VOA · Arts & Culture
Intermediate · B1–B2learner speed5:262024-11-18public domain
The Arts & Culture beat covers music, film, museums, food, and traditions from the United States and around the world. The reports are short, vivid, and full of everyday descriptive language — great for learners who want vocabulary beyond textbooks.
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01The Japanese rice wine called sake is made using ancient brewing methods.
02They date back more than a thousand years.
03Junichiro Ozawa, the 18th generation leader of Ozawa Brewery, founded in 1702, hopes sake brewing will win recognition as a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage.
04Officials of the UN agency are expected to decide on the nomination next month.
05We always think about the people who are enjoying our sake when we make it.
06I'm now so excited, imagining the faces of all the people around the world, he told reporters during a visit to the brewery on the edge of Tokyo.
07Saki was the drink of choice of the nobility represented in Japan's most celebrated work of writing, The Tale of Genji.
08Saki has been growing in popularity in recent years, helped by an increasing international interest in Japanese cooking and food.
09Saki exports from Japan total more than $265 million a year, with the U.S.
10and China as the two biggest buyers.
11That information comes from the Japan Saki and Shochu Makers Association.
12Saki exports have almost doubled in value since 2018.
13But exports still make up a very small amount of overall sake production in Japan.
14Brazil, 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.
15The main elements in sake are rice and water.
16The production process takes about two months and includes fermentation and pressing.
17For a product to be named Japanese sake, the rice must be Japanese.
18The relatively soft quality of fresh water in Japan, like that provided by the two wells at Ozawa Brewery, is also important.
19Among Ozawa's sake choices is the Junmai Daiginjo, one of the top offerings, with 15% alcohol content and costing about $23 for 720 milliliters.
20Another, Karakuti Nigori Saki, is unrefined sake.
21The liquid is not as clear as usual sake.
22It has 17% alcohol content and sells for $16 for 1,800 milliliters.
23In Japan, sake is used to purify and to celebrate.
24Small tastes of sake from a cup show the confirmation of a marriage, for example.
25Saki is not just an alcoholic beverage.
26It is Japanese culture itself, said Hitoshi Utsunomiya of the Japan Saki and Shochu Makers Association.
27The UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage designation can be awarded to practices passed down for generations.
28These practices include spoken traditions, performing arts, and food-making.
29The UNESCO designation is not meant to be used for commercial purposes.
30But industry officials are open about their hope that such recognition will increase international sales.
31They believe the designation could help the tradition stay alive amid competition from beer, grape-based wine, and other drinks.
32One reason for sake's growing popularity around the world is that its smooth flavor goes well with a number of foods.
33These foods include sushi, spicy Asian and Western dishes, says Max Del Vida, a sake wine expert and co-founder of The Saki Company, an import and distribution business in Singapore.
34Del Vida told the Associated Press, Saki is more than a drink.
35It is a living embodiment of Japan's seasonal rhythms, community values, and artistic heritage.
36I'm John Russell.
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