Living up to the name “Tosa, land of sake”, Kochi Prefecture is known as a place where men and women of all (legal) ages enjoy sake. Kochi has a variety of locally brewed sake rich with regional flare that is characterized as transparent with a crisp and dry flavor that never gets old. Kochi also has unique banquet games such as “Hashi Ken” and “Beku Hai”, which are not seen in other regions.
Sake Culture
Hashi Ken (game using chop sticks)
This traditional Tosa enkai game is played by two people and involves guessing the number of chopsticks hidden in the sleeve of the opponent’s outstretched arm. The loser has to drink sake, making the game more heated as the players become drunker.
Beku Hai(cups that cannot be put down until the sake inside has been finished)
Players of Beku Hai, another traditional enkai game, spin a top and drink from the cup indicated on the upward facing side of the top when it falls. The bottoms of the cups are hard to balance, and one has a hole in it, so you cannot put them down until you finish the sake inside.
Kiku No Hana(chrysanthemum flower)
In this game, many sake cups are placed upside down, and a chrysanthemum is placed under one of the cups. Each player has to flip over one cup in turn. If you lift the cup under which the flower is hidden, the cups already turned over will be filled with sake, and you have to drink all of them! This enkai game is really brutal!
