Last month I started a “social networking experiment”.  I’d been using Twitter for over a year now, but never really got into it until a few months ago.  Personally, I think the key to enjoying Twitter is to find your niche, and follow people who share that common bond.  I finally figured out mine: foreigners who live in Japan.  I started following them, reading their great websites, and quickly realized that there is a great online community for English speakers living in Japan.  Perhaps inspired by what they were doing, I came up with a way that I could get in the game and take an active part in the community as well.

The concept was based on the cassette/CD swaps of the 80’s and 90’s.  I actually participated in a CD swap back in university, but by then I think it’s time had passed (thanks Napster!).  Instead of mailing a CD to someone though, we would be mailing a bottle of sake to each other!  Sake production can be very regional; most breweries do not widely distribute their wares throughout the country.  Sake is also experiencing a decline in popularity, battling beer, whiskey, and shochu (a Korean liquor) at the bars and izakayas (Japanese-style restaurants).  There is however, a growing movement to restore sake to its previous glory as it gains popularity overseas.  We’re talking real, high-quality sake that’s meant to be drank chilled, not piping-hot like you’ll get at your Chinese-run sushi restaurant on Robson Street.

So I made a simple website and posted a couple messages on Twitter to see if anyone was interested in joining this experiment.  Our first event is wrapping up as we speak; we had 6 people join from varying parts of Japan.  I sent off 2 bottles of sake, one to Tokyo and one to Shizuoka.  I received 2 bottles as well, one from Tokyo and one from Toyama.  Pretty cool to say the least.

I just opened up registration for our second event, and upgraded the website to accommodate reviews, links, and so on.  The word is slowly getting out despite minimal advertising.  It’s a great way to try sake from different parts of the country that you would otherwise have no opportunity to sample.  You don’t have to be a sake expert to join, in fact it’s a great way to learn about nihonshu (sake)!

Check out the site and see what has transpired so far.  There are a couple reviews up already, and links to some great food and sake websites.

www.sakeswap.com

Kanpai!