Amazake is a traditional sweet, low-alcohol drink made from fermented rice and sake lees. Ama means "sweet" in Japanese. Therefore amazake means "sweet sake". Sometimes ginger can be added too.
It includes low percent of alcohol but it is not considered as alcohol beverage due to less than 1%, therefore everyone can buy it without showing his/her ID. Usually sake is a clear color as like water but amazake is white, similar to milk.
Usually amazake is drunk as hot beverage and sold at shrines and temples at New Year. These amazake are home made, heated with portable cooktop and served to paper cups. Morinaga & Co., a major confectionery company in Japan sells amazake in cans and drink boxes. Morinaga also sells cold amazake which is in blue cans and drink boxes in spring/summer. Hot version is sold in red cans and drink boxes in autumn/winter.
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