Japanese spirit high on foreign interest boom

BY KEIZO FUKATSU, THE ASAHI SHIMBUN

Sake and the image most people overseas have of Japan go hand in hand. But the fact is, sake's popularity has long been on the wane here, challenged by the likes of shochu and fashionable wines.

But all is not lost. A growing appreciation of nihonshu, or sake, among people of other nations has provided a new lifeline for Japanese brewers.

Sake exports marked a record-breaking 11,334 kiloliters in 2007, shooting up from 7,051 kiloliters in 2001, due primarily to traditional sake breweries intent on making rice wine that caters to worldwide markets.

Jean-Paul Hevin, a world-renowned French chocolatier, knows his sake. He is especially passionate about a special brew named Kawasemi no Tabi (travels of the kingfisher). In France it is known as Le Martin Pecheur, and Hevin praises it as the perfect accompaniment to his chocolates.

Niigata-based brewery Koshino Hana Shuzo introduced the extremely sweet, rich-bodied sake to France in spring 2007. The sake is made from rice, rice malt and water only.

Company president Satoshi Onodera, 55, was confident that the new special brew would do well in the land of the gourmands: "(The sake) is rich in flavor yet has a refreshing aftertaste. I am sure it compares fairly with any pricey European dessert wine."

Kawasemi no Tabi, developed three years ago, uses a unique process under which sake, instead of water, is used during the fermentation process.

It was designed to be sweet in the style of a dessert wine, so that it could be served with dessert courses in Western cuisine.

According to a dry-sweet scale, a plus five sake is considered dry, while a minus five is sweet. The Kawasemi scores a whopping minus 30--an anomaly that goes against the current industry trend of light, sharp and dry sake.

Hevin was immediately intrigued by the new sake.

He even came up with a chocolate that uses Koshino Hana's sake lees, the dregs of fermented rice left over from the brewing process. The chocolates are on sale at Hevin boutiques across France.

While Kawasemi did well by pleasing the French's sweet tooth, Hananomai Brewing Co., based in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, found success overseas by using a different approach.

The company started to export its leading Hananomai (flower dance) sake to the United States about five years ago.

Sales grew by 10 percent yearly, until a local distributor suggested changing the name as it was tough to pronounce for the average American.

Company president Kazuo Takada, taking the advice on board, decided to switch to a name that is "more obviously Japanese."

Three years ago, the sake was re-launched under the new brand name Katana, using the three kanji characters that mean Japanese sword.

While the content of the bottle remained the same, the marketing strategy proved to be a huge success. Katana now makes up more than 50 percent of the company's total 30 million yen export sales to the United States.

Such success stories have rightfully heartened the sake industry.

According to the National Tax Agency, domestic sake consumption, calculated based on taxes, has been on a steady decline since peaking at 1.74 million kiloliters in fiscal 1975.

Sake consumption has been dropping yearly since fiscal 1995, and preliminary figures for fiscal 2006 reported a low 700,000 kiloliters, or 40 percent of its heyday.

In response to the domestic decline, the Japan Sake Brewers Association has been actively promoting its products overseas for the past few years.

"Increased sake exports are a promising sign for the industry as it suffers from sluggish domestic sales," said an association official.

Part of the promotion efforts have focused on hosting tasting events in major foreign markets.

Thanks in part to such efforts, the United States is now a major customer, accounting for more than 30 percent of total Japanese sake exports. Tasting events in Los Angeles and elsewhere are always packed with enthusiasts.

"In the United States, the well-to-do have the impression that 'Japanese food and beverages are healthy,'" said an association official.

"If the concept spreads to ordinary homes, we may see sake consumption take off even further." (IHT/Asahi: May 13,2008)