KAGOSHIMA -- Some Japanese traditions are best left alone. Those who would attempt to capitalize on the popularity of Kyoto's ancient temples by placing soft-drink machines and loudspeakers inside them deserve the severest form of punishment a society can devise, like being forced to watch a TV program hosted by so-called comedian Sanma while the World Cup final airs on another channel. Other traditions benefit from being tinkered with. Think modern interpretations of Okinawan folk music by artists who usually play rock, or the new life breathed into kimono by orange-tan Shibuya girls.
Shochu falls into the latter category of traditions that have benefited from an image upgrade. Once frowned upon by pretentious, socially nervous types as the drink of dowdy old men, over the past few years shochu has come to be smiled upon by pretentious, socially nervous types as a sign of bohemian cool. While the boom of a couple of years ago has peaked, there remain countless devoted shochu otaku (obsessives) who, like their microbeer otaku cousins, congregate at favorite watering holes and spend hours drinking, and talking about, their favorite beverage.
Nor has shochu's newfound appeal been a strictly domestic phenomenon. Trendsetters from London to Los Angeles have learned that Japanese libations are not limited to sake and beer. Those who live in Japan are getting more inquiries from abroad about the beverage, and the international departure lounges at Narita and Kansai are full of Japanese and foreign travelers carrying wrapped boxes of shochu for friends and family abroad.