Sake in a Box

Thanks to a suggestion from my friend and co-worker living upstairs, Special Agent ADub, I decided to do a little research about why the heck our glass of sake was served in a box on a recent night out.

Not surprisingly, drinking sake has its own rituals for making, serving, and consuming. In this case, I'm going to focus on the fun stuff - serving and consuming (Although, I stumbled upon this website describing how sake is made, which is really quite interesting).

The box that our sake was served in is called a masu. In the restaurant, our sake serving consisted of an overflowing glass inside the masu. It turns out that the glass is not standard for serving. The main thing is that the sake has to be served overflowing either from or into the masu. If, as was our case, the box contains a glass brimming with sake, that is best sipped without hands until the glass can safely be picked up and used without fear of spilling. Once the glass is empty, the overflow can be drunk from the box.

Our plastic masu was more for show. Traditionally, the masu is made of wood in order to complement the wooden cask, which traditional sake is brewed in. A true masu will hold the standard measurement of 1 fl oz. Filling to the brim and over is a customary sign of prosperity.

As the traditional sake-serving cup and a symbol of prosperity, the masu still has a place in modern times and is still used for the purpose of ceremony or to show generosity. Lot's of Japanese restaurants, however, will serve it in an overflowing glass inside of the masu in order to highlight the tradition and enhance the drinking experience regardless of whether you are celebrating a special occasion or not.

Whew, all that research has made me thirsty. Off to fill my masu!