Learning about corporate strategy through sake! What is the "Sake Promotion Project" being undertaken by a seminar at Kwansei Gakuin University?
At Kwansei Gakuin University in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, there is a seminar that teaches management strategy and business through sake. As of 2024, the field work called "Kansai Sake Promotion Project" has been ongoing for 11 terms, and many seminar students have acquired knowledge through sake.

Nishinomiya City in Hyogo Prefecture is home to Nadagogo, one of Japan's leading sake-producing areas. Every year during the sake season, a sake event is held that draws the town's attention.
One of these is the Sakegura Renaissance, which takes place every year on the first weekend of October, with Nishinomiya Shrine as its main venue.
While Nada's leading sake breweries served their fine sake, Kwansei Gakuin University also set up a booth and offered sake. The editorial team was interested in the young people who stood out among the crowd, so they interacted with the students there. We then visited the campus in Nishinomiya to find out more about the purpose of their activities.

▲Kwansei Gakuin University's booth at "Sakegura Renaissance"
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- A report on the "Nishinomiya Sake Gura Renaissance and Food Fair" in the city of famous sake
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♯Hyogo
The "Kansai Gakuin Japanese Sake Promotion Project" can be learned in the Keiichi Kimoto Seminar at the Faculty of International Studies, Kwansei Gakuin University. The basic policy of the research seminar is to "have fun learning so that you can use accounting as a practical tool," and the goal is to learn business management, business strategy, and marketing at the same time.
The seminar is aimed at third-year students enrolled at Kwansei Gakuin University. For current students, this would be the time when they would have turned 3 years old the previous year, at which point they would be legally allowed to drink alcohol. With concerns recently that young people are turning away from sake, how do the seminar students, who are the real deal, view sake? How does the Faculty of International Studies, which focuses on the acquisition of foreign language skills and the organization of an international curriculum, relate to sake? We interviewed Professor Kimoto, who oversees the seminar, and the 20th class of students.
I spoke to this person

- Professor Keiichi Kimoto, Department of International Studies, Faculty of International Studies, Kwansei Gakuin University
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ProfileCompleted the doctoral program at the Graduate School of Commerce, Kwansei Gakuin University. Specializes in accounting. Previous research topics include basic concepts of financial accounting, Asian accounting, and international accounting. Currently, his main themes are corporate analysis, financial statement analysis, and accounting education.
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The Kwansei Gakuin Sake Promotion Project has more than 10 years of history
-Please tell us why you chose sake as a teaching material for your seminar.
Professor Kimoto: "Studying abroad is mandatory for second-year students in the School of International Studies. I am often asked about Japanese food at my study abroad destination, but as I am a minor, I am unable to answer questions about sake. This seminar was an opportunity for me to introduce sake as part of Japanese food culture.
In addition, the second batch of students before this project began(2013)Another reason is that when I was in college, I entered a business idea contest with a sake theme and won second place. The idea was to promote sake through cocktails.
Among the judges at the time were people from Shirataka and Tatsuuma Honke Breweries, who gave us their evaluations, but we hadn't actually tried it yet. So we asked for cooperation from those two companies, as well as Ozeki and Nihonzakari, and the following year, the third batch of students set up a sake cocktail booth at the Sakegura Renaissance and Food Fair."
-What are "sake cocktails"?
Professor Kimoto: "The 'Miya Mojito' was invented by a bartender in Nishinomiya.
This cocktail is still a central part of the seminar, and the bartender says that it was only possible because of the strong quality of Nada no Otokozake. It is made by replacing the rum that is the base of the mojito with sake, and has now become a standard sake cocktail. The fact that I used to frequent Bar The Time, the bar where the Miya Mojito was born, also had a major influence on the promotion of this project."

