I got a pair of sake cups from an internet auction. They are meant to be a married couple. The sizes are different, so I can put the smaller one inside the other. Good for storage. There is writing inside the cups, it says 'you live to be a hundred' for the wife, and 'I want to live to be ninety-nine' for the husband. They were a bit freaky at first, but after finding these phrases, they look very nice. I hope we can enjoy drinking, even when our hair turns grey.

My friend told me that in Kochi prefecture there are special sake cups with a small hole. These cups are called Bekuhai, which means we can't put the cup down (unless it is empty). You have to put your thumb over the hole to drink and finish the drink before you can put the cup down. There is another kind of cup called Sorakyu (in Japanese) which has a pointed bottom. People in Kochi have been drinking with these cups for a long time. No wonder Kochi has the highest sake consumption rates in Japan! I found a bekuhai drinking game kit on the internet, but I don't like the faces of this Hyottoko and Tengu (a red goblin). I thought I might find a beautiful old antique bekuhai kit on an internet auction, but only new products were available. I want to check if recycle shops or antique markets have funny old sake cups (in Japanese). People in Kagoshima also drink Shochu with bekuhai.