Sake On Air

We’re kicking off a new semi-ongoing series this week! Over the course of the past couple of years, in a world where international visitors have been largely restricted from entering Japan, we’ve been repeatedly getting a specific type of show topic request: sake travel. For those that have been used to visiting Japan on relatively frequent occasion but have had their regular visits rudely interrupted, many are keen to make the most of their long-awaited return once they are finally permitted to make the trip. For many others that have yet to tick Japan off of their bucket list, we’ve been contacted by a lot of listeners looking to remedy that as soon as they’re able, and make the most of their sake experiences here on the islands in the process. In a world where the results of a Google search are often treated as the “best answer” to a majority of the world’s unanswered questions, a lot of the most accessible and exceptional sake experiences to be had all across Japan have yet to bubble to the surface. For this series, we decided to bring together regular Sake On Air hosts that have both passion for, and experience with specific regions of Japan, together with long-time locals and specialists in local travel, dining, and of course, sake, to offer our listeners some tips on how to go about making the most of their next sake journey in Japan. To kick things off this week, show host Justin Potts is joined by long-time resident, musician, Sake Industry News editor, tour guide, and all-around exceptional sake advocate, Julian Houseman, to explore his home court in and around Osaka. Whether it’s taking advantage of your proximity to the legendary Nada and Itami regions and some of their iconic breweries, finding appreciation for the underappreciated Ikeda region, shopping for exceptional sake at legendary retailers like Yamanaka Sakenomise or Asano Nihonshuten, or running out to the suburbs for a visit to Daimon Brewery, Julian has more than a few suggestions for good times and great gastronomic discoveries in one of Japan’s most boisterous culinary metropolises. As Julian mentions at the end of the episode, be sure to keep an eye out for his article introducing some Osaka’s must-visit sake bars run by exceptional okami-san in an upcoming issue of Sake Today. You can continue to follow along with our own sake adventures at @sakeonair on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, or if you’d like to share your thoughts or questions with the hosts, please reach out to us at [email protected]. We’ll be back next week for a visit to the next destination in our Sake Travel series.Until then, kampai! Sake On Air is made possible with the generous support of the Japan Sake & Shochu Makers Association and is broadcast from the Japan Sake & Shochu Information Center in Tokyo. The show is brought to you by Potts.K Productions with audio production by Frank Walter. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” was composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.

Back on Air Livestream We can’t believe it has been nearly 4 months since our last “official” show release. Even though it was part of the plan, we’re now getting a bit stir-crazy. It’s time to get back on air. For those that missed it, we got most of the gang together at the JSS Information Center for a livestream back on July 29th. For those of you that missed it, we’ve cleaned up the audio and made it buttery smooth for your podcast-listening pleasure this week. If, however, you’re keen to take in the show in its entirety along with the all-too-rare visual component, you can watch that on our YouTube channel here. (Feel free to subscribe while you’re at it, as well). This week Sebastien Lemoine, Christopher Pellegrini, Rebekah Wilson-Lye, Chris Hughes, Cindy Bissig, and Justin Potts all pull up a seat at the bar to: Kampai! (2:56)Share stories from (up and) down time (7:50)Ponder the significance of Justin’s beverage selection (26:18)Consider our cloudy reunion (30:28)Soak up Big Chris’ haiku skills (31:03)Double down on doburoku (36:57)Announce new shochu regulations (47:50)Inquire about snazzy gentleman attire (48:56)Fire off an industry trend lightning round (51:14)Try to determine what awamori tastes like (57:55)Attempt to define French sake vs. “rice wine” (1:00:50)Discuss some favorite Tohoku sake (1:04:20)Collaborate on collaborations (1:08:28)Confirm the seemingly endless expansion of sake breweries making more than just sake (1:14:10)Explain fruity shochu (1:21:10) We’re as busy as ever at @sakeonair on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. If you’re curious to know what it is the cast and crew of Sake On Air are up to or are eagerly awaiting hints about what we’ve got coming down the pipeline, be sure to follow along with any or all of the above. If you’d like to share your thoughts or questions with the hosts, please reach out to us at [email protected]. Next week we’ll be starting our mini-series highlighting sake-inspired travels experiences in different regions across Japan. For all of our listeners out there with Japan plans on their horizon, these are not to be missed! Be well, stay tuned, and until next week, kampai! Sake On Air is made possible with the generous support of the Japan Sake & Shochu Makers Association and is broadcast from the Japan Sake & Shochu Information Center in Tokyo. The show is brought to you by Potts.K Productions with audio production by Frank Walter. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” was composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.

