Sake Appreciation Day (Aishu no Hi)

What Is Sake Appreciation Day?

August 24 is "Sake Appreciation Day" (愛酒の日, Aishu no Hi) in Japan. It marks the birthday of the poet Wakayama Bokusui, who loved sake deeply. Bokusui was born on August 24, 1885, in Tsuboya Village, Miyazaki Prefecture (now part of Hyuga City). He loved sake and travel, and is known for the many tanka poems he wrote about drinking.

Wakayama Bokusui, the Poet Behind the Day

Wakayama Bokusui was a tanka poet active from the Meiji era to the early Showa era. He loved travel and nature, and his poems are admired for their rich emotion and sense of loneliness.

• Life: Born August 24, 1885; died September 17, 1928
• Real name: Wakayama Shigeru
• The "three sui" of Waseda: At Waseda University he became close friends with Kitahara Hakushu and Nakabayashi Sosui; the three were known as the "three sui of Waseda"
• A famous poem: "Shiratama no / ha ni shimitooru / aki no yo no / sake wa shizuka ni / nomubekarikeri" — "On an autumn night, sake that seeps into pearl-white teeth should be drunk quietly"

The Meaning of the Name "Bokusui"

He adopted the pen name at age 18. According to Bokusui himself, it joined the names of the two things he loved most at the time: "boku" (牧, maki) from his mother's name, Maki, and "sui" (水, water) from the streams and rain around his childhood home.

Fun Facts About the Poet of Sake and Travel

• A heavy drinker: He is said to have drunk about one sho (about 1.8 liters) of sake a day. In his last years, doctors repeatedly urged him to cut back, but he reportedly smiled wryly and said it was "utterly impossible."
• Poems of travel: He composed many poems on his journeys, such as "Ikuyamakawa / koesari yukaba / sabishisa no / hatenamu kuni zo / kyo mo tabi yuku," and monuments bearing his poems stand all over Japan.
• Numazu and Senbon Matsubara: In 1920 he moved to Numazu, Shizuoka Prefecture, and led a campaign against a plan to cut down the Senbon Matsubara pine grove, which was abandoned. Numazu is home to the Wakayama Bokusui Memorial Museum.
• His death: He died on September 17, 1928, at age 43, from cirrhosis of the liver and other illnesses linked to years of heavy drinking. September 17 is remembered as "Bokusui-ki," the anniversary of his death.

Themes to Explore on Sake Appreciation Day

• Read some of Wakayama Bokusui's poems about sake and travel
• Following his line "sake should be drunk quietly," savor a quiet drink tonight
• Look into the history of different drinks, such as sake, shochu, and beer
• Review your own drinking habits, for example by setting alcohol-free days

Enjoying Sake for the Long Run

Sake Appreciation Day on August 24 is the birthday of Wakayama Bokusui, a poet who loved sake. His poems quietly express the joy of drinking, yet he also ruined his health through drink and died at 43. Precisely because it is something we enjoy, it is worth keeping a sensible distance so we can enjoy it for a long time.