Tsukiji, Tokyo: 9 Sake with Wagyu, Tuna & Crab in 90 Minutes

• Two guests per session — a private counter in practice. The sommelier pours for you alone, and the pace is yours

• Nine sake, nine pairings — every cup arrives with the dish chosen for it: A5 wagyu sirloin, chutoro tuna, king crab in butter, grilled scallop, salmon roe, oyster tempura

• Beside the Tsukiji Outer Market, where Tokyo's chefs buy their fish. The sommelier builds each day's nine around what the market has that morning, so you taste the best pairing available the day you come

• Led by a certified international sake sommelier in kimono, pouring at the counter with the bottles in front of you

• You leave knowing how to read a sake label and which of the four types is yours — the one thing you can use in any shop or restaurant in Japan

• Opens with kagami biraki, the ceremonial breaking of a sake barrel, and a welcome drink