Hi:
I was planning to brew my first batch of wine, here in Japan. I spent hundreds of dollars getting all the equipment and supplies I would need to brew 6 gallons (the equipment purchased within Japan, or shipped from outside the country, all result in exhorbitant costs). I ordered 7 kg. of fruit to get started.
But, home brewing anything over 1% is illegal in Japan. I knew about this fact getting into it, as plenty of English sites had mentioned this, but nobody bothered investigating the penalties involved. Well, I just have, and it is -- get this -- up to 5 years in prison and/or up to a 50 man yen (about $5000 USD) fine. Not to mention confiscation of your brewing equipment. Just for brewing some god damned wine for home use to enjoy with my wife.
Needless to say, I don't like the idea of going to jail, paying fines, losing my job and home, and probably being kicked out of the country, just because the greedy retards at the tax office think they are being slighted out of some tax revenue. So therefore, I am going to try to sell my brand new, unused carboys and larger fermenter and suck up the losses.
Theoretically, if I brew a smaller amount of wine and keep the ABV to 1% or less, I am fully in compliance. If I were to take my recipe for a 5 gallon batch and scale it for a 1 gallon batch, using only 20% of each ingredient (including the yeast packet), and figured out the OGV and FGV to get to 1%, would I actually end up with something that tasted like wine? I can't even fathom the -idea- of 1% wine.
Admittedly, if I were to ignore the law and go ahead and brew my batches as originally planned, I would -probably- be okay. Apparently the amount of mitsuzou (secret brewing) going on in the privacy of people's homes is considerable. You can find beer and wine brewing kits in department stores, online, etc. However, as a foreigner my status in this country is tenuous at best, so I have to keep my nose cleaner than the average citizen.
If only this country stopped electing all these old 75 year old geezers and started passing laws with common sense for a change. Why not just ammend the law to say something like, "For home use only, no sales of end product allowed, up to 30 litres a year will be exempt". Then thousands or more normally law-abiding citizens wouldn't be hardened criminals.
Sorry for the rant. But, your thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Do you think brewing a 1% wine is worthwhile? Or will I just end up with an insipid juice that is worthy more of the kitchen sink than the glass?
I was planning to brew my first batch of wine, here in Japan. I spent hundreds of dollars getting all the equipment and supplies I would need to brew 6 gallons (the equipment purchased within Japan, or shipped from outside the country, all result in exhorbitant costs). I ordered 7 kg. of fruit to get started.
But, home brewing anything over 1% is illegal in Japan. I knew about this fact getting into it, as plenty of English sites had mentioned this, but nobody bothered investigating the penalties involved. Well, I just have, and it is -- get this -- up to 5 years in prison and/or up to a 50 man yen (about $5000 USD) fine. Not to mention confiscation of your brewing equipment. Just for brewing some god damned wine for home use to enjoy with my wife.
Needless to say, I don't like the idea of going to jail, paying fines, losing my job and home, and probably being kicked out of the country, just because the greedy retards at the tax office think they are being slighted out of some tax revenue. So therefore, I am going to try to sell my brand new, unused carboys and larger fermenter and suck up the losses.
Theoretically, if I brew a smaller amount of wine and keep the ABV to 1% or less, I am fully in compliance. If I were to take my recipe for a 5 gallon batch and scale it for a 1 gallon batch, using only 20% of each ingredient (including the yeast packet), and figured out the OGV and FGV to get to 1%, would I actually end up with something that tasted like wine? I can't even fathom the -idea- of 1% wine.
Admittedly, if I were to ignore the law and go ahead and brew my batches as originally planned, I would -probably- be okay. Apparently the amount of mitsuzou (secret brewing) going on in the privacy of people's homes is considerable. You can find beer and wine brewing kits in department stores, online, etc. However, as a foreigner my status in this country is tenuous at best, so I have to keep my nose cleaner than the average citizen.
If only this country stopped electing all these old 75 year old geezers and started passing laws with common sense for a change. Why not just ammend the law to say something like, "For home use only, no sales of end product allowed, up to 30 litres a year will be exempt". Then thousands or more normally law-abiding citizens wouldn't be hardened criminals.
Sorry for the rant. But, your thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Do you think brewing a 1% wine is worthwhile? Or will I just end up with an insipid juice that is worthy more of the kitchen sink than the glass?
