Drink

Everyone knows that Japan is sake country, and when we arrive, we are all desperate to indulge in the traditional tipple of the nation. Euphemistically translated as Japanese rice wine, sake (or ‘nihonshu,’ as the locals call it) has been the choice alcoholic drink here since time immemorial. However, this is starting to change. In recent years, the younger generations have been turning their backs on tradition. They are instead turning towards grape wine, a situation that is having a profound influence on the local industry. The Wine Boom Thanks to a lowering of tariffs on imports, wine has seen a dramatic upsurge in consumption over the past thirty years. According to National Tax Agency statistics, wine consumption in 2017 (the most recent year from when I can find statistics) increased by 3.1% from the previous year to 364,000 kiloliters, the equivalent of approximately 485 million standard bottles. That is almost four bottles for every man, woman, and child in the country. Given this rising popularity, it is safe to assume that this figure will continue to rise in 2020. The majority – around 60 percent – of wine purchases are imports, particularly from Chile, with whom the Japanese government…