What It Is

animitta 酒之店 (full name: 日本酒與酒器專賣店 — "Japanese sake and sake vessel specialty shop") is a curated sake import boutique in Songshan District that doubles as the retail flagship for a Taiwan-origin artisan glassware brand. Two functions operate simultaneously: a specialist sake cellar managed by certified sake sommeliers, and a display gallery where customers may drink purchased sake from the artisan vessels on the shelf before deciding whether to buy them.

The glassware range is built around 冰裂琉璃 (ice-crack glass) — a technique producing controlled surface fracture patterns inspired by Song Dynasty 汝窯 (Ru-kiln) celadon ceramics, adapted to blown glass. Each piece is individually made; the crack pattern is not reproducible. The shop carries its own brand alongside commissioned pieces, sold as sake cups, carafes, and sets. Customers are encouraged to use the display vessels during a tasting rather than selecting from a sealed shelf.

The sake selection is Japanese import, curated without reference to brand recognition. Bottles are selected by the proprietors based on producer relationships and style fit rather than label familiarity. A number of the producers stocked are not available in standard Taiwan import retail channels.

Location

District: Songshan (松山區)
Address: No. 6-1, Lane 155, Dunhua North Road, Songshan District (台北市松山區敦化北路155巷6-1號)
Nearest MRT: Nanjing Fuxing Station (南京復興站, Bannan Blue Line + Wenhu Brown Line), approximately 10–15 minutes on foot northeast along Dunhua North Road to Lane 155.
Phone: 02-2712-6839

Opening Hours

Tuesday–Sunday, 12:00–20:00. Closed Monday. No reservation required for walk-in browse. Tasting by arrangement; contact by phone or social media for scheduled sessions.

Price Range

  • 綠川純米酒 (Midorikawa Junmai): NTD 1,450
  • 作 IMPRESSION-G 純米原酒 (Tsukuru Impression-G Junmai Genshu): NTD 1,700
  • 末廣山廢純米酒 (Suehiro Yamahai Junmai): NTD 1,500
  • Artisan ice-crack sake cups (individual): NTD 3,500–3,800
  • Ocean Ice-Crack set (carafe + 2 cups): NTD 6,900

Specific Items Worth Buying

氷裂琉璃酒器セット — Ocean Ice-Crack sake set (carafe + 2 cups), NTD 6,900. The principal object of the shop: each piece hand-blown in Taiwan with a non-reproducible ice-crack surface pattern derived from Song Dynasty Ru-kiln celadon. No two sets are identical. The vessel is designed around sake temperature: blown glass preserves cold longer than ceramic while making temperature visible by condensation pattern.
冰裂琉璃酒杯 — Individual ice-crack sake cup, NTD 3,500–3,800. Same production as the set piece; sold individually when the full set is outside budget. The tasting model lets you drink from the specific cup you intend to purchase before committing.
Curated single-bottle sake selection, NTD 1,450–1,700. Picks from producers not well distributed in standard Taiwan retail. The certified sommelier staff can advise on style, producer, and food pairing in Mandarin or Japanese. Not a comprehensive cellar by volume; curated by relationship rather than inventory scale.

Why It Is Unusual

The vessel model is the structural anomaly. Most sake shops treat glassware as accessory; here the glassware is co-equal merchandise and the shop is arranged as a gallery where the display pieces are also the drinking vessels. A customer tasting sake from a cup they are considering purchasing is not a service extension — it is the design of the sales floor. The ice-crack technique produces a piece that cannot be replicated, which means the cup on the shelf is one of a kind rather than a SKU.

The sake selection is separated from the mainstream import market by curation method: the proprietors source by producer relationship and palate fit rather than volume distribution contracts. Several labels stocked here are not available in department store cellar-equivalent settings in Taiwan.

The address — Lane 155, Dunhua North Road — is a short alley running east off the main arterial, unmarked from the street. The shop has no facade signage visible from Dunhua North Road. It is found by lane number, not by shopfront.

Verified open and trading: appletrees.tw sake guide Oct 2025 listing; IYO SAKE active retailer partnership; Mirror Media feature coverage; AllEvents.in Taipei listing active 2026.