Tokyo Jizake Strolling(Year-End and New Year Sales Landscape)
2026-03-18
By Ryuji Takahashi
At the end of last year, thanks to the stretch of warm weather, our annual year-end in-store sales event was exceptionally easy to manage. Every year, we brace ourselves with heaters and layers of down jackets to protect against the cold, but this time we were able to get through it without any special cold-weather measures.
In terms of sales, high-end sake performed particularly well. Compared to a typical year, premium bottles such as daiginjo sold out at an early stage. We had also prepared larger inventories of new sake and regular products than usual, but by New Year’s Eve, everything had sold out. If it’s not cold, sake doesn’t move. But if it’s too cold, it doesn’t move either.
Temperatures of around 50°F, like those at year’s end, may have been ideal for shopping. Another major factor was the cooperation of two breweries from Niigata. We are indebted every year to Kanemasu Shuzo in Shibata City and Hakuro Shuzo in Nagaoka City.
Although we couldn’t ask them to take part in in-store sales, it was also a positive point that Nihonsakari, a major manufacturer, lent us display fixtures, allowing us to decorate the storefront. Year-end ordering and selling are driven by momentum, and as a result, small mistakes tend to occur frequently. We usually realize them after the New Year has already begun. A common pattern is this: for new sake from breweries whose products are mostly consumed locally, we ask in advance to reserve them by the case. Then, around Christmas, at the timing of the final shipment of the year, we place orders for all of them at once. Sometimes, due to miscounting the number of cases, the reserved sake is still left sitting at the brewery. Another pattern is missing the ordering window for the first shipment of the new year, resulting in sake taking a long time to arrive even after the year has turned.
Every year, the same situation repeats itself: inventory remains at the brewery, the ordering timing is missed, and even after business resumes in the new year, there is sake that still needs to be picked up and sold, yet the products don’t make it onto the store shelves. Despite this being an annual occurrence, it’s something we still haven’t been able to manage well.
When it comes to New Year business, we are truly supported by breweries that will ship sake ordered on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day in time for the start of business in the new year. At the same time, when sake from certain breweries takes a long time to arrive, it’s because they are busy responding to local demand during the New Year period—and that, too, feels like something positive and admirable.
People talk about warm winters year after year, but the fact that sake is selling well during the proper winter season is a good thing. Ideally, I’d love for it to sell just as well even when it gets warmer. And every year, I find myself thinking that if people came out to the shopping streets every day the way they do during year-end shopping, both this town and everyone’s businesses would run more smoothly.
And, as always, I remind myself to shake off the New Year sluggishness as quickly as possible.
In terms of sales, high-end sake performed particularly well. Compared to a typical year, premium bottles such as daiginjo sold out at an early stage. We had also prepared larger inventories of new sake and regular products than usual, but by New Year’s Eve, everything had sold out. If it’s not cold, sake doesn’t move. But if it’s too cold, it doesn’t move either.
Temperatures of around 50°F, like those at year’s end, may have been ideal for shopping. Another major factor was the cooperation of two breweries from Niigata. We are indebted every year to Kanemasu Shuzo in Shibata City and Hakuro Shuzo in Nagaoka City.
Although we couldn’t ask them to take part in in-store sales, it was also a positive point that Nihonsakari, a major manufacturer, lent us display fixtures, allowing us to decorate the storefront. Year-end ordering and selling are driven by momentum, and as a result, small mistakes tend to occur frequently. We usually realize them after the New Year has already begun. A common pattern is this: for new sake from breweries whose products are mostly consumed locally, we ask in advance to reserve them by the case. Then, around Christmas, at the timing of the final shipment of the year, we place orders for all of them at once. Sometimes, due to miscounting the number of cases, the reserved sake is still left sitting at the brewery. Another pattern is missing the ordering window for the first shipment of the new year, resulting in sake taking a long time to arrive even after the year has turned.
Every year, the same situation repeats itself: inventory remains at the brewery, the ordering timing is missed, and even after business resumes in the new year, there is sake that still needs to be picked up and sold, yet the products don’t make it onto the store shelves. Despite this being an annual occurrence, it’s something we still haven’t been able to manage well.
When it comes to New Year business, we are truly supported by breweries that will ship sake ordered on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day in time for the start of business in the new year. At the same time, when sake from certain breweries takes a long time to arrive, it’s because they are busy responding to local demand during the New Year period—and that, too, feels like something positive and admirable.
People talk about warm winters year after year, but the fact that sake is selling well during the proper winter season is a good thing. Ideally, I’d love for it to sell just as well even when it gets warmer. And every year, I find myself thinking that if people came out to the shopping streets every day the way they do during year-end shopping, both this town and everyone’s businesses would run more smoothly.
And, as always, I remind myself to shake off the New Year sluggishness as quickly as possible.
東京地酒散歩（年末年始の販売事情）
昨年の年末は、暖かい日が続いたおかげで、毎年行っている年末店頭販売会は非常にやりやすかった。毎年、ストーブを出したりダウンジャケットを重ね着したりと防寒対策をしっかりして挑んでいたのだが、今回は特に防寒対策無しで乗り切ることが出来た。イメージとしては、高級酒の売れ行きが良く、例年に比べ用意していた大吟醸などの高級酒は早い段階で完売した。そして例年に比べ新酒や通常商品の在庫も多く準備していたが大晦日に全て売り切れる状態となった。寒くなければ日本酒は動かない、しかし寒すぎても動かない。年末の様な気温１０度くらいがお買い物に適していたのかもしれない。今回も新潟２蔵の協力を得ることが出来たのも大きな要因である。新発田市の金升酒造と長岡市の柏露酒造には毎年お世話になっている。店頭販売はお願いできなかったが、大手メーカーの日本盛にも什器を貸してもらい、店頭を飾り付けられたのも良かった。年末は勢いで発注をかけ、勢いで売っていくので、細かなミスも多発する。それに気づくのが大体年明けである。よくあるパターンが、酒が地元でほとんど消費される酒蔵の新酒は先にケース単位で取り置きをお願いしておき、クリスマスくらいの年内最終発送のタイミングでそれを全て発注かけるのだが、ケースの数え間違いでキープの酒がまだ酒蔵に残っているパターンである。あとは、年始の初荷の発注の時期を逃し年が明けてもなかなか酒が届かないパターンである。在庫が蔵に残り、しかも発注タイミングを逃し、年明けの営業が始まっても取って売らなければならない酒が有るのに商品が店頭に並ばないという事態は毎年の事なのに上手く管理が出来ない。年始の商売は、大晦日や元旦に注文しても年始の営業に合わせて送ってきてくれるような酒蔵に本当に助けられているなと感じる。しかし、なかなか届かない酒蔵も、それだけ地元の対応に年始は追われているということなので、素晴らしいことだなと思う。暖冬暖冬と言われているが、しっかり冬の間に酒が売れているのは良いことで、出来れば暖かくなっても同じように売れると嬉しいなと思っているし、年末の買い物くらい毎日商店街に人が出てきてくれると、この街も皆の商売も上手くいくのになと毎年思っている気がする。そして正月ボケを早く治せと自分自身に言い聞かせているのも毎年のことである。