Back in October of 2018 when we released the very first episode of Sake On Air, none of us had recorded or produced a podcast before, and there was no precedent for what a podcast about sake and shochu could or should be. At the time, the number resources with quality information about what sake is were both growing and improving – which was fantastic! So instead of retreading that same material, we set out with the goal of “expanding the dialogue around sake and shochu.” Having a basic understanding of these incredible beverages and the common themes and terminology surrounding them is as important today as it was when we started. But given the geographical home of all of our hosts and our connections throughout the industry here in Japan, we felt that our role wasn’t only to inform our listeners as to what sake and shochu are, but to hopefully convey why it is they’re important and worth caring about. That’s why we emphasized the idea of “dialogue,” because to truly appreciate these magnificent beverages, we felt that engaging with a wide range of questions is equally – if not more – important than the so-called “answers”, and that the opportunity to examine the world of sake and shochu from a range of perspectives and appreciate the different values attributed to their beautiful complexity is what’s truly going to result in more individuals around the globe developing a life-long relationship with sake.   We’d like to think that we’ve succeeded to certain degree in achieving fraction of that lofty goal that we initially set out for ourselves. We’re certainly proud of what we’ve put out into the world as Sake On Air, but we also recognize that there’s a great deal of work still to be done, as well as plenty of room for improvement to our formula. Working on the show over the past 3.5 years, as a team we regularly discuss the nature of the work that we feel we ought to be engaging in, not only as a podcast, but as a team. Throughout that time the sake industry has grown significantly, but so has our crew. The lives and professional obligations and directions of each individual here at Sake On Air has morphed and evolved, and Sake On Air needs to not only grow together with our listeners, but also together with our dedicated hosts and production team. Over the years there have been a lot of ideas and ambitions that we’ve been unable to realize for one reason or another, however in order to continue to make the show meaningful, we feel that the show needs to evolve to reflect the growing needs of our listeners, the changes in the industry, and the motivations of our crew. After a lot of discussing and planning internally, we’ve committed to making that transition, which is why the show will be going on just a brief hiatus. At the time of this recording we’re unable to announce a specific date upon which the show will return to the airwaves, but rest assured, you won’t have to wait long. When the show does return, you likely won’t notice any big changes immediately. However, in the months that follow, you should start to get a feel for what it is we’re working toward. Up until now we were limited as to the scope and nature of projects that Sake On Air was able to engage in. Moving forward we’ll be able to further commit to offering not only the kind of programming that truly leverages our team’s unique position within the sake industry, but also opens up possibilities for a wider range of projects and partnerships that further utilize the skillsets, knowledge, and resources of our team, hopefully leading to more kinds of meaningful engagement with sake and shochu for more people here in Japan and around the world. While the show is in downtime we’ll be continuing to share information across our social media channels, so we’d love it if you’d join us at @sakeonair on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. As the relaunch of Sake On Air approaches, we’ll be keeping you informed about what to expect – and when – so be sure to stay tuned. In the meantime, feel free to send us your thoughts, ideas, and requests to [email protected]. Let us know what you’ve appreciated from the show up to this point, where you think we can do better, and what you’d like to see from the show in the future. We have plenty of plans and ideas, but our plans mean nothing if they don’t also serve the needs of the people that have made the show possible over the past 3.5 years. Believe me, we’re listening. Lastly, I just want to say a huge “Thank You” and extend a massive heartfelt “Kampai” to all of you listening out there that have regularly made time for Sake On Air as part of your love for, and exploration of, sake and shochu. Knowing that you’re out there and that our time and energy is contributing to your love of our favorite beverages is hands-down the most rewarding part of what we do. Thanks again so much for all of your support, and your continued support, of Sake On Air. We’ll be back with more, bran

We’ve welcomed more than an a few non-Japanese kurabito to the show in the past that have made sake brewing here in Japan their chosen path for a day or a lifetime. As the number of breweries integrating more diverse members into their workforce increases, it’s becoming difficult to keep track of the range of characters immersing themselves sake-driven careers here in the land of the rising sun. This week’s guest, however, has been on our radar for some time. Having spent roughly a decade brewing at a diverse range of highly respected breweries across Japan, including Okazaki Shuzo (Nagano), Yoshida Shuzo (Shimane), Kamoizumi Shuzo (Hiroshima), Banjo Jozo / Kuheiji (Aichi), and now, Terada Honke (Chiba), Mehdi Alexandre Medhaffar has gradually been refining his craft while exploring the depth and breadth of his relationship with the beverage that’s become a pillar of his life and livelihood. While Mehdi’s relatively recent transition to Terada Honke marks a very significant and personal change (which we discuss), his path to the present and his learnings along the way all contributed significantly to the development of his values in relation to this miraculous beverage that we celebrate. Sebastien Lemoine and Chris Hughes join Mehdi this week as he retraces his steps and recollects on how his life and evolution as a kurabito has inspired an evolution within himself. For those interested in following along with Mehdi’s adventure, you can do so on Instagram at @nomad_sake_brewer. Be sure to also keep tabs on Sake On Air over on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook, as well. Please also take a moment to leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or your favorite listening service, as it helps new sake lovers discover the show. Any additional comments and questions can be sent to us at [email protected]. We’ll be back with more Sake On Air in a couple of weeks.Stay tuned, and until then, kampai! Sake On Air is made possible with the generous support of the Japan Sake & Shochu Makers Association and is broadcast from the Japan Sake & Shochu Information Center in Tokyo. The show is a co-production between Export Japan and Potts.K Productions, with audio production by Frank Walter. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” was composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.

It’s been way too long since we’ve spent an entire episode dialing straight into the world of awamori. That’s why we’re thrilled that your host Christopher Pellegrini’s recent trip to Okinawa brought him together with Maurice Dudley, a man who has been slightly behind the scenes but at the absolute center of the concentrated efforts to bring the glory of awamori to spirits and cocktail connoisseurs throughout his hometown of Okinawa, as well as to regions across the globe. Maurice is a literal veteran in Okinawa, now having called the islands of the Ryukyu Kingdom his home since the mid-90s. This week he tells us about how during his time stationed with the U.S. military motivated him to double-down on his time spent with the local community on the island and the dining and drinking customs that accompanied the experience, how his bar and trade operation Blue Habu is playing a critical role in allowing him to communicate his love of awamori, and he also discusses with us takeaways from his recent promotional tour across Europe sharing Ryukyu 1429, followed by his aspirations for the future of the category.   We hope you’ll track down a bottle of awamori and pour yourself a glass (or several) and sip along with us for this personal and insightful interview. While you’re at it, follow along with Maurice and his Blue Habu exploits in Okinawa and beyond on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Be sure to also keep tabs on Sake On Air over on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook. Please also take a brief moment to leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or your favorite listening service, as well. Any additional comments and questions can be sent to us at [email protected]. We’ll be back with more Sake On Air in a couple of weeks.Stay tuned, and until then, kampai! Sake On Air is made possible with the generous support of the Japan Sake & Shochu Makers Association and is broadcast from the Japan Sake & Shochu Information Center in Tokyo. The show is a co-production between Export Japan and Potts.K Productions, with audio production by Frank Walter. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” was composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.

