Evening for the Promotion of Japanese Food and Sake

On 17 February, Ambassador Hiroshi Suzuki hosted an “Evening for the Promotion of Japanese Food and Sake” attended by over 100 guests, including those who have made significant contributions to the promotion of Japanese food and sake in the UK.

In his opening remarks, Ambassador Suzuki gave an overview of how the Japanese food scene in the UK has continued to expand steadily, noting that the number of Japanese restaurants in the UK has almost tripled since his last visit 12 years ago, to over 1,200. He stated that he is pleased to see shops with signs including the words ‘matcha’ or ‘sake’ can be seen on many streets across the UK, and praised the achievements of Mr Tetsuro Hama and Ms Rie Yoshitake, who have contributed to such development for many years, as well as congratulating them on the recent bestowal of their decorations. He also celebrated the fact that “traditional sake brewing” was registered as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Japan by UNESCO last year, 10 years after the registration of “Japanese food” as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2013. Finally, he expressed his commitment as the Ambassador of Japan to further promote the export of Japanese food and sake.

Mr Tetsuro Hama and Ms Rie Yoshitake were bestowed The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays in autumn 2024 for their long-term commitment to the promotion of Japanese food and sake in the UK. They expressed their strong determination to work together to achieve further growth and support the continued expansion of Japanese food and sake in the UK.