Japan may not be in the big leagues as far as being a wine-consuming country, but it makes up for it with its obsession for Beaujolais Nouveau.

And the countdown has started for midnight Wednesday, when the corks will be popped to fill glasses nationwide with this year's harvest of the young French reds, 46 percent of which are imported to Japan.

But even in Japan, the popularity of Beaujolais Nouveau is fading.