We will have a booth at LB Sake Day at Long Beach, CA by Sake Secret 9/6/2025 - Join Us!

Are you into Sake (酒)? 

Will you be in the Long Beach, CA area this Saturday, September 6, 2025?

If so, please join us for a fantastic event at LB Sake Day!

We are thrilled to be part of LB Sake Day, our first time participating in this event, and we are excited about this opportunity. 

We will be offering our award-winning green tea, our one-and-only Sumiyaki Japanese coffee, and surprise items at this event. 

First, let me tell you about the event, and please scroll to learn about the folks who are running this amazing event. I have so much I want to tell you about them and their shop! 

Get Tickets to Join LB Sake Day

🍶About This Event

LB Sake Day isn’t just about sipping sake—it’s a full culinary celebration nestled in the gardens of Rancho Los Cerritos. Here's what you can expect:

• Unlimited Sake Tastings: Your ticket includes all-you-can-sip sake—responsibly served. Plus, delicious food is available for purchase. Oh, did I mention unlimited tea and coffee tasting from us too? : ) 
• Featured Food Vendors:
  • Wagyu Street — Indulge in premium Wagyu bowls, bento boxes, sushi, and more from this gourmet spot inside The Hangar food hall.
  • Kagura (Katsu Sando) — Known for their melt-in-your-mouth tonkatsu sandwiches at various L.A. area locations.
  • Wabi Sabi Sushi — A sleek sushi spot 
  • Shaved Ice
  • PLUS: We’ll be offering our own award-winning green tea, Sumiyaki Japanese coffee, and a surprise treat only available at the event.

📍Where’s the Event?

LB Sake Day will be held at the beautiful and historic Rancho Los Cerritos in Long Beach, CA. Built in 1844, this stunning site is one of Southern California’s most significant historic landmarks, known for its picturesque gardens, adobe-style architecture, and serene atmosphere.

Set within a lush, tree-lined landscape, the venue offers the perfect backdrop for savoring sake tastings under California sunshine. Between sips, you can stroll through the gardens or soak in the charming surroundings that make Rancho Los Cerritos a favorite local destination.

Venue: Rancho Los Cerritos
Address: 4600 Virginia Rd, Long Beach, CA 90807
(Google Maps)

⏲️Date & Hours

Saturday, September 6, 2025

• VIP Ticket Entry:
  12:00 PM (Early access for limited-release pours)
• General Admission:
  1:00 PM – 5:00 PM

🎫Tickets (Event is 21+)

• VIP Admission:
  $91.71 — includes early entry at 12:00 PM plus exclusive access to limited-release sakes
• General Admission:
  $65.19 — entry at 1:00 PM with all tastings and a commemorative o-choko (おちょこ) cup

Get Your Ticket from this link here

Get Tickets to Join LB Sake Day

🚗Parking & Getting There

Rancho Los Cerritos Address: 4600 Virginia Rd, Long Beach, CA 90807
(Google Maps)

• Free Parking is available in the main lot across from the entry gates, including accessible spaces.
• Accessibility: Rancho Los Cerritos is wheelchair-accessible with accessible parking, paths, and docents on-site.
• Pets: Service animals are welcome, but no pets are allowed. (Sorry!😢)

Download Printable Map

Get Tickets to Join LB Sake Day

People Behind the Event

This event is organized by Sake Secret, the first (and so far only) dedicated sake specialty shop in Los Angeles County. 

Greg Beck, the owner of Sake Secret, speaks better Japanese than I (really!).  (If you know me well, you know that I came to the USA when I was a kid, so my Japanese is not that good.)

He lived in Hiroshima (広島), Japan, for six years and told me passionately that this event (LB Sake Day) he created was to mimic the atmosphere of the Matsuri (Saijō Sake Festival　西条酒祭り) he experienced in Hiroshima. 

Who is Greg Beck

Greg Beck is a Certified Sake Sommelier (SSI) and certified Shochu Advisor, with a professional background in craft beer brewing as well. He became a certified sake sommelier in 2019 and created Sake Secret to demystify sake for Americans – offering unbiased guidance beyond any one brand or distributor. Beck emphasizes that sake can pair with a wide range of cuisines (not just Japanese food) and works to make this traditional beverage more accessible to local restaurants and consumers.

