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  • Tokyo Jizake Strolling (Circumstances Surrounding Japanese Sake at the End of the Year)

Tokyo Jizake Strolling (Circumstances Surrounding Japanese Sake at the End of the Year)

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By Ryuji Takahashi
Last year, many could not travel to their hometown due to the impact from the coronavirus, thus celebrated the year-end/New Year at home. For this reason, Japanese sake sold in high volumes compared to the end of the previous year. High-end sake over 10,000 JPY also sold in high quantities because expenses spared from having no year-end parties to attend was directed instead on high-end sake to celebrate the New Year at home. December 2021 started with anxiety over year-end sales as the emergency declaration was lifted. Anxiety stemmed from the concern that people who couldn’t return to their hometown the previous year to celebrate the New Year will all leave at once and empty the cities.
In addition, although consumers can now dine inside restaurants, some companies cancelled their year-end parties resulting in fewer orders from restaurants, signaling minimal increase in sales. The outcome was as expected. Early to mid-December generated lower sales than anticipated, surprisingly low for the month of December. Later half of the month of December, shipments to other prefectures picked up at the timing people returned to their hometown to celebrate the New Year holidays. Sales of high-end sake comparable to the previous year finally appeared to signal a return to normal sales for the month of December. However, sales gradually dropped, marked with large sales recorded only during the last three days of the year. This drop in sales seems attributable to the cancelled year-end parties, people returning home to their hometowns, and celebrating the New Year at home as anticipated.
We also received help from sake breweries to sell sake at sales events. Kondo Brewing of Gunma prefecture, producer of Akagisan, sells mainly Akagisan Junmai Daiginjo produced by squeezing Yamadanishiki rice (from Hyogo prefecture) using a centrifugal machine. Echi Shuzo from Shiga prefecture sells mainly TOMITSURU CHIKURIN 2021 and TOMITSURU SHIUN 2021, both winners of Kura Master 2021 held in France. Kanemasu Brewery of Niigata prefecture sells their new Ginjo Draft “Takarazukushi” and “Junmai-Ginjo “Hatsuyuki,” in addition to Junmai-Daiginjo “Hatsuhana” from last year.
Sales events held jointly between Hakuro Shuzo of Niigata prefecture and Fujisaki Sobei Shoten of Saitama prefecture - managed under the same group - sold approximately ten different types of sake. All the sales events were successful, generating high sales during weekends only. Working with sake breweries to sell sake together brings back fond memories of working for a sake shop, which motivates me. Even as I write this article however, the new omicron variant is infecting many. I only hope and pray we don’t return to a time when sake cannot be enjoyed together in public.



東京地酒散歩(年末の日本酒事情)
 昨年は、コロナ禍の影響で生まれ故郷へ帰省が出来ず自宅で年末年始を過ごす人が多かった。その影響で、前年末は例年に比べると沢山の日本酒が売れた。その中でも1万円を超えるような高級酒も多く売れた。その理由としては、忘年会が行えなかったことなど外食に使うお金が出て行かなかったので、正月の日本酒くらいは高級な酒で過ごそうとする人が多かったからである。果たして2021年の年末はどうなるのだろうと不安になりながら12月に突入した。なぜ不安かというと、緊急事態宣言が解け、昨年帰省出来なかった人達が一斉に帰省して街から人がいなくなるのではないかという不安である。それに加え、外食が出来るようになったとは言え、まだまだ企業によっては忘年会を中止にしている為、飲食店からの注文もそれほど伸びない予測が出来たからである。さて、実際はどうかと言うと、ほぼ予想通りの流れとなった。12月の前半から中頃までは本当に12月かと思うくらい売り上げが予想より跳ねなかった。中頃を過ぎると帰省に合わせた地方発送が多くなった。その際は、前年と同じくらい高級酒が出て行きやっと12月らしくなってきたなと思っていたら、徐々にそれも少なくなり、年末最後の3日間のみ大量に酒が売れる流れだった。これは予想通りの忘年会縮小、帰省ラッシュ、自宅でのお正月が分離した流れと言えるだろう。そんな中、今年も酒蔵の皆さんには販売会を助けてもらった。赤城山を醸す群馬の近藤酒造は兵庫県産の山田錦を使用し、それを遠心分離機で絞った赤城山純米大吟醸「黒檜」をメインに販売。滋賀県の愛知酒造は、フランスのクラマスターでプラチナ賞を受賞した富鶴特別純米「竹林」と純米大吟醸「紫雲」をメインに販売。新潟の金升酒造は、新酒の吟醸生貯蔵原酒の「宝づくし」、純米吟醸のにごり酒「初雪」、昨年に続き2年氷温熟成の純米大吟醸「初花」を販売。新潟県柏露酒造と埼玉県藤崎宗兵衛商店は同じグループの会社なので合同で販売会を行い、10種類近い酒の販売を行った。どの販売会も盛況で、週末だけ沢山酒が売れる状態となった。やはり酒蔵と酒の販売が一緒に出来ることは嬉しいし、酒販店としての営業が戻って来た感があり、テンションも上がる。しかし、この原稿を書いている時点でも、新たなオミクロン株の感染者が増え続けている。もう酒が悪者になるような世の中には戻ってほしくないと祈るばかりだ。
#contest #covid19 #daiginjo #dinein #jizake #junmai #kura #master #niigata #sakagura #sake #tokyo #wagyu

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