Photo/Illutration Workers mix "koji" rice with water and steamed rice at Nabedana, a sake brewer in Kozaki town, Chiba Prefecture, on Nov. 1. (Shota Tomonaga)

The anticipation over the likely addition of sake brewing and shochu distilling as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage elements in December comes at a turning point for the industry. 

Long-established sake breweries committed to preserving the techniques of their forbears hope UNESCO registration not only acts as a steppingstone to overseas markets, but spurs a revival at home as alcohol consumption declines.

Kan Otsuka, 68, is among them. The president of Nabedana in Narita, Chiba Prefecture, rejoiced at the news.

Otsuka said many international tourists already stop by the brewery, and the company has put significant effort into marketing itself to draw in international customers to the establishment that has been around since the Edo Period (1603-1867). 

This includes educational videos on its website in English and Chinese as well as "koji" mold cultivation experiences.

Nabedana is not popular solely because of its proximity to Narita Airport. The brewery's flagship line “Fudo” regularly wins gold medals at sake competitions overseas. 

Currently, exports account for about 5 percent of the brewery’s total sales. Its goal is to increase that to at least 20 percent.

Otsuka believes that “overseas sales are still growing” and foresees that competition for exports will heat up in the future.

This tracks in that foreign consumers already have a keen interest in Japanese sake.

According to the Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association, sake exports totaled approximately 41.1 billion yen ($270 million) in 2023, a fourfold increase in 10 years.

China, the United States and Hong Kong account for just under 70 percent of exports, but there are possibilities all over the world, including Italy, where exports have increased more than sixfold in 10 years. 

A CHANGING RELATIONSHIP

As enthusiasm grows abroad, less people are drinking sake in Japan.

According to the National Tax Agency, shipments of sake in fiscal 2022 totaled 407,000 kiloliters, about a quarter less than what it was 50 years prior.

The number of sake breweries licensed by the agency has also dropped to less than half in 50 years.

This concerns Hitoshi Utsunomiya, 65.

“The point is that the Japanese people have forgotten the charm of Japanese sake,” said Utsunomiya, a former official of the agency who currently serves as vice chair of an association dedicated to preserving traditional sake-making techniques with koji. 

Utsunomiya is acutely aware of breweries' plight, having visited many throughout Japan to teach traditional methods and provide critiques of their sake.

He said he is genuinely happy about the news, but he also feels a great sense of crisis and believes the culture of drinking alcohol itself is in decline. 

Health consciousness, drinking-related harassment cases and the prolonged recession are a few reasons for the shift. The COVID-19 pandemic also meant fewer drinking parties.

Utsunomiya said he understands that this is the way things are. However, he believes in sake's importance to local festivals and seasonal customs. To him, the decline of the drinking culture could lead to the decline of Japanese culture. 

Despite Utsunomiya's woes, he has seen younger generations express passion for the craft.

His group offers year-round correspondence training for those who want to become full-fledged sake brewers. More than 150 have regularly participated in the program over the past few years, he said. Most are in their 20 and 30s.

If sake is included on the Intangible Cultural Heritage list, Utsunomiya said he would like to organize exchanges with other Intangible Cultural Heritage elements, such as showcasing the appeal of sake at a Belgian beer event.

He also hopes that UNESCO registration will encourage more Japanese to feel proud of the national alcoholic beverage and proposed that people “celebrate the upcoming New Year's holiday with sake.”

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