Sake Sizes

One of the most common offerings at shrines and temples is sake, the rice-based wine of Japan, and what you commonly see is huge barrels of sake stacked up in their own separate enclosure. These barrels are donated by local breweries, and each barrel holds 72 liters of sake:

Why 72 liters? Each barrel contains 4 to, with a to being a basic unit of sake volume that is equal to 18 liters. This unit, which is not found much outside the sake brewing industry goes back to old Chinese units of volume that were in use during the Edo period (1603 - 1868).

When we visited the tanuki temple on Monday, I noticed that a lot of the sake offerings there were in the form of bottles rather than barrels. It turns out that the standard large bottle of sake sold in liquor stores and supermarkets, and often on display in bars and restaurants, is 1.8 liters. This is called a sho and is equal to one tenth of a to.

In another part of the temple were even smaller containers of sake, which I recognized as the standard "one cup" size that you can purchase at convenience stores:

Further research revealed that this "one cup" size is a actually 180 ml, also known as a go, and equal to one tenth of a sho. The go is a standard serving size when you order a glass of sake at a bar or restaurant. (There is even one smaller unit size for sake, the shaku or "sip", which is 18 ml, or one tenth of a go.) Doing the math(s), we can deduce that the barrels shown in the first photograph each contain 4,000 sips of sake ... .

Another curious feature of sake sizing that I experienced twice on consecutive nights during our visit to Hokkaido is the "overpour." This happens when you order your one cup (sho) of sake, and the glass that will contain your sake is put inside another container. Then the glass is filled to the brim and the sake continues to be poured as it spills over the side into the second container. This is apparently a sign of honor and respect, however it poses serious challenges as to how to actually drink the sake once the overpour is done.

For one thing, you have to deal with drinking from a glass that is filled completely to the brim. For another thing, you have to decide what -- if anything -- to do with the sake that has already spilled into the surrounding container. On the plus side, you have definitely been served more than the go of sake that you ordered!