By Ryuji TakahashiJapanese sake sells most in the month of December. To say cheap sake, high-end sake, and sake products containing gold flakes all se...

By Kosuke KujiWe made the decision to continue producing rubbing alcohol indefinitely for the most vulnerable - disabled children needing constant medical care. However, as stable supplies of commercial rubbing alcohol are now available in the market, rubbing alcohol produced by sake breweries have ...

By Kosuke KujiJapanese sake sales suffered due to the impact from the novel coronavirus pandemic. The issue of sake rice inventory left over sparked a movement to encourage “support by consuming the sake rice.” I thought of participating in this movement myself. Speaking to rice farmers however, I l...

By Kosuke Kuji"Due to the impact from the coronavirus, the production volume for Japanese sake had to be reduced." However, the sake ingredient – sake rice – was contracted before the coronavirus pandemic and cannot be diverted elsewhere. Sake breweries cannot back out on their contract farmers. The...

By Kosuke KujiThe novel coronavirus destroyed Japan’s economy from the bottom up.In Japan, where the lockdown cannot be enforced, citizens voluntarily stay at home to comply with the “self-restraint request” made by the government to the public to overcome the pandemic. However, the fourth wave hit ...

By Kosuke KujiDue to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic since last year, the long-established weekly “Sake Tasting Event” for sake producers to interact with consumers was cancelled. At this event, brewery owners and Master Sake Brewers introduce their sake brands to consumers, sample them together wi...

By Kosuke KujiMarch 11, 2021 marked a milestone as the 10th year since the Great East Japan earthquake. However, afflicted regions frown upon the term ‘milestone,’ as the disaster and grieving still continues for the many afflicted to date. Since this March, Japan suffered another major earthquake i...

By Kosuke KujiJapan during the “Golden Week” (April 29 ~ May 5) declared their third state of emergency. The justification was to stop crowds from gathering as much as possible, which is understandable. Healthcare facilities face staff shortages in Osaka and Hyogo prefectures, while the number of pe...

By Kosuke KujiA video of Japanese breweries pouring sake and toasting each other throughout Japan was uploaded and widely covered by the media across 47 prefectures. *Iwate Nippo Daily Newspaper (https://www.iwate-np.co.jp/article/2020/6/15/79765) Of course, Japanese sake breweries were praised for ...

By Kosuke KujiSince Japan’s nationwide state of emergency declaration ended, gradual efforts started to recover the economy while stopping the spread of the coronavirus. Along with Japan as the Japanese continue to fight the novel coronavirus; the world is also experiencing shutdown fatigue. In Japa...