We finally have a great excuse to discuss beer this week. Despite a long history of (ongoing) misrepresentation as “rice wine” and the sake industry’s mild obsession with the wine world, we’re finally reaching a point where common sense (and basic science) have started to take hold. The result is a wider realization and acceptance that, when it comes to the act of brewing, sake exists in a place closer to the world of beer than that of wine. (That being said, don’t forget that sake is its own beast entirely!) Those making beer, however, latched onto this long before the sake industry accepted it, as it has been beer breweries and homebrewers that helped lead the charge for commercial sake production outside of Japan, as well as the adoption of raw materials such as koji and sake yeast both domestically and internationally for applications in the beer-making process. From a commercial standpoint, the space on the Venn diagram where sake and beer overlap used to be a mere sliver, however in recent years that surface area has grown, with more and more beer breweries borrowing ingredients from the sake world, along with more and more sake breweries collaborating with beer breweries and producing a range of products that likely no one had predicted even a decade ago. This week your regular host Justin Potts is joined by president of Bright Wave Media, Ry Beville, who is the publisher of both Sake Today, the world’s first English-language sake-specific magazine, as well as Japan Beer Times, the entirely bilingual publication exploring the ins-and-outs of Japan’s beer industry. Together with Ry we look at the historical development of Japan’s beer industry, how the evolution influenced the relationship between sake and beer, how both sake and beer breweries are working together today, and what we might expect from both of these worlds in the not-so-distant future. You can follow along with Ry’s contributions to the worlds of beer and sake below. Instagram:@japanbeertimes@saketoday Twitter:@JapanBeerTimes@SakeToday Web:Japan Beer Times: https://japanbeertimes.com/Sake Today: https://www.saketoday.com/ Be sure to keep tabs on Sake On Air over on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook, as well. Those keen to revisit the Sake Future Summit can do so here on our YouTube channel. Please also take a brief moment to leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or your favorite listening service. Any additional comments and questions can be sent to us at [email protected]. We’ll be back with more Sake On Air next week.Until then, kampai! Sake On Air is made possible with the generous support of the Japan Sake & Shochu Makers Association and is broadcast from the Japan Sake & Shochu Information Center in Tokyo. The show is a co-production between Export Japan and Potts.K Productions, with audio production by Frank Walter. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” was composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.

In Part 1 of this special two-part series visiting the producers reviving the lost art of kamejikomi, we spoke with Ken Kojima of Kojima Sohonten, makers of Toko sake in Yamagata Prefecture. This week we travel to the town of Gose in Nara Prefecture to chat with Chobei Yamamoto who represents 13 generations of sake-making at Yucho Shuzo, best known for their sake brand, Kaze no Mori. Yamamoto-san has not only reinstated the use of traditional kame earthenware pots into brewing, but he’s restored and reconstructed an entirely new brewery committed to traditional brewing practices utilizing kamejikomi. Having been dormant for the past 100 years, the new Kyoho Kura is dedicated entirely to the new soon-to-be-released Mizuhana brand sake. Mizuhana sake is not only brewed in traditional kame, but is also made in-line with traditional brewing recipes from start to finish. In this episode, Yamamoto-san gives us a bit of background into the role of Nara and the temple brewing that took place there which laid the groundwork for modern sake brewing, communicating why it makes so much sense for Yucho Shuzo to be dedicating the resources it has to these all-but-lost brewing traditions. You can learn more about Yucho Shuzo and Kaze no Mori here, as well as follow along with their work, their sake, and exploits in brewing and agriculture on Instagram at @kazenomori1719. Be sure to keep tabs on Sake on Air over on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook, as well. Please take a moment to leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or your favorite listening service. Any additional comments and questions can be sent to us at [email protected]. We’ll be back with more Sake on Air next week.Until then, kampai! Sake On Air is made possible with the generous support of the Japan Sake & Shochu Makers Association and is broadcast from the Japan Sake & Shochu Information Center in Tokyo. The show is a co-production between Export Japan and Potts.K Productions, with audio production by Frank Walter. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” was composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.

