For sake’s sake, Japan looks to up sales abroad
OZAWA Shuzo brewery hums with activity as boxed bottles of sake are loaded onto trucks. But with the domestic market shrinking, more and more of it is bound for burgeoning overseas markets.
The small establishment has re- cently drawn interest from potential new customers in Thailand, Vietnam and South Korea, on top of a coterie of existing ones in the United States, France and Singapore.
Sake, a fermented drink made of rice, has hit hard times in its home- land amid changing tastes, but manufacturers are welcoming growing popularity overseas. A steady flow of tourists visiting Ozawa Shuzo could be a sign of things to come.
Underlining sake’s increasing global renown, the influential guide Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate this month issued ratings for the beverage.
Sake exports have doubled in the past decade to some 18,180 kilolitres, according to Japanese government figures. Major export destinations are the US, Taiwan, Hong Kong, China and South Korea, making up 70 percent of the total.
In Hong Kong, where Japanese food and culture are popular, sake has been appearing on more and more restaurant menus in recent years.
“Compared to when I first started out in the business, people have increasingly become more interested in appreciating and learning more about sake,” said Stephen Tse, who manages a Japanese restaurant in Tai Hang.
Authorities have actively pushed sake overseas, part of a “Cool Japan” strategy aimed at highlighting the country’s soft power.
Government data show about 89,000 Japanese restaurants existed outside Japan as of July 2015, up sharply from 55,000 just two years before.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is more than happy to serve as promoter-inchief for Japanese sake.
In 2014, he presented bottles of the brew from his home region to US President Barack Obama and in 2013 to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Historical references to sake date to the eighth century and the drink has played an important role in festivals. Drinking it was believed to drive away impurities and evil spirits.
But despite its long pedigree and status as national alcohol, its popularity has been waning as consumer tastes increasingly turn to Western beverages including whisky and wine.
Domestically, sake consumption dropped to about 557,000 kilolitres in 2014, compared with 746,000 kilolitres a decade earlier, the government said.
Younger people see the drink as decidedly uncool.
“We have this image that sake is a drink for older men,” said Shinobu Yashiro, who was accompanying her mother on a visit to Ozawa Shuzo.
Rapidly ageing Japan has no shortage of old men. But many have cut back on imbibing for health reasons while companies trim the entertainment budgets.
Sake sommeliers will be key to boosting sales overseas, said Haruyuki Hioki, president of the Sake Service Institute International.
The group has certified about 1,000 international sommeliers.
“Training people who can explain sake is key,” Hioki said.
“Wine consumption is growing so much in Japan thanks to sommeliers and lots of media coverage. But many people overseas still don’t know much about sake.”