Japanese alcoholic drinks such as sake and shochu are produced all over Japan, but they come in a range of different varieties and tastes, depending on factors such as their ingredients or the region’s climate. Sake is generally produced in Hokkaido, Honshu and Shikoku, focusing on areas that cultivate large quantities of rice, while shochu and awamori are favored on the southern islands of Kyushu and Okinawa respectively.

From among the more than 1,800 sake breweries and shochu distilleries in Japan, Highlighting Japan has profiled nine leading representatives, including sake from Hokkaido, Nagano and Kyoto, shochu from Nagasaki and awamori from Okinawa. Read on below!