In 2024, the long-established travel guidebook "Earth Walking Guide" and Japan Technology Solutions Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Japan Technology Solutions), which develops packaging, media, and alliance businesses, joined forces.®The Shurin project started as an effort to combine sake and NFT technology, and is now working with sake breweries affiliated with the "Earth Walk Guide" to create "connections" through sake.

Meanwhile, Leaf Publications Inc. (hereinafter referred to as Leaf Publications), which operates "My Sake World," an experience facility for original blended sake, originated from the Kyoto town information magazine "Leaf," which was first published in 1996. Currently, the company contributes to the sake industry through the operation of the facility, the online media "Sake World," the sake e-commerce site "Sake World NFT," and even the acquisition of sake breweries.

We will explore the further possibilities of sake by following the challenges and prospects of both companies as they pursue new approaches, such as label-based development and blending using "My Sake World."

Japan Technology Solutions President Koji Okada (right) and Leaf Publications CEO Shintaro Nakagawa (left)

Japan Technology Solution was founded in 1976 and established in 1981. At the time, the company was known as Okada Electric Industry Co., Ltd. and designed and manufactured cathode ray tube devices. In 2001, the company launched its own brand product, the "TORNADO® Thermal Tornado Shrink Wrapping Machine." This machine is used not only for daily necessities and food products, but also for sake packaging throughout Japan. After changing its name to the current one in 2004, the company has continued to operate with the commercialization of technology at the core of its business, with the catchphrase "Turning superior technology into superior business."

In 2022, Sakerin will launch a sake brand using NFT technology.®" project, and worked hard to create a system to pre-release sake with digital labels. In 2024, they released a sake line in collaboration with the long-established travel guidebook "Chikyu no Arukikata." As of the interview in March 2025, the project has been rolled out in 3 prefectures, and there are high hopes for future expansion.

"Earth Walker's Original Sake" born from the "How about it?" community

- "Sakewa" by Japan Technology Solutions®Please tell us about the Shurin project.

President Okada: "Sakewa®The project name "Sake World" was inspired by the "shrink packaging" that we do. Initially, it was similar to the current Sake World project, and started as a project to sell and plan sake through digital labels converted to NFTs (※2022) in 1. We first approached Nadagogo, but explaining the NFT technology was extremely difficult (laughs) and we expected it to be a struggle, so while examining the content of the project, we began to consider ways to contribute to the sake industry from a different perspective."

*1: Abbreviation for Non-Fungible Token. A token that cannot be substituted, and refers to digital data that cannot be copied or tampered with.

-Was the "Looking Around the World Original Sake" project born out of this trend?

President Okada: "No, I can say that this project was born out of chance. Originally, I was thinking of publishing a book that summarized sake and shrines all over the country and creating a map of sake all over the country. In order to make this a reality, I decided to participate in the first anniversary seminar of "Doudai? (※2)", a community site for presidents run by Daido Life Insurance. By chance, I met Takashi Miyata, who was the editor-in-chief of the Earth's Walking Guide at the time, so I took the plunge and discussed this idea. However, such a book already existed, and my plan fell apart within five minutes of attending the meeting (laughs). As we continued to talk about various things, the topic turned to our company's shrink packaging, and when I told him that we could develop sake as a special label for the Earth's Walking Guide, he said, "Let's make it!" and we quickly came to an agreement. We decided to launch it on the release date of the Earth's Walking Guide, and first started in Hiroshima. I hope to eventually conquer all 1 prefectures.

*2:An online community site for business managers operated by Daido Life Insurance.Business owners can share their concerns and information with each other and use support services.

-So your encounter in the community led to this chance project.

President Okada: "In 1999, I took over a company from my father that manufactured testing equipment for television cathode ray tubes, but it closed down within five years with the shift to digital terrestrial broadcasting. As someone who has experienced an industry facing tough times, I strongly sympathized with Miyata's story about how 'Travelling Around the World' saw its sales fall by 5% due to the COVID-9 pandemic, and how it would not be surprising if the company went out of business if things continued as they were."