Back in Episode 51 we explored the hard work being invested in restoring kioke, the large-scale traditional wooden tanks that transformed sake brewing in the Edo Period. Thanks to the hard work of many, supply can’t keep up with demand and as more and more breweries are wanting to reintegrate kioke back into their brewing practices and more woodworking craftsman are stepping up to learn the craft. But brewing using kame has been completely abandoned for (probably) at least the past couple hundred years; that is until now. As with the historical vessels commonly used for brewing during more primitive times in cultures all around the world, earthen ware pots, or kame, were long the standard containers where fermentation took place. Having been retired entirely following the development of the craftsmanship that led to larger wooden tanks and vessels that allowed brewers to significantly scale production, kamejikomi – brewing in earthenware pots – long ago became a thing of the past. But in hopes of restoring brewing traditions, as well as the craftsmanship and lessons associated with them, a pair of breweries have recently managed to bring kamejikomi back to life in their respective kura. Across a pair of episodes featuring these respective breweries, we’ll hear about how this exciting challenge is being realized at a time when there’s still no real precedent in recent history. In this episode, we’ll be hearing from Ken Kojima who represents 24 generations of Kojima Sohonten, makers of Toko brand sake, as well as both the Retsu and Kojimaya labels. Tune in to learn how it is that one of the oldest breweries in Japan decided to make a brewing dream a reality in their beautiful winter wonderland of Yonezawa in Yamagata Prefecture. You can read more about Kojima Sohonten in this recent piece over at Japan Today, as well as follow along with the world of Toko Sake on Instagram at @toko_sake. Don’t forget to follow along with Sake on Air over on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook, as well. You can also leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or your favorite listening service. Any additional comments and questions can be sent to us at [email protected]. We’ll be back with Part 2 of this special series that will feature Yucho Shuzo, the makers of Kaze no Mori, before you know it. Until then, kampai! Sake on Air is made possible with the generous support of the Japan Sake & Shochu Makers Association and is broadcast from the Japan Sake & Shochu Information Center in Tokyo. The show is a co-production between Export Japan and Potts.K Productions, with audio production by Frank Walter. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” was composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.

Last week we focused our energy on examining the Niigata region as a whole. This week we’re once again joined by our same guests, Ms. Kaoru Ito and Mr. Hiroshi Nagamoto from the Overseas Business Department of Asahi Shuzo Sake Brewing Company, makers of Kubota, to delve into the ubiquitous brand of sake almost synonymous with the region of Niigata and celebrated not only in its home territory of Nagaoka, but also throughout Japan and by sake lovers and connoisseurs across the globe. Instead of focusing heavily on the flavor and stylistic profile of Kubota (hint: we already know it’s good) or a lot of the technical minutiae that goes into differentiating it from other established tanrei karakuchi competitors, we wanted to instead take some time to examine the context behind which such an iconic brand initially came into being, how it developed, the ways in which it’s managed to sustain its relevancy amidst a turbulent industry, and how the team behind Kubota plans to chart their future both domestically and abroad. Whether it’s casually name-dropping “Niigata” in the context of “major sake producing regions” or ordering a glass of Kubota almost without thinking because of its established consistency and reliability, we recognize that many of the components of sake stories such as these are often almost taken for granted, when in reality, a lot of us haven’t really had the opportunity to commit the time to really internalizing why it is that certain names and places have the prominence that they do. While there’s still infinitely more detail that demands exploring, we thought that by taking a step back to examine Niigata through a lens of experience alongside the people that have been helping carry the torch for the region for generations, we might be able to meaningfully begin scratching the surface. Putting this pair of episodes together has been an exciting and insightful exercise for all of us here at Sake On Air. We hope you enjoy it too. For those curious to follow along with the latest happenings in the land of Kubota, any of the links below are would be a great place to start. Asahi Shuzo Sake Brewing Co., Ltd. – Official Website (English)https://www.asahi-shuzo.co.jp/global/ Asahi Shuzo Sake Brewing Company – Official Facebook Page (English)https://www.facebook.com/KubotaJapaneseSake Asahi Shuzo Sake Brewing Company – Official Instagram (Japanese)https://www.instagram.com/asahi_shuzo_jp/ As always, you can follow along with our shenanigans here at Sake On Air via Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook. Please also be sure to leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcatcher service, as well. Any additional comments and questions can be sent to us at [email protected]. We’ll be back with more Sake On Air for you in just a couple of weeks.Until then, kampai! roadcast from the Japan Sake & Shochu Information Center in Tokyo. The show is a co-production between Export Japan and Potts.K Productions, with audio production by Frank Walter. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” was composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.

There’s really no such thing as an “inferior” region for sake production in Japan. A particular region may boast more breweries, higher production volume, or more acreage dedicated to a popular rice variety, but you really aren’t going to struggle to find great sake being made just about anywhere on the island. (In fact, there’s a reasonable argument to support the idea that some of the nation’s most exciting sake is born in some of the less-talked-about regions). Despite that, there are a handful of regions that have been elevated to a particular pedestal, consistently short-listed in the conversation around premier sake-producing regions. One of those that gets name-checked without fail, is Niigata. To fully explore the depth and complexity of this exceptional region in a manner that would paint a complete and accurate picture, from its historical significance through its modern evolution, would require masterclass of epic proportions. Instead of waiting for that to come to fruition, we thought we’d at least begin laying to groundwork by offering a broad, overarching perspective, followed by a profile of one of the labels that has become nearly synonymous with the region. For the next two episodes we’re joined by Ms. Kaoru Ito and Mr. Hiroshi Nagamoto, both from the Overseas Business Department of Asahi Shuzo Sake Brewing Company based in Nagaoka, located in central Niigata, makers of the iconic Kubota brand sake. (Careful, as there are more than a handful of sake breweries that share the name Asahi Shuzo, each exceptional in their own right). This week we focus on the characteristics that make Niigata uniquely equipped to deliver on the promise that comes attached with the name. In addition to historical and geographical factors, we also look at local training, education, and technical development resources that have contributed to the region’s explosive growth over the past 50 years, as well as the elements that came together to give birth to the style of sake that’s become synonymous with the region – tanrei karakuchi – what that has done for the region’s development of technical prowess and notoriety amongst consumers, and how the future of the region’s sake might be better defined by another term: Niigata Tanrei. We touch lightly upon Asahi Shuzo Sake Brewing and the Kubota label, but we’ll dig into that in more detail in the week ahead. For this week, we lean upon the team with the deep connections and understanding of the elements at play that have cultivated one of Japan’s most celebrated sake regions, in hopes of providing a bit of context for how it came to be elevated to where it rests today and why we shouldn’t count the region out for its potential role in mapping the future of sake. For those looking to start studying for the week ahead, or who are curious as to what Kubota and Asahi Shuzo Sake Brewing Co. are up to, you can learn more at the links below. Asahi Shuzo Sake Brewing Co., Ltd. – Official Website (English)https://www.asahi-shuzo.co.jp/global/ Asahi Shuzo Sake Brewing Company – Official Facebook Page (English)https://www.facebook.com/KubotaJapaneseSake Asahi Shuzo Sake Brewing Company – Official Instagram (Japanese)https://www.instagram.com/asahi_shuzo_jp/ As always, you can follow along with our shenanigans here at Sake On Air via Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook. Please also be sure to leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcatcher service, as well. Any additional comments and questions can be sent to us at [email protected]. We’ll be back with more Sake On Air for you in just a couple of weeks.Until then, kampai! roadcast from the Japan Sake & Shochu Information Center in Tokyo. The show is a co-production between Export Japan and Potts.K Productions, with audio production by Frank Walter. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” was composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.

