A very well-stocked sake shop, plus a small stand-up bar where you can try samples in small 50ml tasting sizes. Usually there are around ten sakes open for tasting, priced Y200-400. There's also a small snack menu - prosciutto, cheese, dried mentaiko. The retail side of the shop stocks over 100 premium brands of sake, and unlike many shops that seem to specialize in those humongous isshobin bottles that won't fit in your fridge, most of the sake here is in convenient 720ml bottles or in tiny single-serving mini-bottles.
Jingumae 4-12-4, Omotesando Hills 3F. Open 11am-10pm (LO) daily.
A small but well-chosen selection of sake and shochu, with lots of shochu available for tasting.
Jingumae 2-4-1. Open 9am-9pm. Closed Sundays.
Meishu Center (Hamamatsucho - Liquor shop). 5405-4441
A down-to-earth little shop that offers an impressive variety of sakes for tasting. There are two brightly lit, stand-up counters where a mostly neighborhood crowd gathers for an after-work drink - this is as unpretentious as it gets.
To say that this retail liquor specializes in shochu is an understatement: they stock 2300 varieties of the potent Kyushu spirits, and are ready to offer expert advice and tastings.
Higashi-Shimbashi 1-8-2, Caretta Shiodome B2F. Open 10am-9pm daily.
Over 2000 types of shochu and awamori in this very well-stocked shop.
Marunouchi 1-9-1, Kitchen Street (1F). (In the north passageway of Tokyo Station (outside the wicket area) connecting the Yaesu and Marunouchi sides) Open 10am-9pm daily.
A well-stocked sake specialty store; don't miss the refrigerated rooms down in the basement. There's also a stand-up bar in back with around a dozen sake by the glass along with simple, inexpensive bar food.
This rather serious liquor store carries lots of limited-edition premium sakes from around the country, including a big selection of premium one-cup sake. They also handle shochu and awamori.
Kami-Takada 1-49-12. Open 10am-6:30pm. Closed Tuesdays.