-How do you select the sake breweries in each prefecture?

President Okada: "We select sake breweries from the book "The more you know, the tastier it gets! A book for enjoying sake" published by Gakken Plus. We explain the concept through sales calls, and breweries that understand the concept are cooperating with us.

In addition, our company name, Japan Technology Solutions, was changed in 2004 with the goal of "solving technological issues in Japan." Since its peak in the late Showa period, the volume of sake shipped has been declining year by year. I wouldn't go as far as saying we'll see a V-shaped recovery, but I hope we can contribute to improving the sake industry, even if only a little."

President Nakagawa: "By teaming up with a well-known publication like 'Travelling Around the World,' it seems like it will be easier to get cooperation from sake breweries."

The company will also exhibit at FIELDSTYLE EXPO, a comprehensive lifestyle and play exhibition held in November 2024.

Everyone can become a creator with sake blending

-Please tell us about the My Sake World facilities.

President Nakagawa: "The concept of this facility is that anyone can become a creator through sake blending. It originated from a project called the 'Assemblage Club' that we will be launching in 2023. This is a product created by blending sake from three sake breweries in Kyoto."

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President Okada: "Is it okay to blend it with sake from other breweries?"

President Nakagawa: "Our company used to be the publisher of the magazine "Leaf KYOTO," so we already had good relationships with sake breweries in Kyoto. With the COVID-55 pandemic putting a tough spot for the restaurant industry and a drop in demand for sake, we started out by talking about adding new value through blending, and we've received positive feedback. We currently have approval for blending from XNUMX breweries across the country. We initially started as a brand for general customers, but now we also sell original products for restaurants and hotels."

-How did you build connections with sake breweries across the country?

President Nakagawa: "When we launched the Sake World NFT marketplace, we visited sake breweries all over Japan and explained NFTs to them. As a result, we received approval from about 200 breweries, and we then confirmed with each of them whether they had permission to blend. Although awareness of NFTs as a new technology is still in the process of being established, many breweries have agreed to it in the hope that they will be able to sell their products."

President Okada: "I once used NFTs as a sales hook, so I know the results are truly amazing. What made you decide to move from the publishing industry to the sake industry?"

President Nakagawa: "While considering new business ventures in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, we heard about the trend of sake being registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. Given this situation, we decided to enter the business in order to create a pillar of our business to follow on from publishing and contribute to the sake industry. We were also encouraged by the fact that we had people in the company who were knowledgeable about sake and had connections in the industry."

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Adding value to existing sake

President Okada: "As we sell the 'Travelling Around the World Original Sake', we are once again reminded of how difficult it is to sell something. How do you feel about that?"

President Nakagawa: "It's really tough (laughs). With the number of people who drink alcohol declining, many sake breweries are choosing to go out of business. In this situation, we are proposing new possibilities in the form of blended sake, but the price is inevitably higher than regular products. It's not easy to communicate and get people to understand the balance between price and value."

President Okada: "Do you feel like you've overcome some of the obstacles?"

President Nakagawa: "We're still only halfway there, but as part of our efforts to overcome this obstacle, we have acquired a sake brewery in Okayama Prefecture and have succeeded in bringing the blending process, which we previously outsourced, in-house. As a result, we believe that in addition to setting prices in line with market prices, we will be able to expand our product lineup more quickly."

-What do you think about the policies and challenges that will lead to promoting sake sales?

President Okada: "We are part of an industry such as the Japan Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Association, but if we remain confined to our own industry, we tend to look to the past and think about the future. Business must be customer-oriented. I was very impressed when I heard the words, 'The industry is the past, the customer is the future.'"

President Nakagawa: "When compared to wine, the price of sake is almost consistent from year to year. One great thing about sake is that the quality can be standardized through sake brewing techniques, but on the other hand, this means that the price is less likely to rise. I think that adding value such as 'who blended it' and 'what was blended and how' and exploring this will lead to a wider range of sales promotion."

