In 2021, imports of sake from Japan by France smashed its previous record of sake imports in volume terms, reaching 438,363 liters, up more than 65% from the level reached in 2019 (prior to the 2020 coronavirus year).
This exceptional dynamics represents the sharp intensification of an underlying trend that started albeit slowly back in 2012/2013 and overall and notwithstanding the 2020 coronavirus year has been on an accelerating trend since 2019.

In less than 10 years, the export volume of sake from Japan to France has risen by nearly 4 times (3.91) and in Yen value by more than 5 times (5.45)!

Such an exceptionally good performance augurs well for another potentially strong success at the 8th “Salon du Saké” European Fair for Sake and other Japanese beverages, which will take place in Paris on October 1, 2 and 3, 2022 at the New Cap Event, 15th Arrondissement.

The “Salon du Saké” European Fair for Sake and other Japanese beverages is the largest event, totally dedicated to the sakes and other Japanese beverages outside Japan. Launched nearly 10 years ago, it has very quickly become a must-see event and benchmark for all the professionals in the market, as well as for fans of Japan and Japanese culture, looking for sakes and all other Japanese beverages imported from Japan seeking market outlets in Europe.
Except in 2014 and in 2020, there have been 7 annual “Salon du Sake” since 2013, nearly 25,000 visitors (24,894), 2,600 brands, Japanese beverages and all types of exhibitors, ranging from the Japanese green tea to the Japanese Sake notwithstanding the “shochu”, whisky and other spirits or liquors produced in practically all the 47 Prefectures in Japan.
As regards this year, 2022, the Salon du sake is expected to welcome an even larger number of professionals (which accounted for 76% of all visitors in 2021). It will be centered on the theme: “from one “terroir” to another…”, with BtB meetings for Japanese producers looking for European distributors. It will include a fairly large number of tasting workshops (food and sake pairing workshops).
The intention is to expand the range of pairings and reinvent opportunities of consumption of sake and other Japanese beverages that can go along amazingly well with western gastronomy generally and with the French gastronomy in particular. It will also include the usual conferences and master-classes, whose program will be established and detailed in September.

There is already one thing certain: hundreds of products, some of them that have not yet been released or marketed, will be proposed for tasting. Moreover, all professionals in the food business, gastronomy and beverages will be able to meet with the producers who had not been able to come in 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic.
That being said, despite its “limited size and nature” the 2021 Salon du Sake was a real success, well beyond all expectations, and welcomed some 3.352 visitors, including 2,548 professionals, over the three days-Salon, which took place on October 2, 3 and 4, 2021 thanks to the recourse to sanitary passes and compulsory wearing of face masks, except of course at tasting moments.
There is little doubt that the upcoming, October 2022, Salon du Sake that is currently being looked with some impatience is expected to take place in much more favorable circumstances than last year’s Salon that nevertheless managed to resume and eventually bounce back nicely. The much improved circumstances, and its selected theme and program, should incite a further, larger number of participants in the market to register and visitors from the larger public to show up.