Okinawa's rice spirit industry seeks rebrand amid falling shipments

An awamori distillery in Okinawa Prefecture. Shipments of the rice spirit in 2023 dropped more than 50% from their peak in 2004.

May 3, 2024

Shipments of Ryukyu awamori, a traditional rice-based spirit from Okinawa Prefecture, have plummeted by more than half in the past 20 years, leading to a sense of crisis in the industry.

Many point to declining interest in alcoholic beverages among younger demographics as one of the factors behind the trend.

Producers are seeking to devise new marketing strategies to make awamori appealing to both young consumers and international markets by changing the existing notion that the beverage is only for older people to drink.