Have you ever eaten Japanese food and wondered, "What is that sweetness?"

Not quite like sugar — softer, and somehow deeper. The gloss on teriyaki, the richness of simmered dishes, the sauce in sukiyaki — mirin and cooking sake might be what's behind that taste.

Once you understand these two, another piece of the "why does Japanese food taste so deep" puzzle falls into place.

What Is Mirin?

Mirin is a sweet seasoning made from glutinous rice.

It contains alcohol and has a pale golden color. It's sweet, but nothing like sugar. Sugar is just sweet. Mirin brings sweetness along with depth and umami. Add it to a dish and the ingredients take on a natural sweetness and a gentle sheen.

From Kaa-chan's personal feeling, sugar's sweetness has an edge to it. Mirin rounds that off. For a gentle sweetness, mirin alone is enough. When a dish needs to be more noticeably sweet, sugar comes in too — but for everyday Japanese cooking, mirin tends to handle the sweetness.

Hon Mirin vs. Mirin-Style Seasoning

In Japanese supermarkets, you'll sometimes see something called "mirin-style seasoning."

It's actually a different product from hon mirin — real mirin. Hon mirin is fermented from glutinous rice, rice koji, and shochu, and contains alcohol. Mirin-style seasoning contains almost no alcohol — it's designed to mimic the sweetness only.

From Kaa-chan's experience, the depth they add to cooking is different — so Kaa-chan uses hon mirin. For those who prefer to avoid alcohol, mirin-style seasoning is probably the better fit. Choose whichever works for you.

What Is Cooking Sake?

Cooking sake is Japanese sake made specifically for cooking.

It's based on Japanese sake, and from what Kaa-chan has read, it's said to reduce the gamey or fishy smell in meat and fish, tenderize ingredients, and draw out umami. It's often used alongside mirin.

The difference from drinkable sake is that cooking sake has salt added. You could technically drink it, but Kaa-chan wouldn't recommend it. It's purely a cooking ingredient.

Drinkable Japanese sake gets its own article — coming soon. 👉 [Internal link: Japanese sake article (link coming soon)]

Why These Two Are Always Used Together

Mirin and cooking sake are often used together.

Mirin adds sweetness and depth. Cooking sake removes unwanted odors and draws out umami. They each do different things, so together they balance each other out.

Teriyaki sauce, nimono broth, sukiyaki sauce — most of these use both.

Kaa-chan keeps both mirin and sake on hand, and often uses them alongside mentsuyu. Not cooking sake, by the way — just regular drinkable sake, the 2-liter carton kind. 😄 This site's position is "start with just one bottle of mentsuyu" — but once you have mirin and sake too, the range of flavors you can make expands quite a bit.

Where You'll Taste Mirin and Cooking Sake in Japan

These two never appear on the surface of a dish. But they're behind that flavor.

That glossy look and sweet-savory taste of teriyaki — that's mirin and soy sauce working together. Mirin, when heated, creates that distinctive sheen.

The gentle sweetness and depth in daikon or taro root in simmered dishes — that's mirin and cooking sake soaking into the ingredients.

The sweetness in sukiyaki's sweet-savory sauce? Also mirin.

Head to the seasoning aisle of any Japanese supermarket and you'll find hon mirin and cooking sake side by side. Worth having a look at the labels.

For Those Who Want to Try It at Home

Hon mirin isn't easy to find at supermarkets outside Japan, but Kaa-chan found it on Amazon.

This is Kaa-chan's recommendation — hon mirin made using traditional methods. Add it to a dish and the sweetness, sheen, and depth come through clearly. One bottle changes how Japanese cooking feels.

Cooking sake can be substituted with regular sake or white wine, so if you want to start with just one of the two, start with the mirin.

👉 Hon Mirin on Amazon

— Mogu Mogu Kaa-chan　A Japanese mom who always adds mirin and sake together — it just feels right.

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