After tasting sake for some time, we begin to search for sake we have not yet tried. Of course, we have our favorites, sake we can fall back on and drink any day of the week. And we already know about good, well-publicized sake, be they blue chips such as Kubota or powerful upstarts like Juyondai.

Still, part of the joy of sake is the thrill of discovery. With 1,700 brewers blending tradition and modern advances, our chances of finding a new sake stimulation are good.

Where does one find new stars of the sake world? A good place to start would be a respected sake pub. Obvious though it may seem, places like Kuri, Akaoni, Mushu and Japontei -- to name just a few in the Tokyo area -- always seem to have something new. (Reviews and contact info for all of these can be found at www.sake-world.com)