How Tokyo’s Oldest Sake Company Is Expanding Global Appreciation for Japanese Craftsmanship

I’d like to begin by talking about washoku, Japanese cuisine, and sake’s place within it. In recent years, Japanese food has seen a remarkable rise in popularity worldwide. Naturally, this has helped traditional beverages like sake gain international acclaim as well. Where once sake was considered a niche product outside Japan, today it is increasingly embraced around the world. We see it not only in Japanese restaurants and bars, but also on shelves in international venues. This recognition has fueled steady export growth in markets such as the United States, Canada, and Europe. Why, in your view, is sake itself now gaining such popularity and appreciation globally?

As Japanese cuisine has become more widely enjoyed across the world, sake has followed closely behind. The two are inseparable. As people experience sushi, ramen, wagyu beef, and other Japanese dishes, they naturally develop curiosity about sake as the authentic beverage to accompany them.

At the same time, many sake breweries in Japan are dedicating real effort to expanding exports. Their commitment, combined with the strength of Japanese culinary culture, has contributed to the international recognition sake enjoys today. For example, last May I went to Los Angeles to present our sake. There I saw that Japanese restaurants—sushi shops, ramen houses, wagyu specialists—were flourishing, though often expensive, and diners were eager to experience sake alongside their meals.

That growth internationally comes at a crucial time for the industry. Domestic consumption has been steadily declining. At the start of this century Japan had around 2,000 breweries; by last year, only about 1,168 remained. Production volumes have dropped by more than 10 percent since 2018. Many industry leaders we’ve spoken to believe this makes internationalization an urgent priority. Your company already exports to 15 countries, including the United States, Germany, Singapore, and Vietnam. Which international markets or customer segments do you believe represent the strongest business opportunities for Toshimaya, and why?

At present, I see the United States as the strongest market. Americans are gradually becoming more open to drinking sake, step by step. The number of Japanese restaurants there continues to grow, and cultural ties between our two countries are strong. For these reasons, I believe the U.S. market will be the most important for us moving forward.

That’s interesting. When I spoke with the Sakurai family at Dassai, they explained how they wanted to make sake more accessible and international. They even built their new Dassai brewery in New York to focus on that mission. Their argument is that customers need a clear reason to choose their sake over others. So let me ask you the same: why should American consumers choose Toshimaya sake? What makes it special?

At present, sake still represents less than one percent of the total alcoholic beverage market in the U.S. Wine, beer, and whiskey dominate. This means sake is not yet popular in a broad sense, but precisely because of that, there is great room to grow.

Our strength lies in our history and in the flavor profile we have refined over centuries. We want to share not only the taste and aroma of our sake, but also the story behind it—our heritage and dedication. We believe that over time, more Americans will come to appreciate this and will select Toshimaya sake step by step.

Different breweries seem to be taking very different approaches to expansion. Dassai, as you mentioned, has invested in building a U.S. brewery. Others focus on distribution partnerships. What is Toshimaya’s strategy?

We are a relatively small company, so building our own brewery overseas is not realistic. Instead, we are working through partnerships and digital platforms. In the U.S., for example, we collaborate with “Tippsy,” the largest e-commerce platform dedicated to Japanese sake.

Many American consumers cannot easily find sake in liquor stores. Through online platforms, they are able to explore, choose, and order sake based on their own preferences. This gives us access to a much broader customer base.

We also pursue business-to-business distribution through restaurant partnerships. So our strategy is twofold: distribution through established restaurant channels, and online direct-to-consumer sales.

You also operate the Toshimaya Global Store, which I understand caters to both individual and corporate customers overseas. Could you tell us more about that and whether you plan to build it up further?

The Global Store is an important channel, but it comes with challenges. The biggest issue is transportation costs. For example, shipping a single 720ml bottle to France costs more than 5,000 yen—over 30 U.S. dollars. If the bottle itself is not particularly expensive, the shipping fee can outweigh the value.

Still, we see customers willing to pay this premium. For instance, a family in Taiwan ordered our "Daiginjo Kinkon" as a gift for their parents’ golden wedding anniversary. The name “Kinkon” symbolizes “golden wedding” in Japanese, making it a perfect celebratory sake. Even with the high shipping fee, the emotional meaning and historical significance of our brand made the purchase worthwhile for them.

This demonstrates that customers are not only buying the liquid itself—they are buying the story, the symbolism, and the connection to our history.

Tourism also seems to be an important factor. Japan welcomed nearly 37 million visitors last year, and about 5 percent of them came specifically for sake-related experiences. The government’s target is 60 million visitors by 2030, with an annual spend of 15 trillion yen. How are you tailoring your offerings to capture this inbound tourism boom, and how do you hope to create repeat customers once they return home?