Ginjo is king. Or at least, that’s kind of been a mantra for several generations of more than a few sake lovers, makers, and advocates. Looking at the numbers in recent years, some have dubbed this the current era to be the era of junmai ginjo. (Straight-up ginjo has been faltering a bit, however). Sake classified in the ginjo stratum today aren’t the same as that of yesteryear, and if the depictions of the style further permeating the market today are any indication, ginjo-classified sake will likely be a bit different tomorrow, as well. As the styles of ginjo-classified sake and other classifications evolve, we thought it would be worthwhile to remind ourselves (and listeners) exactly what it is we’re talking about when we talk about ginjo. This week John Gauntner has brought Rebekah Wilson-Lye and Sebastien Lemoine to the party to discuss the above and a whole more. We hope you’ll pour a glass of something ginjo-esque and join us. After listening, share with us your own ginjo-related experiences over on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook. When you’re done with that, you can go ahead and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or your favorite listening service, as well. Any additional comments and questions can be sent to us at [email protected]. We’ll be back with more Sake On Air again before you know it. Until then, kampai! Sake On Air is made possible with the generous support of the Japan Sake & Shochu Makers Association and is broadcast from the Japan Sake & Shochu Information Center in Tokyo. The show is a co-production between Export Japan and Potts.K Productions, with audio production by Frank Walter. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” was composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.

Another year, another chance to set ourselves up for failure with a series of wild predictions! This year the team has independently put together their own lists of predictions and expectations for what the worlds of sake and shochu may have in store for 2022. Intentionally, we haven’t shared or discussed our views with one another in advance in some attempt to produce any “best” answer, so what you hear is a reflection of what each of us is seeing and feeling based upon our own views and experiences. Will there be any reoccurring themes? Should you anticipate any new or unprecedented movements? Is 2022 going to fulfill trends and promises that have begun to suggest themselves in recent years? Nothing is for certain, but it’s a fun exercise nonetheless. After listening, be sure to share your own insights and expectations for the year ahead with us over on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook. When you’re done with that, you can go ahead and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcatcher service, as well. We’ll be eternally grateful. Any additional comments and questions can be sent to us at [email protected]. Note that the views expressed by everyone on this show are those of the individual and don’t necessarily reflect the thoughts and opinions of the Japan Sake & Shochu Makers Association, any particular brewery, distillery or industry-related organization. Our thoughts are our own, which is part of what makes this fun. We hope everyone’s 2022 is off to a happy and healthy start and that the year ahead is filled with delicious sake and shochu (in moderation). We’ll be back with more Sake On Air for you in just a couple of weeks.Until then, kampai! Sake On Air is made possible with the generous support of the Japan Sake & Shochu Makers Association and is broadcast from the Japan Sake & Shochu Information Center in Tokyo. The show is a co-production between Export Japan and Potts.K Productions, with audio production by Frank Walter. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” was composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.

This past autumn, something really special came into being that all of our sake and shochu-loving listeners ought to appreciate. A project that has been in-the-making for quite some time behind the scenes at the Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association, the Digital Kokushu Museum offers a rather particular kind of glimpse into the ongoing evolution of tradition and culture of Japan’s iconic and long-celebrated koji-fermented beverages – sake, mirin, and shochu – collectively referred to (occasionally) as, kokushu. Should you find yourself with the opportunity to visit some of the many sake breweries and shochu distilleries scattered across Japan, you’ll find that nearly each and every one has rooms (and sometimes entire buildings) brimming with sake and shochu-related artifacts, from retro advertisements and signboards, to vintage glassware and merch, and even volumes upon volumes of historical texts. The true nature of most of the content stashed away, however, is often a mystery even to the owners, as there’s just too much to sift through. It’s amazing when you consider the prospect of all that’s potentially out there, but as very little of it has been properly organized and catalogued, and because it’s all scattered to the winds across the island of Japan, very few people ever get the chance to encounter it, and even less an opportunity to appreciate it. The Digital Kokushu Museum is a small, but significant step in taking centuries of both physical and digital paraphernalia representing the evolution of Japan’s kokushu culture and curating it into an easy-to-navigate and insightful digital format online. With such a long, rich history, as well as vast pool of content to potentially draw from, we were curious as to how one would even begin to go about approaching such a daunting and gargantuan task, as well as determining how to then go about organizing and curating all that information. To find out, your hosts Marie Nagata and Justin Potts invited the project’s director and curator, Miho Ohta, to the show to share in the process, as well as the discoveries she and the team at JSS made along the way. Thanks for tuning in again this week. Please feel free to leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or whatever service you rely upon for your podcasting needs. Contact us at [email protected] with any thoughts about the show, and feel free to follow us on  Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Everything from Sake Future Summit 2020, as well as a number of other recordings, are all archived over on our YouTube channel, as well. We’ll be back with more Sake On Air for you in just a couple of weeks.Until then, kampai! Sake On Air is made possible with the generous support of the Japan Sake & Shochu Makers Association and is broadcast from the Japan Sake & Shochu Information Center in Tokyo. The show is a co-production between Export Japan and Potts.K Productions, with audio production by Frank Walter. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” was composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.

