‘Divine gift’ sake, Japanese rice wine, added to Unesco intangible cultural heritage list

Hong Kong sake-focused restaurant founder among those hailing sake’s heritage listing. Brewers of the rice wine hoping for rise in exports

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Sake bottles displayed in a shop in Niigata, Japan. The rice wine has been inscribed on Unesco’s list of intangible cultural heritage, and brewers in Japan hope this increases export demand as domestic drinkers increasingly seek out other tipples. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 5:45pm, 5 Dec 2024Updated: 6:07pm, 5 Dec 2024

Sake is perhaps more Japanese than sushi. It is crafted in centuries-old breweries, savoured in the country’s pub-like izakayas, poured during weddings and served slightly chilled for special toasts.

Now the rice wine has been inscribed by United Nations cultural organisation Unesco on its list of the “intangible cultural heritage of humanity”.

At a meeting in Luque, Paraguay, members of Unesco’s committee for safeguarding humanity’s cultural heritage voted to recognise 45 cultural practices and products around the world, including China’s Spring Festival, Brazilian white cheese, Caribbean cassava bread and Palestinian olive oil soap.

Unlike Unesco’s World Heritage List, which includes sites considered important to humanity like the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, the Intangible Cultural Heritage designation names products and practices of different cultures that are deserving of recognition.

Traditional sake barrels stacked up outside a shrine in Fukuoka, Japan. The rice wine has a long history in Japan. Photo: Getty Images

A Japanese delegation welcomed the announcement in Luque.