All Nippon Airways (ANA) has launched a new cultural campaign designed to steer international travellers toward Japan’s lesser-known regions, using the country’s traditional sake culture as the primary hook.
The initiative, developed in partnership with the drinks retailer IMADEYA, aims to convert general global interest into specific travel itineraries by showcasing the craftsmanship behind Japan’s national beverage.
The programme leans into the recent recognition of traditional sake brewing as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. By focusing on regional food and fermentation techniques, ANA intends to create a bridge between tasting experiences abroad and visits to sake breweries in provincial cities of Japan.
The campaign kicks off in Stockholm, Sweden, on April 18 and 19. Hosted at the Yasuragi spa hotel, the event will recreate a kaku-uchi (standing bar) experience. It will feature five sake breweries making their Swedish debut: Sohomare, Abekan, Yamashiroya, Niida Shizenshu and Konotsukasa.
This marks the beginning of a broader strategy that includes a digital communication platform and curated sake tourism packages.
For the travel industry, this represents a shift toward niche, experience-led marketing that targets the premium slow travel sector. By leveraging IMADEYA’s 60-year history and network, ANA is positioning itself as a facilitator of authentic cultural immersion.
Chitose Takao, Customer Experience Design Lead at ANA, commented: “In addition to facilitating global travel and connecting people and cultures, we aim to share the unique attractions of Japan with the world. By offering opportunities to experience Japanese food and sake abroad and connecting those experiences with deeper discoveries in Japan, we hope to inspire greater interest in visiting the country.”
Azusa Ogura, Executive Vice President at IMADEYA, commented: “Through the connections forged by people and sake, and with ANA’s support, we are excited to share the charm of Japanese sake culture with a global audience. Guided by our corporate slogan, ‘Sake is magic,’ we hope to inspire a desire to visit Japan and discover the regional sake culture and craftsmanship.”