Miya Mojito provided by the 13th batch of students
--Is it also important that Nada Gogo is nearby?
Professor Kimoto: "Naturally, we have the geographical advantage of being close to the Nadagogo and Kyoto's Fushimi area. We thought that these points would be an advantage when we approached sake brewers for cooperation."
-Please tell us some representative examples of your projects.
Professor Kimoto: "First, there is the sake cocktail mentioned earlier.
By offering it in a format that is difficult for the manufacturer to directly propose, we can reach people who do not usually drink sake. Therefore, we conducted a questionnaire survey to find out how much interest people have gained in sake through the cocktails. For that reason, we have set up sake cocktail booths at events in Hyogo Prefecture.
We have also set up booths overseas in the United States, Singapore, and Australia. We have also studied basic knowledge by visiting sake breweries and sake rice-producing areas, held opinion exchange meetings with sake brewers, and participated in collaborative projects with the Osaka Regional Taxation Bureau."
The project began without any prior knowledge of sake
-Do many of the seminar students participate because they like sake?
Professor Kimoto: "This project is being carried out as part of a business analysis seminar, so the students are not necessarily all sake lovers.
In fact, the seminar leader this term is not very tolerant of alcohol, and neither am I (laughs). However, this project is aimed at those who cannot drink sake, and at the decline in demand for sake, so if everyone liked alcohol, we would not be able to understand the feelings of the target audience. Also, if the premise is that it is okay if you can't drink, it will be easier for people to request the seminar again next term. The main focus is on analyzing corporate strategies through sake."
- (To the 13th class) Can you tell us why you decided to join this seminar?
A 13th batch student (female) said, "In this seminar, I can broaden my future options by acquiring new knowledge such as business strategy analysis and financial statement analysis. Also, because they have active projects, I thought I could experience accomplishing something with my classmates, so I decided to join."
Professor Kimoto: "The sake market is facing tougher conditions every year, with demand from young people in particular falling. Being able to face the harsh reality of the sake industry makes this a valuable research topic. Also, when I visit sake breweries, I am often greeted by someone very close to the top brass. In some cases, the representative will come directly to me, which makes it easier to have in-depth discussions about strategy and appeal."
-Did you have any enjoyable or satisfying experiences while working on sake as your subject?
13th batch student (female): "I didn't know much about sake, so at first I didn't know what flavors would appeal to which age groups. But I was able to absorb the information as I analyzed the survey results and get closer to creating cocktails that fit my target audience. As a result, I was happy to achieve my goal of 1000 drinks at Sakegura Renaissance."
A 13th batch student (female) said, "I remember seeing the international students smile when they tried the sake cocktails we served at the event and said how delicious they were. I felt that I had gained a global experience by being able to show people from overseas how happy they were through Japanese culture."
-Is there anything about this initiative that you find difficult?
13th batch student (male) "Even if we research and report on popular designs and flavors, it doesn't necessarily mean that they will make the most of the brewery's characteristics. I feel it is difficult to adjust the content of our research to match the brewery's wishes. On the other hand, when I was involved in the development of a certain sake product, I directly surveyed more than 100 overseas tourists about the information I had heard from the brewery in advance. I think it is a great advantage to be able to experience the on-site product development by providing information that you can obtain with the agility that only students have."

The drink is based on the Miya Mojito, and students adjust the sweetness and spiciness.
University students convey the charm of Japanese sake to future generations in a realistic way
-What have you felt having implemented the "Kansai University Sake Promotion Project" so far?
Professor Kimoto: "So far, I have not had a student in my seminar who disliked sake after experiencing it. Even if they cannot drink alcohol, they often have a positive impression of sake. I think this is largely due to the fact that they are able to hear and experience the pride of sake brewers and master brewers through this project."
- (To the 13th class) What do you think about sake?
"It's a deep drink that people can drink with, regardless of borders or nationalities, and it brings people together after they've finished drinking. I introduced sake and sushi to Germany, where I studied abroad."
"It's a drink that sparks conversation between people and provides a topic for social interaction."
"It's something that should be passed down to future generations. To that end, I hope our generation can continue to spread the word about its appeal."
"The rice is finely ground to give it a clean flavor, making this a sake that is very Japanese."
"Alcohol brings people together. It creates an opportunity to drink side by side with professors and share our honest thoughts. It makes me realize how wonderful Japan is for having created such a culture."
"They were a great addition to my student days. I was able to gain a lot of experience through the project."
"It has broadened my horizons. Not only has it changed my image of sake, it has also allowed me to interact with people of all ages and spread one more fascinating aspect of Japan."
"It's a drink with great potential. I'd like to continue learning how to convey this to people of my generation."
"It helped me grow as a person. My image of sake brewing changed as I learned more about the thoughts that go into it."
"It helped me get rid of my prejudices. It made me realize that it's not good to have prejudices about anything, not just about sake."
"People are surprised when I tell them I'm working on a sake project. I think sake brings about a sense of surprise, a sense of unity with companies and colleagues, and a sense of peace."
"They are the ones who connected me to Japan. I learned more about Japanese culture through the Japanese language." (Korean international student)
Enjoying sake as a story
-What are your prospects for the project going forward?
Professor Kimoto: “Every year, the seminar tours breweries in February and March, and we continue with the ‘Sakegura Renaissance’ in October, but the rest of the program is led by the seminar students of that year.
In addition, I thought that "starting from scratch would be a great learning experience," so I reset the project every year, but since the current seminar students are trying to create opportunities for interaction with the 14th batch, I am considering changing the approach a little. The sake breweries involved in this project are also thought to be inheriting a lot of things.
This means the bar is set higher, but I hope to be able to produce something even better."
Because this project starts in February for second-year students, students born earlier in the year may not be able to drink alcohol when they visit the brewery. For this reason, it is not uncommon for the first alcoholic drink they ever try to be Japanese sake.
Despite these circumstances, the project has continued for over 10 years, and many of the seminar students have come to love sake and are now taking off into society. Professor Kimoto attributes this not only to the improvement in sake quality across the industry, but also to the seminar environment, where students can appreciate sake as a "story."
It was impressive to see students studying international exchange, corporate analysis, and marketing come into contact with sake through this project and gain a deeper understanding of its appeal as a culture. Now that sake brewing techniques are improving dramatically, the key to opening up the future of sake is to widely publicize the brewers' passion and history.
Writer: Yuki Arai
Born in Shiga Prefecture, living in Kyoto City / Sake Master, SAKE DIPLOMA, SAKE 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.