Minamisatsuma City, the birthplace of Japan's two greatest shochu brewers, will hold a project to preserve the city's world-famous shochu culture on April 1st.

Minamisatsuma City, the birthplace of Japan's two major brewers, hopes to promote the world-renowned shochu culture, attracting visitors to the region and increasing shochu consumption. Starting April 1, 2025, Minamisatsuma City Tourism Association (Minamisatsuma City, Kagoshima Prefecture) will collaborate with accommodation businesses in the city and the Minamisatsuma Local Shochu Promotion Council (commonly known as Minamisatsuma Shichizo) to implement the "Shochu Culture Preservation Project," which will involve product development such as shochu-related experience programs and rebranding.

Minamisatsuma City is located at the southwestern tip of the Satsuma Peninsula, and is surrounded by magnificent nature, including Fukiagehama, one of Japan's three largest sand dunes, and a ria coastline. It is also the birthplace of Japan's two greatest brewers, Kurose Toji and Ada Toji, and there are seven shochu breweries, known as the "Seven Breweries," that have handed down their techniques. With Japan's "traditional sake brewing," including shochu and sake, registered as an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO, and with the growing demand for distilled spirits in North America, sales are expected to expand in the shochu market.

The target of the "Shochu Culture Transmission Project" is tourists from Japan and abroad who have visited Kagoshima and are "alcohol lovers and gourmets." We will prepare a plan that will satisfy travelers looking for their favorite "specialties."

About the Shochu Culture Preservation Project

(1) Shochu tasting experience

This is an experiential experience where you can enjoy all seven representative brands at once. Participants create a "taste chart" to compare the taste of each, and at the end, they drink one of the samples and try to guess which shochu it is. The taste chart is made up of descriptions that are easy to understand even for people who don't usually drink shochu, such as heavy/light, strong potato aroma/fruity and gorgeous aroma, and the original shochu glass used in tasting has a stylish wine glass-like appearance. It was designed to break away from the masculine image of shochu and make it enjoyable for women and foreign tourists as well. Location of experience: Kiyatamonse Minamisatsuma Tourism and Product Exchange Facility (43-9 Kaseda Honmachi, Minamisatsuma City, Kagoshima Prefecture)

(2) Food pairing

A course meal using local ingredients will be served with shochu. The pairings were devised by the master brewers and related parties of each brewery, the chef, and the inn's proprietress, who is a certified wine sommelier.

The menu features locally caught seasonal vegetables and fish, paired with each shochu. The course meal consists of eight dishes, which change with the seasons. One dish is paired with one glass of shochu. This special experience will allow you to experience new "value."

For inquiries, please contact the Tourism Association (0993-53-3751)

Location: Matsuya Ryokan (5636 Tonohara, Kaseda, Minamisatsuma City, Kagoshima Prefecture)

(3) Rebranding of shochu

We have created a set of 180ml mini bottles for each brand. The visuals of the conventional brown glass bottles and old-fashioned labels have been completely renewed. The label design is inspired by the taste of each brand and the texture it feels when broken, and features the name of the brand written in Roman letters and the Shichizo logo on a clear glass bottle.

The size makes it easy to take home as a souvenir, and you can easily compare the differences in taste. The simple and cute design of the outer box makes it look like a cake box. We aim to attract new fans, including young people who are not familiar with shochu.

*Scheduled for sale in early April 2025 (limited quantity)

When you think of Kagoshima, you think of Sakurajima.

We felt that expressing the taste and aroma of each brewery's shochu with words alone was not enough, so we expressed it with colors and patterns, and by fusing it with each brewery's brand logo, we created new value. We will then sell neo-local products that express Sakurajima with these new designs and reach new customers.

Future outlook

Through data and satisfaction surveys from domestic and international tourists and experience visitors, we aim to further expand consumption within the region and create a sustainable tourist area. In the future, we will also introduce the "Minamisatsuma Shichikura Shochu Certification Examination (tentative title)" so that local people will enjoy drinking the local shochu, and work to train fans and guides.

https://kanko-minamisatsuma.jp/

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Tourism and Product Exchange Facility Kiyatamonse Minamisatsuma

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Minamisatsuma Local Shochu Promotion Council

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