Tourists sampling Nagano sake served at JR Nagano Station concourse on January 13. (©Sankei by Noriyuki Ishige).
Nagano Prefecture is striving to become Japan's top sake producer — not by volume, but by quality. Around 80 local breweries are fiercely competing for gold medals at the Annual Japan Sake Awards, with strong support from the prefectural government. Achieving top recognition for quality resonates directly with consumers both in Japan and abroad.
When people think of famous sake regions, names like Nada (Hyogo Prefecture), Fushimi (Kyoto Prefecture), Saijo (Hiroshima Prefecture), Niigata, Akita, Yamagata, and Fukushima usually come to mind — but Shinshu (Nagano Prefecture) rarely does. In fact, Nagano is home to around 80 breweries, the second-highest number in Japan after Niigata.
Nagano's rugged terrain, split by high mountains and deep valleys, creates a variety of local climates and environments. Many breweries craft sake that reflects their region's climate, traditions, and local tastes, producing brews that are highly valued within their own communities.
A Focus on Junmai Sake
To raise awareness of Nagano's sake, the prefecture launched the "Shinshu Sake No 1 in Japan Project" in 2016. Its goal: to become the top prefecture in Japan for the number of gold prizes at the Annual Japan Sake Awards. The project tracks trends among gold-winning sake and provides brewing guidance to young brewers.
In its first year, 10 Nagano breweries won gold prizes, placing the prefecture 8th nationwide. Over time, the level of quality improved, and in 2020, 17 breweries won gold, tying with Fukushima Prefecture for first place. Since then, Nagano has generally ranked around fourth.
To reclaim the top spot, the prefecture launched a program in FY 2018 using hometown tax donations (furusato nozei) to support quality improvements in Nagano sake.
In FY 2019, a donation drive through the collaborative site Gachi-Naga aimed to raise ¥2 million JPY (around $13,000 USD), without offering return gifts. The funds are used for initiatives such as training with master brewers from other prefectures, analyzing the composition of submitted sakes, and consulting breweries on their entries for the national appraisal.
Mayumi Nakaya, head of the prefectural division overseeing local sake and food promotion, said: "Nagano breweries, proud of the prefecture's high-quality water, are dedicated to the technically demanding craft of junmai sake and strive for gold prizes. The prefecture wants to support their efforts."
Aiming for Global Recognition
On January 13, about 50 decorative sake barrels were displayed at JR Nagano Station, bustling with skiers from Australia and other countries, as part of a local sake promotion event for tourists. Organized by the Nagano Sake Brewery Association in collaboration with Nagano City, JR East Nagano Branch, and the prefecture, this was the first event of its kind.
At the opening, officials wearing traditional happi coats promoted local sake and agricultural products nurtured by Nagano's natural environment under the theme "Water-rich Land: NAGANO." With sake gaining popularity overseas, organizers hoped visitors would return home and share the taste of Nagano sake, boosting global recognition and potentially increasing exports.
Naotaka Miyasaka, chairman of the Sake Brewers Association and president of Miyasaka Brewing Company, said:
"The quality of Nagano sake is steadily improving. We want people, both in Japan and abroad, to recognize Nagano as the place for great sake."
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(Read the article in Japanese.)
Author: The Sankei Shimbun
