<figure id="attachment_455618" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-455618" style="width: 4096px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="29aa6dfa"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/01/b83a5679591f6f9f15365912f4fd4aa4.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-455618" class="wp-caption-text">Aogashima: The impact of &#8220;eight toji&#8221; on Japan&#8217;s least populated island. &#8230;&#8230; Aogashima is located at the southernmost tip of the Izu Islands. It is one of the rarest islands in the world, made up of a double outer ring of mountains (PHOTO/Courtesy of Aogashima Village Hall).</figcaption></figure>
<h3><span class="strongInContent"> The number of visitors to the island is five times the population! Why is the &#8220;world&#8221; so enthusiastic about an isolated island in the middle of the ocean?</span></h3>
<p> On an island with a population of 161, 800 people visit &#8230;&#8230;!　It takes 2 hours and 30 minutes by boat from Hachijojima. It takes 2 hours and 30 minutes by boat from Hachijojima and 20 minutes by helicopter. Aogashima, an isolated island in the middle of the ocean, is by no means easy to get to. However, it is said that many enthusiasts from all over the world rush to the annual Aochu shochu tasting, a &#8220;fantastic shochu&#8221; produced on Aogashima.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> I found out about it through SNS, and last year, three people from Denmark came to the event.</span></p>
<p> says Akira Okuyama, the representative of Aogashima Shuzo Joint-Stock Brewery.</p>
<p> Why is it so popular? The reason lies in the unique flavor of Aochu.</p>
<p> Aogashima Village has a population of 161, the smallest of any municipality in Japan, yet it has eight toji (master brewers), meaning that about one in 20 of the islanders is a toji. Moreover, the taste of shochu differs from one toji to another. Why is shochu production so popular on Aogashima?</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> Aogashima was a land where rice was scarce, and sweet potatoes were once the staple food. Every household used those sweet potatoes to make shochu.</span><span class="strongInContent"> (Akira Okuyama, hereafter referred to as &#8220;Mr. Okuyama&#8221;)</span></p>
<p> In 1984, the shochu brewers got together and established the Aogashima Shuzo Joint-Stock Company. They started making shochu at the factory there.</p>
<p> Distillation is done by machine, but the rest is all done by hand. During the koji making process, the temperature has to be controlled, so there are three to four days when the workers can only take a nap. Because they cannot make large quantities of shochu, they cannot live on shochu alone, and all toji have other main jobs.</p>
<p> One master brewer can only make 1,500 to 2,000 liters of shochu per year, which is why it is called &#8220;fantastic shochu.</p>
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<h3><span class="strongInContent"> It is the only one in Japan that recreates the &#8220;Edo period production method. Miraculous Taste Brewed by Air Bacteria</span></h3>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> Aochu is probably the only shochu in Japan that is made using the same method as in the Edo period.</span></p>
<p> The process of making shochu is as follows.</p>
<p> First, barley is steamed, and koji is made from the natural yeast found in the air. Next, water and steamed sweet potatoes are added to the prepared koji and fermented with yeast that has lived in the brewery for many years. Normally, the first malt is made when the yeast is added to the koji and water, and then it is left to ferment for about a week before the main ingredients, such as sweet potatoes, are added to make the second malt.</p>
<p> Once fermentation is complete, distillation takes place. The mash is heated and the alcohol is extracted as steam.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> Recently, it is common to use cultured koji purchased from a manufacturer, but we use koji and yeast bacteria that are already in the brewery. The bacteria in the air naturally attach to the koji and ferment. So, even if we aim for an ideal flavor, it is difficult to achieve it. That is the difficult part.</span></p>
<p> The koji and yeast fungi that develop change depending on the climate and temperature. This is why the taste changes every year.</p>
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<div data-friday-nextpage-lead=" Why does the taste change from one brewer to another?"></div>
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<figure id="attachment_455617" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-455617" style="width: 1920px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="f9c4e9c2"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/01/12eae85d92c69eaf1d3f6a88eaf68a0e.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-455617" class="wp-caption-text">All types of &#8220;Aochu. Even those with the same label have different makers and all taste different (PHOTO/Courtesy of Akira Okuyama)</figcaption></figure>
<h3><span class="strongInContent"> The main business is different!　Eight toji (master brewers) put their lives into making this &#8220;fantastic shochu&#8221;, starting from &#8220;making sweetpotatoes&#8221;.</span></h3>
<p> If it is made in the same factory, why does the taste change from one toji to another?</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> In general, sweet potatoes are used for shochu, but here we use edible sweet potatoes such as Beni Azuma, Beni Haruka, and Silk Sweet. We use a mixture of several kinds of sweet potatoes, but which kind is used depends on the master brewer.</span></p>
<p> The toji&#8217;s handiwork begins with the production of the sweet potatoes themselves. Some of them even grow their own purple sweet potatoes.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> Many of them want to experiment with different kinds of sweet potatoes.</span></p>
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<p> Each Toji has his own &#8220;koji room,&#8221; and the flavor of the sake varies depending on the type of bacteria that grows in that room. As a result, they produce &#8220;Aochu&#8221; with a unique flavor, such as lychee-like, rum-like, or coniferous aroma.</p>
<p><span data-path-to-node="8,1"><span class="citation-154"> When the time for preparation approaches, even town hall employees and school teachers rush to dig sweet potatoes if they have time on their hands</span></span><span data-path-to-node="8,4"><span class="citation-153"> The sweet potatoes are then sold to the local people. Fans from the main island even go out of their way to help out.</span></span><span data-path-to-node="8,6"> The problem is the lack of successors.</span></p>
<p> The problem is succession. The youngest of the eight toji is in his mid-50s, and some are in their 80s.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> Aochu is the only shochu in Japan that has been made using the traditional method since the Edo period. We would like to expand our sales channels and increase the number of successors so that we can make a living from shochu production alone.</span><span class="strongInContent"> </span></p>
<figure id="attachment_455620" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-455620" style="width: 1512px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="1940d91b"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/01/aa3edb7076ce37529390e59c903311fb-rotated.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-455620" class="wp-caption-text"> All the islanders work together to prepare the shochu. The photo shows the sweet potatoes being shaved before steaming (PHOTO provided by Akira Okuyama).</figcaption></figure>
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 Izumi Nakagawa

 The world is crazy about Aogashima, an isolated island in the sea with a population of 161! What is the true nature of the "fantastic shochu" that continues to preserve the traditional Edo Period production method on this amazing island where one out of every 20 islanders is a toji (master distiller)? Find out why its distinctive lychee- and rum-like aroma has captivated connoisseurs.

The world is enamored with an isolated island in the sea with a population of 161 people! One out of 20 islanders is a master distiller, and the true nature of the fantastic shochu &#8220;Aochu

The world is enamored with an isolated island in the sea with a population of 161 people! One out of 20 islanders is a master distiller, and the true nature of the fantastic shochu “Aochu

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