Japan's Takehiro Kano, ambassador to UNESCO, reacts after the traditional Japanese brewing of sake was named Intangible Cultural Heritage during an UNESCO World Heritage Convention in Asuncion, Paraguay, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Marta Escurra)
Seasonal employee Shigeru Kikuchi stirs "moromi," or fermentation mash, following the mixture of sake ingredients including steamed rice with koji mold and yeast, in a sake making process at the Koten sake brewery in Okaya, Nagano prefecture, central Japan, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
Japanese sake, that is listed as a nominee for Intangible Cultural Heritage, are displayed on Japan's delegation table, during an UNESCO World Heritage Convention, in Asuncion, Paraguay, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Marta Escurra)
Japan's Takehiro Kano, ambassador to UNESCO, reacts the traditional Japanese brewing of sake was named Intangible Cultural Heritage during a UNESCO World Heritage Convention in Asuncion, Paraguay, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Marta Escurra)
Some Japanese sake brands are displayed in Tokyo, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024, before a news conference on UNESCO's recognition of Japan's sake making as "intangible cultural heritage of humanity," announced in Paraguay. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
Tatsuya Ogawa, a part-time worker for the Koten sake brewery, prepares rice to send into a pot to steam in a sake making process at the brewery in Okaya, Nagano prefecture, central Japan, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
Part of Japan's delegation from left to right; Shuntaro Yoshino, Takehiro Kano, and Hidetaka Kinami, attend a UNESCO World Heritage Convention, where the traditional Japanese brewing of sake is listed as a nominee for Intangible Cultural Heritage, in Asuncion, Paraguay, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Marta Escurra)
Chef Shigeki Yagi checks the temperature of sake as he was warming it for a customer at his restaurant in Okaya, Nagano prefecture, central Japan, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
A person prepares for a display as he pours Japanese sake into a wooden cup traditionally used to drink sake, in Tokyo, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024, before a news conference on UNESCO's recognition of Japan's sake making as "intangible cultural heritage of humanity," announced in Paraguay. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
Seasonal employee Shigeru Kikuchi sifts koji mold over steamed rice in a Japanese sake making process at her Koten sake brewery in Okaya, Nagano prefecture, central Japan, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
Seasonal employee Daichi Ushiyama, right, and part-time worker Tatsuya Ogawa take out sheets of "sake kasu," or lees, from a filtration unit in a sake making process at the Koten sake brewery in Okaya, Nagano prefecture, central Japan, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, as sake lees are used for cooking. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
A bottle of a Japanese sake brand and wooden cups traditionally used to drink sake are prepared for decorations in Tokyo, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024, before a news conference on UNESCO's recognition of Japan's sake making as "intangible cultural heritage of humanity," announced in Paraguay. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
Sake brewer Mie Takahashi checks cultivation of yeast used for sake making at her Koten sake brewery in Okaya, Nagano prefecture, central Japan, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
Sushi chef Minoru Senda pours sake into a glass for a customer at his sushi restaurant in Okaya, Nagano prefecture, central Japan, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
Seasonal employee Daichi Ushiyama adds rice with koji mold to other sake ingredients in a sake making process at the Koten sake brewery in Okaya, Nagano prefecture, central Japan, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
Tatsuya Ogawa, a part-time worker for the Koten sake brewery, prepares to steam sake rice in a sake making process at the brewery in Okaya, Nagano prefecture, central Japan, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
A customer sips sake at a restaurant in Okaya, Nagano prefecture, central Japan, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
Sake brewer Mie Takahashi, back right, and her crew Daichi Ushiyama, right, and Tatsuya Ogawa prepare steamed rice with koji mold for sake making in a temperature-controlled room at the Koten sake brewery in Okaya, Nagano prefecture, central Japan, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
Hitoshi Utsunomiya, right, director of the Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association, responds to a reporter's question as Shinuemon Konishi, president of the Preservation Society of Japanese Koji-based Sake-making craftsmanship, listens during a news conference on UNESCO's recognition of Japan's sake making as "intangible cultural heritage of humanity," announced in Paraguay, in Tokyo, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
Shinuemon Konishi, president of the Preservation Society of Japanese Koji-based Sake-making craftsmanship, responds to a reporter's question during a news conference in Tokyo, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024, as a video feed, background, shows a group of Japanese people including Konishi early in the morning celebrate UNESCO's recognition of Japan's sake making as "intangible cultural heritage of humanity," announced in Paraguay. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
Chef Shigeki Yagi pours warmed sake into a glass for a customer at his restaurant in Okaya, Nagano prefecture, central Japan, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
Bottles of Japanese sake brands made at the Koten brewery are displayed at the storefront in Okaya, Nagano prefecture, central Japan, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)