The Honichi Labo site features a flowery appeal to foreign visitors in the form of a richly decorated bottle of junmai daiginjō.
Endō Shuzōjō in Suzaka, Nagano Prefecture, makers of Keiryu, issued a press release about their Endō PREMIUM FLOWER special on 20 October 2018.
The product was designed specifically to take advantage of the increasing popularity of sake among inbound tourists, and went on sale on 1 October 2018. Both the bottle and cylindrical gift box are covered in a stylish design consisting of illustrated leaves and flowers, attempting to create a new image for sake.
More and more foreign tourists are listing “eating Japanese food” and “drinking Japanese sake” to their must-do list, perhaps because of UNESCO listing washoku (和食, Japanese cuisine) an an intangible cultural heritage, and Endō Shuzōjō notes that the number of foreigners at their spring and autumn open days (蔵開き, kurabiraki) are steadily increasing.
Endō Shuzōjō were flooded with orders for the stylish bottle and case, made of luxurious Japanese washi paper and decorated with colourful images of pine, bamboo and plum blossom – selling over 100 bottles in just 7 days. The brewery also chose junmai daiginjō for their tourist-targeting product because that was what foreign visitors were most impressed by when they visited for open days. Something to be enjoyed in a wine glass for its rich and vibrant aroma.
But it’s not just for foreigners – the Japanese brewery site advertises Endō PREMIUM FLOWER as the perfect gift to celebrate a birth or long life, in the form of a birthday present for an elderly friend or relative.
Endō PREMIUM FLOWER retails for JPY 5,000 (before tax).
Links
- Original article (Japanese, Honichi Labo, 1 November 2018) Click through to see the flower-covered bottle and gift box.
- Endō Shujōzō (Japanese)