Event: Taste of Japan

Taste of Japan is April 4 from 7:00-9:00 pm at Carnegie Library (801 K Street, NW, across from the Walter E. Washington Convention Center). 

Photo Copyright:  Lauren DeSantis

The Taste of Japan unites the city’s finest Japanese restaurants to celebrate the cuisine of the country that provided the gift of cherry blossom trees more than 100 years ago. At the culinary showcase, restaurants including Asia Nine Bar and Lounge, KAZ Sushi Bistro, Masa 14, Sushi Taro, Tako Grill, Toki Underground, YO! Sushi, and Zengo will serve Japanese delicacies.

Admission also includes sake and craft beer tastings from almost twenty different Japanese brewers, in town just for the event. This expansive selection contains: Orion Beer from the Okinawa prefecture; the luxurious Born Sake, retailing for upwards of $400 per bottle; Kubota Sake from the Nigato prefecture, an area renowned for its sake production; Satsuma Shiranami Shochu, a vodka-like spirit made from sweet potato; and Coedo Brewery, known for its beer made from sweet potatoes, “Beniaki.”

The event, supported by Centerplate/NBSE and Young Won Trading, Inc., is only open to 350 people, and tickets cost $100 per person. Guests may also purchase a $150 ticket for an exclusive preview hour (6:00-7:00pm) and gift. Taste of Japan is a 21-and-older event. Attendees will need to provide a valid photo ID for verification. Proceeds support the National Cherry Blossom Festival, a 501-c-3-nonprofit organization.

The National Cherry Blossom Festival is the nation's greatest springtime celebration. The 2013 Festival, March 20-April 14, includes five spectacular weeks of events featuring diverse and creative programming promoting traditional and contemporary arts and culture, natural beauty, and community spirit. The 2013 Festival commemorates the 101st anniversary of the gift of the cherry blossom trees and the enduring friendship between the United States and Japan.

*This information was provided by a representative of the National Cherry Blossom Festival.