A lot of the interview material from our episodes here at Sake on Air winds up on the cutting room floor, but some of it is just too good to let go to waste. With our Okawari series, we raise our glass for a second round of information and insight from our past guest interviews and serendipitous encounters that we just didn’t get enough of the first time around. This week’s Okawari welcomes back three very special guests, each touching upon topics that took place as part of our previous discussions that were equally as fascinating as the original theme of their respective shows, however because the topics covered stretched beyond the scope of the show at that time we couldn’t manage to get that material on air – until now. First up is Ayako Yamaguchi, who joined us for Episode 55 in order to discuss Fushimi Sake. At the time of the show, because Fushimi was the topic at-hand we kept the content focused as-such, however when discussing Fushimi, it’s impossible to leave out the impact of and relationship with two other neighboring sake producing powerhouses: Nada and Itami. In this segment, Ayako shares with us a bit of historical context surrounding this relationship between this sake-making trifecta of the Kansai region, as well as discusses the challenges of researching for such deep and vast historical topics. Next, we’re rejoined by Water, Wood and Wild Things author, Hannah Kirshner from Episode 58. Seeing as how we are a show about sake (and shochu), much of the content from that interview that made it on air were discussions centered more directly around sake-specific references and experiences outlined in her book, where her time with Shishi no Sato producer, Matsuura Shuzo, is a significant component. However, Hannah’s book is about a great deal more than sake, and to fully appreciate the role of sake both in the book, as well as in general, it’s really many of those seemingly peripheral components that are, actually, just as central. In this part of the interview, Hannah shares with us her relationship with food and cooking as a part of her life in Yamanaka and how that manifested itself the book, we discuss the wonderful range of expressions for the word “water” and the similarities between the worlds of tea and sake, and she shares with us how her ever-present role as an author documenting her experience was received as a component of her life in the countryside. Lastly, we once again hear from Xavier Thuizat, who joined us back on Episode 53 to share with us the process of developing and hosting the world class sake competition that is Kura Master. That story in and of itself is a fascinating one, which is why we kept the focus on it for that episode, however Xavier had some very provocative food for thought when the topic of terroir came up in relation to sake. Tune in to hear about how he considers an emphasis on excessive rice polishing to be a challenge to expressions of authenticity in sake, how the dependance upon specific yeast strains is destroying the soul of sake, and why Geographical Indications (GI) could play an important role in actually simplifying the communication surrounding sake while contributing to communicating the inherent values of the beverage. Thanks for tuning in again this week. Please feel free to leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or whatever service you rely upon for your podcasting needs. Contact us at [email protected] with any thoughts about the show, and feel free to follow us on  Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Everything from Sake Future Summit 2020, as well as a number of other recordings, are all archived over on our YouTube channel, as well. We’ll be back with more Sake on Air for you in just a couple of weeks. Until next time, kampai! Sake On Air is made possible with the generous support of the Japan Sake & Shochu Makers Association and is broadcast from the Japan Sake & Shochu Information Center in Tokyo. The show is a co-production between Export Japan and Potts.K Productions, with audio production by Frank Walter. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” was composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.

Although this particular holiday season may prove to be somewhat of an exception for some – much in the way that many of us assumed 2020 to be an exception – for many people around the world the year winding down and a new year ramping up tends to be a long-awaited opportunity to gather and spend a bit more time with family, friends and colleagues. A natural extension of this is, for many, also a welcome opportunity to open a few bottles of something special that they’ve been hanging on to, or put just a bit more thought into what to open for whom and for what occasion. In doing so, it’s a great opportunity to extend yourself just a tad – within safe and healthy means, of course – in order to sip some more variety than you may be accustomed to when tied to more of a routine throughout the rest of the year. As such, in addition to the range of holiday classics, we here at Sake On Air see this as a wonderful season of opportunity, not only to sample some fantastic new sake and shochu, but to proactively share these stellar beverages with friends and family and establish some all new holiday classics of your own. So this week, Justin rang up each and every member of the team to find out what their sake and shochu routines and go-to drinks and drinking styles are for the season, as well as find out if they have any special drink plans or suggestions for the weeks ahead. Naturally, depending upon where it is you call home is going to determine your access to different styles of shochu and sake, so your mileage with some of the team’s suggestions might vary, but we thought it would be a fun opportunity to share a bit of our holiday season with all of our listeners, even if only in voice and in spirit. 02:20 — John Gauntner & Chris Pellegrini13:44 — Marie Nagata & Chris Hughes22:40 — Cindy Bissig & Sebastien Lemoine 48:43 — Rebekah Wilson-Lye & Shuso Imada Thanks for tuning in this week. Please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or whatever service you rely upon for your podcasting needs. Contact us at [email protected] with any thoughts about the show, and feel free to follow us on  Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Everything from Sake Future Summit 2020, as well as a number of other recordings, are all archived over on our YouTube channel, as well. We’d like to wish all of our listeners, followers, fans and supporters both new and old a very happy and healthy holiday season, however it is you may choose to spend it and wherever it is you may be tuning in from. We’ll be back with one more episode to close out the year in a couple of weeks, but until then, a very happy holidays and a festive kampai to all of you from the team here at Sake On Air. Sake On Air is made possible with the generous support of the Japan Sake & Shochu Makers Association and is broadcast from the Japan Sake & Shochu Information Center in Tokyo. The show is a co-production between Export Japan and Potts.K Productions, with audio production by Frank Walter. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” was composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.

