Japanese Alcohol That Was Once Illegal Is Making A Comeback: Report

A bar is working to bring back doburoku, a traditional and sometimes disregarded Japanese beverage, in the centre of Tokyo's Nihombashi area, according to CNN. Heiwa Doburoku Kabutocho Brewery aims to reintroduce this traditional, unfiltered spirit to both locals and tourists, highlighting its significance in Japan's rich cultural heritage.

Due to stringent rules in the late 19th century, doburoku-once a staple for farmers and Shinto priests-saw a fall, but recent liberalisation has revived interest in this unusual beverage.

As interest in traditional Japanese spirits grows, doburoku's journey from the shadows back to the spotlight reflects a broader resurgence of artisanal brewing in Japan.

According to CNN, opened in 2015, Tokyo's Sake Hotaru was the first legal spot to offer doburoku in Japan's capital. But bar owners only started selling it to the public in late 2016. Since then, more options have appeared. Most prominently, in June 2022, the previously mentioned Heiwa Doburoku Kabutocho Brewery opened a bar near Nihombashi.

Norimasa Yamamoto, President of Heiwa Shuzo, estimates that half the bar's visitors are from overseas.

"We often receive questions about the difference between sake and doburoku, how many days it takes to make it, and how it's produced," he says of the bar patrons.

However, owner Shinobu Kato says "the context doesn't exist here," as Americans are less likely to have heard of doboruku.

"Apart from a few sake shops that are very familiar with and interested in our doburoku," Kato says, "most of the sales are at the taproom for both bottles to go and drink by the glass."