Harmonizing Sake: Music-Enhanced Brewing in Tokyo's Urban Brewery

In a unique Tokyo brewery, Yoshimi Terasawa uses music to influence the fermentation of sake. This compact, small-batch operation employs energy-efficient methods to adapt to climate challenges. Despite industry decline, Terasawa's model offers hope for sake brewing's future, leveraging innovative techniques to maintain quality and reduce costs.

In the heart of Tokyo, a flute's gentle melody fills a cramped brewing room housing a fermenting vat of sake. Yoshimi Terasawa, the 63-year-old chief brewer, believes the music affects the microorganisms, altering the traditional drink's flavor.

Terasawa's Tokyo Port Brewing, the only urban sake factory in the capital, applies unconventional methods like music infusion to its small-scale production. The brewery also utilizes modified machinery and ergonomic processes to adapt to climate change, reducing energy and labor compared to traditional open-air breweries.

Despite declining demand and industry challenges, Terasawa's innovative approach offers a hopeful model. By using gravity to streamline operations across four narrow floors, this compact brewery preserves production consistency and efficiency, potentially leading the way for the future of sake brewing.

(With inputs from agencies.)