By Atsuko Yamaguchi, Assistant Director.
Last week several staff attended an event organised at the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation (DAJF) to promote greater understanding of Japanese sake culture and its economic importance. Chaired by Minister Kawakami of the Embassy of Japan in London (who is seconded from the Ministry of Finance, which has responsibility for taxation of the sake industry in Japan), the event heard from Natsuki Kikuya of the London-based Museum of Sake and Rie Yoshitake of Sake Samurai UK.
Ms Yoshitake explained how Sake Samurai promotes the consumption of Japan’s winning sake in overseas markets through awards and brand ambassadors chosen annually, driving exports and promoting awareness of prefectures of Japan through winning sake brands, which have their very own ‘sake tourism’. My own prefecture Saga’s gold medal-winning entry in the 2011 International Wine Challenge increased the prominence of not only sake breweries locally, but also the local economy of the prefecture as a whole, leading to the formation of the SAKAGURA tourism association to maintain awareness and promotion of our products and area.
Ms Kikuya explained how jizake (local sake) promotes localized brands in a globalized market and how the better use of local brands can achieve national growth in global markets. As well as learning production techniques and the fascinating history of the Japanese wine, the array of premium sake was also appreciated by those in attendance at the London event, which DAJF commented sold out to capacity in just one hour of being advertised.