Although not Japanese himself, Greg Beck lived in Japan for six years, during which he became fluent in the Language. He worked for the Japanese government in Hiroshima Prefecture and first fell in love with sake at the renowned Saijō Sake Festival there. This immersion in Japan’s culture and festivals sparked his passion for sake and gave him a rich understanding of regional brewing differences. Beck’s international insight now informs the educational tastings and events he hosts in Long Beach.

Who are Sake Secret? (Truly a Secret Spot...)

Greg founded Sake Secret as a pop-up inside a local brewery and later secured its own storefront in 2023, following a successful Kickstarter campaign. 

On the Kickstarter campaign page, you can see a short video of Greg's vision for Sake Secret, which he brought to life with his shop.

The shop serves as both a retail store and an educational tasting room, where curious locals can sip, shop, and learn about Japan’s diverse nihonshu (日本酒 sake) offerings.

A Modern Kakuuchi Experience in Long Beach — Bringing a Taste of Japan’s Sake Culture to Long Beach

Sake Secret offers a unique sake experience in Long Beach, which I think is modeled after the kakuuchi (角打ち) style popular in Japan. It’s more than just a sake shop—it’s a place to sip, learn, and connect.

Visitors can enjoy sake by the glass, explore curated flights, and chat directly with Greg, a certified sake sommelier, to discover bottles that are often hard to find elsewhere. It’s casual, welcoming, and designed to make sake approachable for everyone, whether you’re new to it or a longtime fan.

But what exactly is kakuuchi?

In Japan, a kakuuchi refers to a traditional liquor shop where customers can enjoy on-site drinking. 

These spaces began as small sakaya (酒屋 liquor shops) where people would buy a bottle and enjoy a quick glass standing at the counter before heading home. Unlike bars or izakaya (居酒屋), kakuuchi spots focus on tasting and exploration rather than full dining.

What makes kakuuchi special:

• Relaxed, casual atmosphere — no reservations or formality required
• Curated selections — access to unique, small-batch sake that you won’t find at supermarkets
• Community-driven — a place where people gather, chat, and learn together over shared tastings

By blending this authentic Japanese kakuuchi tradition with Long Beach’s laid-back vibe, Sake Secret creates a warm, inviting space where you can explore Japan’s diverse sake culture right here in Southern California.

A Bar For Sake Lovers or Non-Sake Lovers

Sake Secret offers bar seating where you can enjoy sake pairing or select from the hundreds of sake options available. You can also open a bottle and take it home if you cannot finish it. 

He also offers local and Japanese draft beer, so you can go with someone who isn't a sake drinker and still have a nice time.

It's like a brewery offering a good selection of wine, so that non-beer drinkers can still enjoy their it time at the brewery. Greg did precisely the same with his setting by carrying quality draft beer at the Sake bar. 

Sake Secret Logo - Greg loves cats and has two cats. The wall of the shop also carries a lovely painting of cats in Japanese style. 

A Box of Snacks or Mochikomi-OK

Sake Secret offers a snack box that includes cheese, Prosecco, crackers, and more. Surprisingly, they go very well with Sake!  (As he also explains in the Kickstarter video here)

Sake Secret offers sake in a wine glass, making it an experience also for wine lovers (trust me). When we visited, he offered sake that is similar to white wine and told us a story behind, that the owner was a fan of wine and wanted to create wine-like sake. 

Greg is so knowledgeable and a wonderful storyteller, who can tell you a great deal about every wine, which makes this shop all the more, enjoyable. 

One unique culture I am getting used to in Los Angeles is the "Bring Your Own Food" Culture. In Japanese, it is called Mochikomi-ok (持ち込みOK).

Many breweries and bars in the area allow you to bring your own snacks and food.  I lived in Portland for a very long time, and this does not happen in Portland. Typically, breweries and bars in Portland also serve food, and it is generally not permitted to bring your own food. 

