Last weekend, fifth-generation sake brewery owner Kosuke Kuji of Nanbu Bijin delivered an earnest plea to the public on behalf of sake producers in the Tohoku region: "We'd be sincerely grateful if people would continue to have hanami parties (this year)."
In response to Tokyo governor Shintaro Ishihara's call for jishuku (self-restraint), which has led to the cancellation of official hanami (cherry-blossom viewing) celebrations in more than half of the city's 79 parks over the coming weeks, Kuji launched a video campaign on YouTube under the moniker Hana Sake! Nihon no Kai (Flower Sake! Association of Japan) to encourage people to hold the parties as usual. Cutting back on the festivities, he explained, would threaten to "bring a second wave of economic hardship" to the sake industry in Tohoku, which has sustained substantial losses as a result of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
Most of the 100 breweries in the hard-hit areas of Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures suffered structural damage ranging from cracked walls to crumbled roofs. Some breweries, such as Suisen Brewery in Iwate Prefecture, were completely destroyed. Moreover, several tons of sake and rice were lost as storage and fermentation tanks were toppled and bottles smashed. Power cuts and gasoline shortages have also caused disruptions in distribution, triggering a further loss of sales.