JAPAN TODAY




 

A distillery in northeastern Japan's Fukushima Prefecture is endeavoring to do its bit to change the negative public image of the region after the 2011 nuclear disaster through its craft gin using locally sourced spring water and flora.

Founder Sota Oshima runs the naturadistill Kawauchimura Joryusho distillery in Kawauchi, a village that was temporarily evacuated in the aftermath of one of the world's worst nuclear crises. The 29-year-old was driven to create a brand that would attract visitors back to the region.

"I want to deliver the 'aroma of Fukushima' to the world," said Oshima, who opened the distillery after renovating a pharmacy's unused storage shed in November last year.

 

A native of Utsunomiya, Tochigi Prefecture, Oshima spent around two weeks in the village for field work as a student at Fukushima University in the summer of 2015, and came to love what he considers the community's coexistence with nature.

His resolve to change the lingering negative perceptions of postcrisis Fukushima deepened during his study abroad in Canada, where he was asked by a friend there whether Fukushima was inhabitable.

After graduation, he spent approximately three years learning brewing techniques at a craft beer brewery in Tamura, also in Fukushima Prefecture. Oshima eventually turned his attention to gin due to its ability to highlight local ingredients and the fact that it can be stored and exported at room temperature.

 

The distillery produces around 6,000 liters per year. Its staple Native Japanese Botanical Gin, which features the aromas of Japanese nutmeg and other botanicals from the prefecture, is available from 4,980 yen, while the Shiso Hop Gin retails for 5,500 yen.

The company began selling its products in Singapore in May and hopes to expand into Taiwan and the United States next year.

It also sold and provided samples of its products at the World Exposition in Osaka earlier this year, with some customers visiting the distillery after the expo ended.