The Ogasawara archipelago is located in the Pacific Ocean, about 1000 km south of Tokyo prefecture to which it legally belongs. It is composed of about thirty islands benefiting from a semi-tropical climate and a magnificent environment that has earned it recognition as a remarkable area by UNESCO. Around 1830, fishermen from other parts of the Pacific began to stop there and barter with the islanders. They discovered rum and gradually understood that they could take advantage of the weather conditions to produce sugar cane. It is now the main resource of the island, along with fruit production. Ogasawara Rum was born towards the end of the 19th century from the distillation of a molasses-based product. The inhabitants called it "awazake" and it is today the oldest rum in Japan.