The perfect day for Amazake

Today is Amazake Day 甘酒の日. The date was chosen to coincide with the start of the major cold, called Daikan in Japanese, because amazake is most drunk during the "Major Cold" period as a drink to relieve fatigue and warm the body. As such, the date changes every now. By and large Daikan is on January 20th, but occasionally it is on the 21st. 

The anniversary was registered by Morinaga Seika who are producers of the most popular and best-selling canned amazake in Japan. They created the anniversary to let many people know the goodness and deliciousness of amazake. Amazake is well known traditional Japanese drink and fermented food. Despite its name, amazake is actually a soft drink. It is usually drank hot. 

Before the pandemic it was very common to get amazake at various winter events, often for free. Unfortunately, during the pandemic many places stopped doing it and never brought it back. The amazake pictured in the photo of this post was given out for free at a karaoke box one year!