Tourism is indeed critical for us. Five years ago, we opened a small tavern called the Toshimaya Sake Shop in Kanda, our founding place. In many ways this was a revival of our origins: more than 400 years ago, our founder Juemon opened what is said to be Japan’s first tavern, where sake was served with simple dishes such as tofu dengaku. That original shop was destroyed by the Great Kanto Earthquake a century ago, and we stepped away from the tavern business—until recently.

The new Toshimaya Sake Shop is deliberately intimate and themed around “Edo-Tokyo Modern.” We combine Edo-period traditions with modern touches. For example, we serve tofu dengaku, just as in the Edo era, but we also created a new snack we call Toshimaya Butter—made by blending butter with sake lees and dried fruit. Foreign visitors love tasting both the traditional and the innovative, side by side.

Our hope is that when tourists return to their countries, they will carry these experiences with them, continue to enjoy sake, and perhaps even order ours online.

Japan’s declining population is also having an effect on the brewing industry. We’ve seen the loss of institutional knowledge in areas such as the kimoto and yamahai brewing methods, as more labor-intensive techniques are being replaced with modern shortcuts. How do you ensure that brewing knowledge is smoothly transferred from one generation to the next? Or is it easier for you to handle because your brewery is based in Tokyo?

Fortunately, younger generations today are showing interest in brewing, and our brewery has been able to hire several younger brewers. This has allowed us to pass down skills and knowledge smoothly. The average age of our brewers is around 40, which is quite young compared to the industry overall. They are highly motivated, and they are constantly refining their techniques in order to make truly excellent sake.

As a company founded in the late 16th century, you carry centuries of tradition. To what extent do you feel the responsibility to uphold those traditions? And at the same time, how do you meet modern demands such as faster delivery, higher efficiency, and product consistency?

Our brewery is both small and old, so we place great value on manual craftsmanship. While we do introduce some mechanical tools to increase efficiency, we see sake not as an industrial product but as an agricultural product, deeply tied to nature and to human skill. For that reason, manual techniques remain at the heart of what we do.

At the same time, balance is important. We must preserve tradition where it matters most, but we must also adopt new technologies where they add value. Our guiding philosophy is Continuity with Change—a phrase originally expressed by the haiku poet Matsuo Bashō as fueki-ryūkō. In haiku, the structure of five-seven-five syllables never changes, and seasonal references remain essential. Yet the poet must also innovate to reflect the times. Similarly, we must carefully maintain what should never be changed—credibility, sincerity, trust with our customers—while also changing what must change, such as marketing, product development, and distribution channels.

For instance, every year we continue to produce shirozake, a sweet white sake traditionally offered at Girls’ Day festivals, using methods that are two to three hundred years old. At the same time, we introduce modern tools—temperature control tank—to improve efficiency while respecting tradition. In parallel, we develop new products such as “Edo Sake Oji (Edo Sake Prince)” made entirely with ingredients sourced from Tokyo: Edo yeast, deep well water in the brewery in Tokyo, and rice grown in Tokyo. We created this sake in anticipation of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, wanting to showcase the identity of Tokyo through sake. The result is a distinctive beverage—sweet and slightly sour—that some people mistake for a white wine on first taste. It even won the highest prize at a competition in Paris, and we now export it to the United States, France, Singapore, and elsewhere.

Based on your experience in Los Angeles and other markets, how do Americans in general perceive sake? Do they see it as closer to wine, to spirits, or in a category of its own?

Most Americans notice first that sake is slightly stronger than wine. Sake typically contains 15–18 percent alcohol, compared to wine’s 12–14 percent. At first, this can make sake feel more like a spirit. But in practice, sake’s versatility with food makes it closer to wine. It pairs beautifully with sushi and sashimi, of course, but some types also match meats exceptionally well.

For example, our sake “Juemon”—named after our founder—is brewed with extensive manual craftsmanship. It has a deep, clean finish and pairs wonderfully with meat dishes. This variety allows American consumers to explore sake much as they would explore wines, choosing different bottles to complement different meals.

When I visited Los Angeles, I was encouraged to see that many Americans—not only those with Japanese heritage—were genuinely enthusiastic about sake. Awareness and understanding are clearly growing.

Your company’s history is remarkable. Founded in 1596, Toshimaya is Tokyo’s oldest sake store. Over the centuries, you introduced shirozake, which became essential to Girls’ Day celebrations, and your sake is still used at both Meiji Jingu and Kanda Shrine. For our readers, could you highlight one or two key milestones that you believe truly shaped your company’s identity?

Certainly. One major milestone was the development of shirozake, the white sake associated with Girls’ Day. That contribution was not only significant for our company but also for Japanese culture as a whole.

