Wakayama Umeshu Series Plum Wine by Fumiko Okazeri is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 Bronze A' Design Award in Packaging Design Competition Category.
BronzePackaging· 2026
Wakayama Umeshu Series Plum Wine
Client: fodesign Inc.
Bronze A' Design Award Winner in Packaging Category
Verified Award Winner
Verify Award Status for #176284The Design
About Wakayama Umeshu Series Plum Wine
From Wakayama, Japan comes an aromatic plum wine and a refreshing plum wine jelly. Inspired by the concept of cultural exchange and encounters rooted in Chinese tradition, the design expresses a distinctly Japanese sensibility through soft textures and delicate illustrations. When the two bottles are placed side by side, they create a scene of a man and woman meeting-captured within the packaging design. As a gift from Japan, blessed with majestic mountains, the sea, ocean breezes, and brilliant sunlight, it accompanies joyful gatherings in faraway China.
The Recognition
About the Bronze A' Design Award
Wakayama Umeshu Series Plum Wine is a Bronze A' Design Award winner, a highly prestigious recognition granted to outstanding designs distinguished by creativity, ingenuity, and astuteness. Bronze winners are amply skillful and strikingly creative artifacts that authenticate the vast experience, imagination, and resourcefulness of their designers. Wakayama Umeshu Series Plum Wine is expected to be a highly regarded, admired, and cherished object that is notably professional and innovative. This Bronze A' Design Award-winning design incorporates best practices in art, science, design, and technology, and is excellent for its attention to detail. Wakayama Umeshu Series Plum Wine splendidly satisfies needs, touches desires, charms feelings, and appeals to curiosity.
Behind the Design
Press Kit
Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.
- Unique Properties
- In introducing Japanese sake to the Chinese market, the design aimed to express authentic Japan. The packaging is simple yet refined, employing soft colors, grand landscapes of Wakayama, and clean Japanese typography to convey its atmosphere. The illustration, crafted by layering cut paper, adds depth of color and texture. When two bottles are placed together, they depict the meeting of a man and woman, embodying the concept of enjoying sake through encounters and connections.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- Width 60 mm x Depth 60 mm x Height 295 mm
- Tags
- Simple design, emotional expression, paper collage illustration, human connection, encounter theme, Wakayama nature, Japanese culture, serene moment, warm atmosphere, handcrafted texture
- Production Technology
- The frosted bottle, chosen for its gentle impression, is paired with a label finished in velvet PP. Its silicone-like texture offers both a pleasant touch and a sense of luxury. The sealing label combines muted gold foil with a matte surface, achieving refinement while retaining softness. Overall, the design emphasizes a gentle impression, enhancing the concept with a strong sense of storytelling.
- Design Challenge
- Translating a concept rooted in Chinese exchange culture into a distinctly Japanese expression was not simple. Through repeated discussions with the client, we deepened mutual understanding, seeking a balance that embraced the continent’s passionate sensibility while retaining a soft, delicate Japanese touch. Layered paper illustrations and the gentle textures of frosted bottles and label stock gradually built up a refined sense of Japaneseness.
- Research
- We researched China’s drinking culture and why Japanese alcohol is welcomed there. To reassess the essence of Japaneseness in design, we revisited packaging and visuals seen daily in stores, analyzing them with fresh eyes. This led us to reinterpret cultural subtlety, the beauty of empty space, and the elegance of hiragana and kanji, incorporating these qualities into the package design and product naming.
- Inspiration
- Wakayama is Japan’s top plum producer, known for thick flesh and rich aroma. Its umeshu is acclaimed worldwide for flavor and fragrance. In China, fruit liqueurs and low-alcohol drinks are rising in popularity, with Japanese sake especially loved by the young. Family and friendship are deeply valued, and sharing drinks embodies such moments. This project began with the wish to offer sake that accompanies happy times with supportive friends.
- Project Duration
- It was exported and sold in Hangzhou, China in November 2022.
- Operation Flow
- The rich, aromatic flavor of umeshu and the refreshing, springy texture of umeshu jelly can be enjoyed in different scenes, allowing you to choose according to your mood and occasion.
- Image Credits
- Illustrator Yuri Mizutani
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