Seeing as how we haven’t featured any of our esteemed sake brewing revolutionist friends on the European continent recently, we thought it was about time we check in. This week we’re joined by Tom Wilson, co-founder and head brewer at Kanpai in London, as well as Grégoire Boeuf, kuramoto at Les Larmes du Levant, located in Pélusin, France. While often loosely lumped into the same category, both brewing (excellent) sake on the same continent, the approaches and philosophies of these two breweries, as well as their experiences in getting established, growing, and also working through the ups and downs of the past couple of years are entirely unique to themselves and their individual scenarios. Both Grégoire and Tom share with us a bit about the early days getting started and the initial motivations for making the leap into the sake world, but also open up about their thoughts (and actions) surrounding a vast range of topics, including the overall communication of the sake category, the honest nature of the sake brewery, challenges with taxes and regulation for sake in Europe, the balance between honoring tradition and the importance of creative freedom, and how getting back to basics and doubling down on quality and meaningful work has been a savior in times of trial. Sebastien Lemoine and Justin Potts are now highly motivated to figure out how to execute a Sake On Air European Tour following this enjoyable and insightful session. Each of these breweries deserve their own feature, so we’ll definitely be sitting down with this week’s guests again in the future – hopefully in person – while continuing our exploration of the sake brewing landscape across Europe and beyond. Be sure to follow along with the exciting endeavors of @kanpailondon and  @larmesdulevant as well. Thanks for tuning in this week. You can leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or whatever service you rely upon for your podcasting needs. Contact us at [email protected] with any thoughts about the show, and feel free to follow us on  Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Everything from Sake Future Summit 2020, as well as a number of other recordings, are all archived over on our YouTube channel, as well. We’ll be back in two weeks with plenty more Sake On Air. Until then, Kampai! Sake On Air is made possible with the generous support of the Japan Sake & Shochu Makers Association and is broadcast from the Japan Sake & Shochu Information Center in Tokyo. The show is a co-production between Export Japan and Potts.K Productions, with audio production by Frank Walter. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” was composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.

On October 18th, way back in the distant past that was 2018, we released the first official episode of Sake On Air. Exactly three years to the day, we got the entire crew together to commemorate and celebrate (virtually) along with our listeners and supporters from across the globe. Back at the end of September we still weren’t sure what we would be able to do in order to share this special occasion. The Japan Sake and Shochu Information Center still wasn’t able to host and serve sake or shochu, the same being true for bars and dining establishments across most of Japan. We were at the tail end of what was essentially an extended ban on the service of alcohol extending back into mid-summer, a move that surprised everyone. So when word got out at that from early October we were going to be able to share a space – and a drink or two – we scrambled to make it happen. It was a bit short notice, but we wanted to share that time with all of you out there that have been listening, following, and supporting the show throughout these past three years. For those that would like a visual component to this week’s episode, we did indeed livestream the get-together on both YouTube and Facebook. Due to a few technical hiccups it’s a black screen for a majority of the time up through about the 28:00-minute mark (our apologies), but there are some great tidbits of insight and food-for-thought during that time as well, so do listen in. Thanks to the incredible support of the Japan Sake & Shochu Makers Association for believing in our vision back when sake-related podcasting ceased to exist, we’ve been able to gradually grow and develop Sake On Air into a show that shares not only the stories and information related to sake and shochu, but also the people and the joy that the community surrounding these incredible beverages have brought to all of our lives for so many years. To be able to share just a fraction of that with all of our listeners has been an absolute honor. But it doesn’t stop here! We’ve got plenty in the works for year four and beyond. Stay with us and we’ll keep on bringing you all of the sake, shochu and awamori goodness that you’re looking for – and then some. To all of our listeners we send a massive heartfelt ‘Arigato’ and enthusiastic ‘Kampai’ from the entire team here at Sake On Air. We’ll be back again in two weeks. Until then, Kampai! Feel free to leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or whatever service you rely upon for your podcasting needs. You can contact us at [email protected] with any thoughts about the show, and feel free to follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Everything from Sake Future Summit 2020, as well as a number of other recordings, are all archived over on our YouTube channel, as well. Sake On Air is made possible with the generous support of the Japan Sake & Shochu Makers Association and is broadcast from the Japan Sake & Shochu Information Center in Tokyo. The show is a co-production between Export Japan and Potts.K Productions, with audio production by Frank Walter. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” was composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.

