo in mind.

Hinako Nagatomo, the winner of the Special Jury Award, is the first Kagoshima representative to be selected in the 11-year history of Miss SAKE. She said with a smile, "I'm dreaming of the moment when I can toast with people from all over the world with Kagoshima sake."

The Grand Prix was awarded to Yuri Minami from Osaka!

Through self-promotion, eight contestants were selected from 18, and then they went on to the final round, where they each answered questions from the judges.

The judgesKuniko Takasaki, Managing Executive Officer of JTB Corporation, asked Seiko Yamauchi, 2024 Miss SAKE Aichi, "From a global perspective, what kind of activities would you like to undertake and what results would you like to achieve in order to capture people's hearts with Japanese sake and food?" Yamauchi, who is also a radio personality, answered, "I would like to spread the word to many people through radio. I would also like to start by actually pairing sake and letting people experience the excitement."

Takuro Tatsumi, actor, sake samurai, and chairman of the Japanese Wine Lovers Associationasked Yuri Minami, 8 Miss SAKE Osaka representative, who has been doing hula dancing for 2024 years, to "Please tell us about the commonalities between hula dancing and Japanese culture in about 400 characters." Minami shared a humorous story: "When I gave a bonbon chocolate made with Yamaguchi Prefecture's "Dassai" to a hula dancing teacher living in Hawaii who has roots in Yamaguchi Prefecture, she told me that she felt a connection with Japan. Is that over the character limit!?" The enthusiasm of the supporters who rushed over from Osaka also livened up the venue.

The eight finalists in the final round

After a tense final round, the 11th "2024 Miss SAKE Japan" Grand Prix was finally decided to be won by Minami Yuri, representing Osaka! Minami Yuri expressed her gratitude and aspirations, saying, "The three months of the Nadeshiko Program were three months filled with many encounters. I met important friends, met teachers who taught me, and learned a lot. I will carry this knowledge with me and spread Japanese sake to the world."

Finally, Masuda Tokubei Shoten Co., Ltd. Chairman and CEO, 14th generation Masuda Tokubei, expressed his gratitude to the cheering squad supporting Minami Yuri, saying, "This is the first time I've seen a cheering squad that livened up the venue so much," and commented, "I think Miss SAKE will continue to spread throughout the world. I would like to ask for everyone's support for next year's World Expo and for the registration of sake as an intangible cultural heritage."

Kenji Ueyama, 5 Mr. SAKE Japan, and Yuri Minami, 2024 Miss SAKE Japan, were selected in Tokyo in May.

"2024 Miss SAKE Japan" will be actively traveling throughout Japan and even overseas to spread the appeal of Japanese sake, as well as Japanese food and culture. Please support her as we look forward to her future success!

2024 Miss SAKE Japan Competition Results

Grand Prize: Yuri Minami (Osaka representative)
Runners-up: Chinami Terasaki from Chiba and Urara Miyazawa from Nagano
Special Jury Award: Hinako Nagatomo (Kagoshima Representative)
Audience Award: Haruka Ae (Hyogo)
Community Activity Contribution Award: Ms. Karin Nanke (Saitama Prefecture) and Ms. Kanae Araki (Okinawa Prefecture)

[Organizer] Miss SAKE General Incorporated Association
[Sponsors] Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, National Tax Agency, Japan Tourism Agency, Intellectual Property Strategy Headquarters of Cabinet Office, Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association, Japan Sake and Shochu Brewers Association, Kyoto Prefecture, Kyoto City

Miss SAKE Official Website
https://www.misssake.org/