If you think of alcohol and Japan, then the first thing that springs to mind is sake – but there are other alcoholic drinks too, one of which comes from the island of Okinawa! Awamori is an alcoholic drink which is also known as shimazakae, or island sake. It dates back hundreds of years, not quite as old as sake which is at least 1300 years old, but not soon after the start of agriculture in Okinawa. Using long grain indica rice, the origins of the Awamori brewing technique can be found in Thailand, and even today as local production of this rice is not sufficient indica rice from Thailand is imported to make this celebrated drink.

https://livejapan.com/en/article-a0001992/

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