Japan's sake brewers hope UNESCO heritage listing can boost rice wine's appeal

OME, Japan (AP) — Deep in a dark warehouse the sake sleeps, stored in rows of giant tanks, each holding more than 10,000 liters (2,640 gallons) of the Japanese rice wine that is the product of brewing techniques dating back more than 1,000 years.

Junichiro Ozawa, the 18th-generation head of Ozawa Brewery, founded in 1702, hopes sake-brewing will win recognition as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, when the decision is made next month.

“We always think about the people who’re enjoying our sake when we make it. I’m now so excited, imagining the faces of all the people around the world,” he told reporters Wednesday during a tour of his brewery on the pastoral outskirts of Tokyo.

Sake, the drink of choice for the nobility in “The Tale of Genji” — Japan's most celebrated work of literature — has been widening its appeal, boosted by the growing international popularity of Japanese cuisine.

Sake exports from Japan total more than 41 billion yen ($265 million) a year, with the biggest destinations being the U.S. and China, according to the Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association.

That’s up from about 22 billion yen in 2018. But exports still make up a tiny fraction of overall sake production in Japan. Brazil, Mexico and Southeast Asia, as well as France and the rest of Europe, all places where Japanese restaurants are gaining popularity, are starting to take a liking to sake.

What’s key to sake-making, which takes about two months, including fermentation and pressing, are the rice and the water.

For a product to be categorized Japanese sake, the rice must be Japanese. The relatively soft quality of freshwater in Japan, like the supplies provided by the two wells at Ozawa Brewery, is also critical.

Among Ozawa’s sake is the full-bodied aromatic Junmai Daiginjo, one of the top offerings, with 15% alcohol content and costing about 3,630 yen ($23) for a 720 milliliter bottle.

Karakuti Nigorizake is unrefined sake, murky and not clear like usual sake, with 17% alcohol content and a rugged no-nonsense taste. It sells for 2,420 yen ($16) for a 1,800 milliliter bottle.

The religious connotations of sake are evident at the brewery. The big cedar-leaves ball hanging under the eaves is a symbol of a shrine for the god of sake-making. In Japan, sake is used to purify and to celebrate. Sips from a cup signify the sealing of a marriage.

“Sake is not just an alcoholic beverage. It is Japanese culture itself,” said Hitoshi Utsunomiya, director of the Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association.

The UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage designation is given to not just historical monuments but also practices passed down generations, such as oral traditions, performing arts, rituals and festivals.

It’s not meant to be used for commercial purposes. But sake officials make no secret of their hope that it will boost global sales, helping the tradition stay alive amid competition from beer, wine and other modern beverages.

Among previous Intangible Cultural Heritage inclusions are Kabuki theater and Gagaku court music from Japan, as well as Sona, which are drawings on sand in Angola; the Chinese zither called guqin and Cremonese violin craftsmanship from Italy. Washoku, or Japanese cuisine, won the honors in 2013.

One reason for sake’s growing popularity around the world is that its smooth flavor goes well with varieties of food, including sushi, spicy Asian and Western dishes, says Max Del Vita, a certified sake sommelier and co-founder of The Sake Company, an import and distribution retailer in Singapore.

“These brewers are cultural stewards, passing down techniques through generations and blending ancient practices with quiet innovation,” he told The Associated Press. “Sake is more than a drink. It is a living embodiment of Japan’s seasonal rhythms, community values and artistic heritage.”

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Bottles of Sawanoi, a Japanese sake brand by Ozawa Sake Brewery, are prepared for tasting at a room during a media tour at the brewery in Ome, on the western outskirts of Tokyo, Japan, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)

Traditional containers to keep Japanese sake are placed for decorations at a room shown during a media tour at the Ozawa Sake Brewery in Ome, on the western outskirts of Tokyo, Japan, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)

Bottles of Sawanoi, a Japanese sake brand by Ozawa Sake Brewery, are prepared for tasting at a room during a media tour at the brewery in Ome, on the western outskirts of Tokyo, Japan, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)

A sign for the brewery of "Sawanoi," a Japanese sake brand, is seen at the entrance of Ozawa Sake Brewery in Ome, on the western outskirts of Tokyo, Japan, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)

Hitoshi Utsunomiya, director of the Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association, speaks during a media tour at Ozawa Sake Brewery in Ome, on the western outskirts of Tokyo, Japan, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)

Nami Goto, managing director of Research and Development for the Brewing Society of Japan, speaks during a media tour at Ozawa Sake Brewery in Ome, on the western outskirts of Tokyo, Japan, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)

Visitors of Ozawa Sake Brewery leave as journalists enter the brewery on a media tour in Ome, on the western outskirts of Tokyo, Japan, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)

Junichiro Ozawa, head of Ozawa Sake Brewery, speaks during a media tour at the brewery in Ome, on the western outskirts of Tokyo, Japan, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)