Another milestone was the opening of what is believed to be Japan’s very first tavern. This established a new way for people to enjoy sake socially, paired with food. In addition, we are credited with introducing the practice of kagami-biraki—the ceremonial breaking open of a sake barrel at festive occasions. Much like breaking a champagne bottle against a ship’s bow, it symbolizes joy, celebration, and new beginnings. These traditions have become deeply embedded in Japanese culture, and they remain part of our legacy.

One area where Toshimaya stands out is your dedication to producing authentic mirin, crafted through the slow fermentation of rice, koji, and shōchū. While most producers have shifted to industrial shortcuts, you continue the traditional process. Why is this so important to you?

As a small brewery, we cannot compete on quantity. Instead, our focus must be on quality. By preserving traditional methods, we can offer mirin of a higher standard, with depth and authenticity that industrial products cannot match.

For us, brewing is not about mass production; it is about craft. Customers who choose our products value the fact that they are made by hand as much as possible. That human touch, we believe, carries meaning and adds to the enjoyment.

That manual craftsmanship seems central to your brand. In such a modern, automated world, which parts of the brewing process do you feel must still be done by hand?

The making of koji is absolutely critical. After rice is steamed, we sprinkle mold spores onto it. The koji mold converts starch into sugar and sets the foundation for fermentation. The quality of the koji directly determines the quality of the sake. For premium sake, we always produce koji by hand.

Here, the intuition and experience of the brewmaster remain vital. We do use modern instruments such as thermometers to monitor conditions, but ultimately, the brewmaster’s judgment—his sense of smell, touch, and experience—guides the process. It is a balance of tradition and modernity.

In wine, the French use the word terroir to describe how a region’s environment—its soil, water, climate, and traditions—shape its flavor. Applied to Tokyo sake, what makes your products distinct from other regions?

Each region of Japan has its own character in sake. In Tokyo, our defining element is water. We brew with deep well water that is said to originate as snowmelt from Mount Fuji, flowing underground until it reaches Tokyo. Whether or not every detail of that story is literally true, the water is undeniably mild and pure. It gives our sake a gentle, refined finish that distinguishes it. That softness, I believe, is the essence of Tokyo sake.

You have a broad product portfolio—from the “Daiginjo Kinkon", used for weddings and celebrations, to shirozake, to your newer “Edo Sake Oji”. For our readers around the world, which sake would you most recommend they try? And do you have any new products in development?

I would particularly recommend “Edo Sake Oji” and “Juemon,” both of which we believe have global appeal. For those seeking something truly special, we also produce a “Junmai Daiginjo Toshimaya,” priced at around 20,000 yen—over 120 U.S. dollars.

This sake is made with extraordinary care. We do not press it using a machine. Instead, we use the fukuro-tsuri method, where the fermented mash is placed in cloth bags and hung, allowing gravity alone to separate the liquid. This results in a sake of great purity and nuance. We then age it for two to three years at icy temperatures, producing a remarkably smooth flavor. Because of its quality, this sake is served in first-class hotels in Japan.

That sounds exquisite. Now, if I may ask about your own background: you are the 16th generation of your family to lead Toshimaya, but before that you were a physicist specializing in semiconductors. How has your scientific training influenced the way you manage the company?

When I was young, I was not particularly interested in joining the family business. My father, who was also a researcher with a Ph.D. in chemical engineering, allowed me to pursue my own path, so I studied physics at university and went on to earn a master’s degree. I then joined Hitachi as a researcher in semiconductor devices and eventually obtained a Ph.D. in electrical engineering.

Some of my research contributed, in a small way, to the evolution of modern computers and smartphones. Of course, that knowledge has become somewhat outdated, but what remains valuable is the mindset: logical thinking. In business, I try to make decisions based on facts and numbers rather than on vague optimism. That scientific approach has been useful in guiding the company strategically and sustainably.

Looking ahead, what would you like to achieve as president before handing the company to the next generation?

Our motto, as I mentioned, is Continuity with Change. My greatest wish is that my successors will hold onto this philosophy—preserving what must not be lost, while innovating in areas that must evolve. If they can do this, Toshimaya will remain resilient even in an unstable, globalized world.

At present, less than five percent of our revenue comes from overseas markets. Within five years, I would like that to grow to more than 20 percent. We are small, so we cannot achieve this overnight. But step by step, with persistence, we can expand globally.

We would love to continue following that journey and to share your story with our readers as it unfolds.

Thank you very much. I hope that younger generations in Japan, as well as people abroad, will gain interest in sake. At our Toshimaya Sake Shop, I see both groups—young Japanese customers and foreign tourists—discovering sake. My wish is that they carry that experience forward, continue to enjoy sake, and help build its future.

To read more about Toshimaya Corporation, check out this article about them.