By YASUSHI YAMAZAKI/ Staff Writer
April 2, 2025 at 08:00 JST
The logos of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Hakkaisan (Provided by Hakkaisan Brewery Co.)
MINAMI-UONUMA, Niigata Prefecture--Los Angeles Dodgers fans can now celebrate a win--or drown their sorrows after a loss--with a cup of Japanese sake on their home turf at Dodger Stadium.
The Hakkaisan Group, known for its sake brand Hakkaisan, announced it entered into a partnership with the Dodgers to serve the refined sake as the Major League Baseball team's official beverage.
According to the group's main company based here, Hakkaisan Brewery Co., it received the offer from the Dodgers' side to promote Japanese culture.
The two-year agreement took effect in March.
Hakkaisan is sold in cups exclusively available at Dodger Stadium, while events are planned for visitors to experience the sake.
The company has been making strong pitches to popularize Japanese sake in overseas markets, striking a partnership with a U.S.-based sake brewery and dispatching "kurabito" brewery workers.
"This partnership with the Dodgers marks a significant step toward realizing our dream of making sake a globally recognized beverage," President Jiro Nagumo said in a prepared statement.
Japanese stars playing for the Dodgers include two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani and star pitchers Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki.
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