An interpreter, left, translates for Junichiro Ozawa, head of Ozawa Sake Brewery, third left, and his worker (in white) as Hitoshi Utsunomiya, far right, director of the Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association, stands during a media tour at the brewery in Ome, on the western outskirts of Tokyo, Japan, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)

A worker for Ozawa Sake Brewery opens a lid of a tank to show sake being fermented during a media tour at the brewery in Ome, on the western outskirts of Tokyo, Japan, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)

Junichiro Ozawa, head of Ozawa Sake Brewery, speaks during a media tour at the brewery in Ome, on the western outskirts of Tokyo, Japan, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)

NEW YORK (AP) — Mikal Bridges scored a season-high 41 points, and the New York Knicks overcame 42 from Victor Wembanyama in a monster Christmas debut to edge the San Antonio Spurs 117-114 on Wednesday.

Wembanyama set a Spurs’ record for points on the holiday and added 18 rebounds, four assists and four blocked shots. The reigning Western Conference player of the week made six 3-pointers.

But Bridges shot 17 for 25 from the field, 6 for 9 behind the arc, to make sure the Knicks had just enough offense to win their fifth in a row and improve to 20-10.

Karl-Anthony Towns added 21 points and nine rebounds, and Jalen Brunson scored 20 points. Josh Hart finished with 12 points, 12 boards and six assists.

Jeremy Sochan had 21 points and nine rebounds for the Spurs.

TIMBERWOLVES 105, MAVERICKS 99

DALLAS (AP) — Anthony Edwards scored 26 points, and Minnesota held on for a Christmas Day victory over Dallas after superstar Luka Doncic left the game with a strained left calf.

A rematch of last season’s Western Conference finals won by Dallas fell flat when Doncic pulled up lame while running a play late in the second quarter Wednesday. Then it got wild when the Mavs erased almost all of a 28-point deficit in the second half.

The five-time All-Star never made it back to the defensive end and limped off the court after Dallas called timeout. It was Doncic’s second game back after missing two with a left heel contusion.

Kyrie Irving scored 39 points but was short on a 3-pointer that would have put the Mavs ahead in the final minute after they trailed by 28 late in the third quarter. Doncic scored 14 points.

Rudy Gobert had 14 points and 10 rebounds.

76ERS 118, CELTICS 114

BOSTON (AP) — Joel Embiid popped up from a pregame fall and scored 27 points with nine rebounds, making 4 of 5 from 3-point range and sinking a pair of free throws with 3 seconds left to turn back Boston’s final rally and lead the Philadelphia to a victory.

Tyrese Maxey had 33 points and 12 assists. He scored 13 in the fourth quarter, including a quick-trigger layup to open a seven-point lead with about a minute left after the Sixers inbounded the ball with 1.1 seconds on the shot clock. Caleb Martin scored 23, hitting 7 of 9 from 3-point range.

Jayson Tatum scored 32 with 15 rebounds for Boston, Jaylen Brown scored 23 and Derrick White had 21. Boston wore red socks and leggings with their green jerseys for an extra dose of Christmas spirit.

Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis, who has missed all but nine games this season with injuries, did not return for the second half. The team said he had an ankle injury.

LAKERS 115, WARRIORS 113

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Austin Reaves scored the winning layup with one second left after Stephen Curry tied it on a 31-foot 3-pointer with seven seconds remaining, LeBron James had 31 points and 10 assists playing in his NBA-record 19th Christmas Day game, and Los Angeles held off Golden State.

Curry scored 38 with eight 3s, hitting one under pressure from the baseline with 12 seconds left and another with 2:49 remaining only for James to answer from long range on the other end.

Reaves recorded a triple-double with 26 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for the Lakers, who lost big man Anthony Davis to a sprained left ankle late in the first quarter.

SUNS 110, NUGGETS 100

PHOENIX (AP) — Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal each scored 27 points and Phoenix beat Denver in the nightcap to the NBA’s Christmas slate of games.

The Nuggets blew out Phoenix 117-90 on Monday night in Denver, but the Suns put up much more of a fight despite playing without Devin Booker (groin) and Grayson Allen (concussion protocol).

Phoenix led by seven after three quarters and stretched it to 99-81 by the midpoint of the fourth quarter. The Suns pushed the lead to 15 and held off the Nuggets down the stretch to end a three-game losing streak.

Nikola Jokic had 25 points and 15 rebounds to lead the Nuggets. Michael Porter Jr. added 22 and Russell Westbrook had 17.

Jamal Murray had 13 points, six rebounds and six assists after missing the game Monday game with a sprained ankle.

New York Knicks' Mikal Bridges (25), left, drives to the basket as San Antonio Spurs' Victor Wembanyama looks on during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024, in New York. The Knicks defeated the Spurs 117-114. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)