Route 66 Shop Brews Navajo-Inspired Sake

Atsuo Sakurai operates Arizona Sake from a location just off Route 66 in Holbrook, Arizona. The business produces fermented rice beverages using a 200-gallon vat. Sakurai, a native of Tokyo, previously worked in the sake industry in Japan. He moved to Arizona to establish a manufacturing business, fulfilling a long-held dream. His wife, Heather Sakurai, is from the Navajo Nation. The couple integrates both cultural backgrounds into their production methods. One specific product features Navajo tea, a local plant, as a key ingredient.

Sakurai stated that visitors are frequently surprised to find a sake shop in Holbrook. "Oh, yeah. Initially, nobody believed," he said. He explained that he envisioned starting a sake manufacturing business somewhere in the world. The production process involves washing and heating rice in baskets before transferring it to vats for fermentation. Once fermentation is complete, the mixture is pressed under pressure to extract the liquid. Sakurai compared this step to pressing mash. The entire cycle from start to finish takes approximately three months to produce a single bottle.

The shop has won competitions in Japan and other global markets. Sakurai produces traditional styles of sake, with some creations sold exclusively in Holbrook. He described the aroma of the beverages as beautiful, noting that people often compare it to pear or blueberry. A taster at the shop identified prickly pear flavor in one variety. "Oh my God, I can really taste the prickly pear. This is about as Arizona as it gets," the taster said.

Sakurai values the slow, hands-on nature of the craft. He said the process brings him peace in a world driven by artificial intelligence and automation. He expressed a desire to save this type of business and industry from technological changes. He drew a parallel between the threat of technology to some industries and the impact the interstate highway had on businesses along Route 66. Sakurai expressed confidence that his story in Holbrook will endure. When asked if Arizona Sake will still be operating in 100 years, he replied, "Hopefully."