Ambitious sake brewers have turned to foreign markets in an attempt to replicate wine's global success.
Exports of sake, which is essentially a rice wine locally referred to as "nihonshu," have been growing in recent years, and trade fairs and competition events have become common. The proponents, some of whom are motivated by an unquenchable ambition, feel ready to take it up a notch.
Banjo Jozo, a sake brewery in Nagoya, has for several years been cultivating foreign customers. It is now exporting the Kamoshibito Kuheiji brand to upscale establishments, including the Ritz Paris and a three-star restaurant.