At Sake Secret, you are welcome to bring your own food if you wish. (oh wow)

Truly A Secret Spot

When you know something really good, you don't want to tell too many people; you would only like to share it with your close friends.  Sake Secret is a spot for me like that. (and here I am writing about them on my blog... )

Visit Sake Secret
(Note: This address is the Sake Secret shop; the event is at the location mentioned above.)

Sake Secret
460 Pine Ave
Long Beach, CA 90802

Who is Namazake Import?

You know we are new to the Los Angeles area as we have been living in Portland for a long time. 

I want to thank my friends Paul and Davvy at Namasake Import for referring me to Greg and Sake Secret. 

They will be coming all the way from Portland for this event with their selection of Sake! (Please say hi, they are nice!)

If you are in Portland, you might have heard their name; they often have a pop-up at Portland Night Market. (We had our booth at Portland Night Market earlier, and it is one of our favorite events.) 

Let me introduce my friends here.

I love hanging out with serious people who love Japan and bringing the spirit of Japan (literally in this case :) out to the world. 

Logo of Namazake Import - representing Shirokuma (しろくま) - a cute white bear

Namasake Paul Import - Boutique Importer with a Fresh Focus 

Namazake Paul Imports is a Portland-based craft sake importer on a mission to deliver Japan’s freshest brews to American shores. Co-founded by Paul and Davvy Lee, the boutique importer specializes in nama 生 (unpasteurized) and seasonal sake styles that are rarely seen outside Japan. From Afuri’s bright, contemporary junmai to Takeda Shuzo’s edgy “Skull” series, every bottle in their lineup is hand-picked for its quality and character.

With a strict cold-chain system, Namazake Paul ensures these delicate sakes maintain their integrity from brewery to glass. The company’s strength lies in its founders: Paul brings nearly 20 years of expertise as a beverage director-turned-importer, while Davvy Lee, with over 20 years in sake and beer distribution, leverages his multicultural background and deep industry relationships to connect with breweries and retailers across the globe. Together, Paul and Davvy are redefining how U.S. consumers experience sake—curating bold, boutique labels that pair beautifully with all cuisines.

Meet “Paul” (Founder):

Paul Willenberg (known in sake circles as “Namazake Paul” ) fell in love with sake nearly 20 years ago as a restaurant beverage director. Discovering that sake pairs with food even better than wine in many cases, he became determined to champion craft sake in the U.S. Over the years, Paul transitioned from an enthusiast to opening a sake retail business, and ultimately to launching Namazake Paul Imports as an importer. He wears many hats – from skiing and mushroom hunting in the Pacific Northwest to traveling across Japan each winter to visit breweries (February snow in Niigata is a particular favorite). Paul’s hands-on approach and passion ensure that each sake in the catalog comes with a story and a personal connection.

Meet Davvy Lee (Co-founder/Director):

Davvy Lee brings over 20 years of experience in sake and beer sales & distribution to Namazake Paul’s team. Originally from Malaysia, Davvy is multilingual – a skill that helps bridge cultures when working with Japanese breweries (and yes, “he speaks sake,” the company jokes). An accredited Advanced Sake Professional (Level 3 WSET Sake certified) and long-time industry veteran, Davvy handles operations and client relations, ensuring that the boutique imports successfully reach retailers and sake lovers. His global perspective and deep knowledge of Asian markets complement Paul’s vision, making Namazake Paul Imports a truly dynamic East-West collaboration in the craft sake world.

See You at LB Sake Day!

We’re so excited to join LB Sake Day for the very first time and can’t wait to share this experience with you. From savoring unique sakes curated by Sake Secret and Namazake Paul Imports to immersing oneself in the beautiful setting of Rancho Los Cerritos, this event promises to be a wonderful celebration of Japanese culture and craftsmanship.

Stop by our booth to enjoy our award-winning Japanese green tea, Sumiyaki Japanese coffee, and a few special surprises we’ve prepared just for this event.

Whether you’re a sake lover or just curious to learn more, this is the perfect chance to explore and connect.

We can’t wait to see you there and raise a glass together — kanpai! 🥂🍵

Get Tickets to Join LB Sake Day