In the fall of 2015 a small family owned brewery in the suburbs of Nagoya received a customer who was looking to buy some of they products. The owner of the brewery was shocked to learn this customer had travelled all the way from Yokohama to buy his sake.
It was the first time someone came from so far away just to buy their products. The Yamada brewery established 15 years earlier was only selling to local customers through a few local shops around Nagoya. They never had a mail order, let alone an online one.
They did ask this customer why he travelled all this way to buy sake and the answer was not what the expected.
Actually one of their products is called "Saiai" (最愛) and it's name written in Kanji happens to use the same Kanji used to write Moa. That visitor was a BABYMETAL fan and that was enough to justify the 650 km return trip to buy this sake.
Since that first encounter, Japanese BABYMETAL Fans heard about this and mail, online orders have skyrocketed, coming from all over Japan.
More than 50 cases overall have been ordered online by BABYMETAL Fans along with hundreds of Ochakko, the little sake cups.
Fans bought these ochakko as gifts for other fans at concerts, in Wembley European fans got their first glimpse of these. Mine sits on my desk, always facing me.
Over time fans have left souvenirs and memorabilia at the brewery.
And the owner was mentioned in the local press......
I'm not a sake expert, but I tasted this in London around the Wembley concert, it was nice.
At this point you are wondering where is this place so you can visit next time you are in Japan. Well it is conveniently marked on our map of Babymetal locations.
If you are brave, here is offical website for Yamada Brewery.
Over time this Sake has entered the BABYMETAL Lore and even Ariyuki mentioned it in one drawing.
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