Sake (nihonshu) occupies a singular place among fermented beverages, both in its nature and in its social uses, making it, paradoxically, a “Japanese exception.” As an identity-bearing drink, it is inseparable from the territory of Japan, its rice-growing landscapes, and the cultural representations associated with them. The recent application of foreign concepts such as terroir to sake highlights its contemporary paradoxes and reveals the complex relationship between place, identity, and production within its cultural and territorial framework.

Nicolas Baumert is Professor at Dokkyo University and an affiliated researcher at the Institut français de recherche sur le Japon (UMIFRE 19, MFJ). His research focuses on cultural geography, gastronomy, Geographical Indications, and the cultures of wine and sake, from a comparative European–Japanese perspective. He is the author of Le saké, une exception japonaise, translated into Japanese in 2022.

This hybrid lecture will be held on site (registration required in advance from here) and via Zoom.

Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89157200438

Meeting ID: 891 5720 0438