- "Sake Ring®The aged sake offered by " is also an option for adding value to sake.

President Okada: "The year 2025 marks the 30th anniversary of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake. As we were thinking about what we could do as a company with our headquarters in Kobe, we happened to hear from a sake brewery we knew that they had some aged sake from that time. Apparently, overseas buyers had already offered to buy it at a high price, but they decided to sell it to us, and we will be releasing it in 30, the 2025th anniversary of the disaster. In honor of the 30 years, we have set a limit of 30 bottles, priced at 30 yen, and are developing it in a way that will connect it to the next 30 years. I believe there must be a certain number of people who value the story that aged sake has built up over the years."

President Nakagawa: "The 50-year-old sake we handled was priced at 50 yen. It is important to strike a balance between maintaining domestic and overseas supply and raising the price."

President Okada: "I think a lot of people feel the same way. But it's difficult to achieve this without overwhelming brand power. I think this is an issue we need to address going forward."

Stimulating demand for label purchases

President Okada: "How many different types of wine are blended into this Assemblage Club?"

President Nakagawa: "This is a blend of eight varieties from three breweries. The recipe is made by adding a little bit of aged sake to sake made from polished rice, such as Junmai Daiginjo. We plan to update the contents, and we feel that the packaging is important."

President Okada: "Let's make labels using shrink wrap (laughs). I think the impression you get from the packaging is very important. It would be nice to have the option to decide based on the design, like buying a product because of its cover."

President Nakagawa: "If the labels are difficult to make, it will be difficult for young people to join."

--The original Japanese sake from Tabi-no-Hachimichi is based on the keyword "prefecture," so it may be easy to get into.

President Okada: "There was an idea that we should put the name of the sake brewery at the forefront, but we wanted to be closer to the local community and make people want to visit, or have memories of visiting and enjoy the place."

"Maximizing the value of sake" and linking technology to business

--Please tell us about the future prospects that both companies have in mind.

President Nakagawa: "Our company's mission is to maximize the value of sake. Since we blend for that purpose, we are considering a promotional approach, such as having celebrities and influencers share their blend recipes. Also, since anyone can make custom-made sake, we would like to bring the perspective of sake to the perspective of creating one's own original product. It is possible to outsource the production of original sake to existing sake breweries, but the lot size is large, such as at least 100 bottles. With our blends, we can handle from 24 bottles, so the barrier to entry for restaurants and other establishments is low. Providing sake specially made for your store is catchy and leads to an increase in the average customer spending. Many people have already enjoyed the blending experience offered by "My Sake World," and have created a bottle to their liking. As the number of partner sake breweries and the amount of sake shipped increase, a virtuous cycle should be created. We hope to maximize the value of sake with this approach."

President Okada: "Our philosophy is to turn excellent technology into excellent business. There are many cases where technology does not lead to business. I feel that sake is a perfect example of this. If a company has tradition and advanced brewing techniques, but is not able to turn it into business, then there may be something wrong with the structure. I think it would be best if we could help solve such problems. "Sakewa®As the name suggests, our catchphrase is "turning the circle of alcohol into a circle of people," and we hope that this conversation will lead to many new connections, just like the one we had today."

It is at the intersection of tradition and innovation that new value is created.®" and "My Sake World" paint a picture of "connections" through sake that go beyond the traditional boundaries of sake. Initiatives that transcend the boundaries of the industry will generate synergy and bring about definite changes to sake as a whole.

Writer: Yuki Arai
Born in Shiga Prefecture, living in Kyoto City / Sake Master, SAKE DIPLOMA, SAKE and Wine Certification Instructor, Wine Expert
Due to his love of alcohol, after graduating from university he got a job at a liquor store in Kyoto. After that he worked in sales for a food manufacturer before becoming a freelance writer. His specialties are traditional cuisine and alcohol. He will continue to work hard to spread the appeal of Japanese sake through his articles.