Sales of premium sake are surging. So is tourism to Japan. The latter fuels the former in part, but the ‘renaissance of quality’ among many breweries is the real reason for sake’s newfound success. Certain retailers deserve credit, too. For the right retailers, the market is rich with opportunity. But what makes the right retailer? We turn to Imadeya in Ginza, one of our favorites, to illustrate the answer.
Ginza is of course Tokyo’s classiest shopping district and exactly the place you’d expect to find a high-quality alcohol retailer. Many probably visit the sprawling food floors of Tokyo’s department stores, including several in the immediate vicinity. These floors (or shall we call them mazes?) typically have an alcohol shop or two. They’ll suffice. What we like about Imadeya is its extraordinary selection, the impeccable service, and the price–a pleasant surprise given that this is Ginza.
We spoke with Hyosoon Jang, or “June”, one of Imadeya’s several multilingual employees, about what makes this shop so special. We started with the basics: what do they have in stock?
“Between 400 and 500 varieties of sake are available on any given day, and our full line up is updated almost daily. Some bottles can be purchased for as little as ¥1000, others for up to ¥100,000. Really, we have something to suit any price point, and items that will satisfy the casual novice drinker as well as dedicated collectors.”
What about those looking for gifts–is there wrapping and shipping?
“Of course. This is very important. Nothing beats a beautifully wrapped gift from Japan. Not only do we beautifully gift wrap, but we also take great care in packing and protecting our sake for shipping, domestically and internationally.”
According to June, most of the staff have some kind of sake certification (Kikizake-shi, WSET, Sake Diploma) and can answer questions for those who feel adrift in all the selection. Staff training, June points out, is mandatory and a key to the store’s success. As noted earlier, most staff also speak another language (including English, Chinese, Korean and Spanish).
Even with such support available, sometimes you just want to ‘test’ the product, right? Imaedya has a tasting counter where customers can purchase sake by the glass. There are daily tastings, too, and the store always offers seasonal specials and other interesting promotions. They will even pour complimentary tastings of other sake for serious shoppers. This is certainly a service that sets it apart from many other stores in Tokyo. But what else?
“We stock over one thousand varieties of premium liquor in general, including some made privately and exclusively for our store,” explains June. “This elevates us to a specialist supplier level in Tokyo. A trip to our store is a truly unique, educational and memorable experience. Visitors to Japan can also enjoy tax-free shopping.”
We turn our focus next to June herself. As her own comments suggested, the employees are vital to Imadeya’s success, and June is–from our experience–a main driver of that. What brought her to this store in particular?
“I was born in Busan, which is in the southern part of South Korea,” June begins. “My first visit to Japan was in 2000 to study Japanese when I was a university student. Before joining Imadeya, I was working with a wine importer, which was for me a real pleasure. I got to meet many talented, dedicated, passionate people, and I visited some beautiful places–I found the whole environment exciting and challenging. I learned through that job how important it is to develop and maintain strong, warm relationships. That’s how you can translate the passion of winemakers for their craft to the customers themselves. Imadeya was actually one of my most important clients when I worked in the wine business. When I found out that they were going to work with sake and shochu, I did some research. I realized that many sake breweries in Japan struggle to express themselves and communicate outside of Japan. I thought that if I could be of some help in this field, then that would be a great opportunity for me as an Asian businesswoman. I decided to tackle this new challenge and joined Imadeya.”
Most customer interaction will be with floor staff, but we also like to know a little about the management and ownership, as we typically do with our sake breweries.
June relates, “The owners and staff are very unique people. There’s a great variety of personality, and everyone is really good at telling the stories of the drinks they sell to customers, but with their own personal touches. My boss, Mr. Ogura, who is also the owner, is quite committed to cultivating strong relationships with the very best producers in Japan. He personally ensures that the sales team is well educated. We have seminars and follow a disciplined educational process to learn the story behind each bottle we sell.”
What about information overload?–for the customer, not the employee!
“To the non-Japanese customer, or those not so familiar with sake, certainly too much information is something to be careful about. Too often, the customer is just left confused. I’m not Japanese myself and can perfectly relate. I think less is more sometimes. We want to share the memorable stories, including the producer’s personal background. Again, we don’t just sell products. We want to tell the story of each and connect consumers with the producers.”
June encourages the sake-curious and experts alike to visit Imadeya, adding, “I am usually there, and I hope to have the chance to meet you and introduce our shop.” We’d add that you have ample sake shopping options in Ginza and the Tokyo Station area, but we struggle to think of a more comprehensive retailer than this. Treat yourself to the experience–maybe some sake, too.
Imadeya Ginza
Ginza Six
Ginza 6-10-1-B2F
Chuo-ku, Tokyo
Hours: 10:30am to 20:30pm
03-6264-5537
http://www.imadeya.co.jp/
