In a small second-story space in Tokyo, the gentle sound of a flute accompanies the fermentation of sake. The 670-liter tank, containing rice and water, takes over two weeks to transform into Japan’s traditional alcoholic beverage. Yoshimi Terasawa, the 63-year-old chief brewer at Tokyo Port Brewing, believes that the type of music played affects the taste of the sake. He explains that the vibrations from the music activate the microorganisms in the tank, altering the flavor. This innovative method is part of Terasawa’s unique approach at Tokyo’s only sake brewery, located in a narrow, four-story building. The brewery employs modified machinery and ergonomic processes that use less energy and labor than traditional open-air breweries.

Despite producing about 30 kiloliters of sake annually, enough to fill almost 42,000 bottles, the sake industry faces several challenges. Changing consumer preferences, an aging population, and a decline in the number of breweries have affected demand. The government reports that the number of sake breweries has decreased by two-thirds since the 1970s, with over half operating at a loss. Additionally, the industry struggles with a labor shortage as brewers retire, rising fuel costs, and disruptions in rice supply due to global warming. Terasawa’s compact brewery offers a potential solution, using gravity to move the rice through different floors for processing and fermentation. He believes that small-scale breweries like his will become increasingly valuable in the future.