Back in Episode 65 during our discussion with the president of Sohomare, Mr. Jun Kono, another interesting name popped; that of Gautier Roussille. An agronomist and oenologist by trade, Gautier’s exposure to sake back in 2006, followed by years of proactively exploring and researching the category, eventually lead him to a brief foray as a kurabioto at Sohomare, which then inspired one of the most thorough examinations of the sake-making process to be outlined in print in a language other than Japanese. His book, Nihonshu: Japanese Sake, first published in French in 2016, with a Kickstarted English version appearing in 2018, has come to serve as an invaluable resource to the world’s ever-curious sake aficionados and budding sake brewers. With a professional background rooted in the science and related practices of winemaking and the agriculture supporting it, the lens through which he explores and communicates the world of sake is rooted in relatable, analytical, and practical experience. Currently co-manager of Domaine Guillemot-Michel, a celebrated winery that transitioned to biodynamic agriculture back in 1991, his experience in the field, in the winery, and through research, has informed his perspective on sake, a category that he now regularly educates for and consults on, also serving as judge for both the International Wine Challenge and Kura Master. Gautier shares his rational, logical and well-informed perspective on our favorite drink with Sebastien Lemoine and Justin Potts this week. It’s a thoughtful and inspiring conversation from which we think all of our listeners can find something that speaks to them and furthers their passion and interest in this fermented beverage we all love. Feel free to leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or whatever service you rely upon for your podcasting needs. You can contact us at [email protected] with any thoughts about the show, and feel free to follow us on  Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Everything from Sake Future Summit 2020, as well as a number of other recordings, are all archived over on our YouTube channel, as well. We’ll be back in two weeks with more Sake on Air.Until then, Kampai! Sake On Air is made possible with the generous support of the Japan Sake & Shochu Makers Association and is broadcast from the Japan Sake & Shochu Information Center in Tokyo. The show is a co-production between Export Japan and Potts.K Productions, with audio production by Frank Walter. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” was composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.

Along with a general interest in sake expanding globally, the number of homebrewers curious to try their hand at sake making and professional brewers setting up formal production operations around the world continues to grow year-on-year at an ever-increasing rate. At the same time, as the population committing themselves to sake both personally and professionally across a range of activities – from sales and distribution to education and evangelism – more and more people are looking for ways to get a little bit closer to the process and craftmanship of sake in order to further develop their understanding from a more personal and experiential angle. The need to fill the gap between “brewery tour” and “full-on brewer” for a growing number of sake-curious and sake professionals has been growing for years. Thankfully, Gakkogura appeared. Officially operating in limited capacity since 2014, Gakkogura (literally, “Brewery School”) is the work of Obata Shuzo, makers of Manotsuru brand sake on the beautiful and historic Sado Island in the Sea of Japan off the coast of Niigata Prefecture. The project began, not with the intention of constructing a brewing school, but with a desire to save a piece of personal history on the island. Due to population decline and decreasing number of children on the island, the beautiful Nishimikawa Elementary school had already been committed to closure by the local government, ending more than a century of youth education that spanned multiple generations of islanders. Wanting to develop a means of saving the school and preserving it as a place for learning and connecting in the local community, president of Obata Shuzo, Mr. Ken Hirashima, along with his wife, Mrs. Rumiko Obata, the non-stop powerhouse leading the charge of the family business, together they settled on a community-centric, educationally-driven micro brewery as the means of breathing life into the historic structure. Brewing only a small number of batches each year from late-Spring through the end of Summer, each batch of sake made is crafted with a specific goal in mind for a specific group of individuals, with the hands-on component of the brewing process timed and organized to fit the needs of the small group of people that have committed to attending the school on Sado Island for a pre-determined week in the summer. Designed to be more than just a technical training establishment, each group of participants selected for each program are each attached to a single batch of sake, through which they are introduced not only to the production process, but also to life and culture on Sado Island and the role that sake plays in the lives and livelihoods of the people. Each group is taking part, not only in making sake, but in becoming a contributor and ambassador to the majesty of the island and the unique role that each batch of sake is crafted to play upon being introduced to the world at large. Due to some peculiar legal regulations surrounding the production of sake in Japan, it wasn’t until 2020 that Gakkogura was finally able to really open up its operations and promote and share the fruits of their labor in a more outward-facing capacity. Having obtained that additional bit of freedom amidst the COVID pandemic, it’s really just now that Gakkogura is beginning to transform and grow into a new phase of community development and brewing education. For this episode, in the first half we’re joined by Mrs. Rumiko Obata, representing five generations of Obata Shuzo and the communicative force behind Gakkorua. In this short interview, Obata-san shares with us some insight into the origins of the brewing school, the values driving the project, and the relationship between the unique brewery and the special place that is Sado Island. For the second half, to offer a bit of an experiential perspective, we have a short roundtable discussion between this summer’s final group of brewing students, who were assigned to help craft the brewery’s first ever attempt at a kimoto-style sake. We’re joined by journalist, YouTuber and Tokyo Aijo editor, Roberto Maxwell, along with engineer and technical consultant-turned-sake startup founder, Philipp Maas, as well as Sake Tours founder and director Etsuko Nakamura, who has joined us on the show before at Sake Future Summit 2020. Regular show host Justin Potts (and Gakkogura program supporter and participant) joins the crew on-site at the brewery over a glass of sake following the completion of their week-long experience to get a feel for the impressions and takeaways that resonated with year’s final cohort. If you enjoy Sake On Air, you can help new listeners discover the show by leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts or on whatever service delivers you all of your podcasting needs. Contact us at [email protected] with any thoughts about this week’s show, and feel free to follow us on  Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Everything from Sake Future Summit

This week at Sake On Air we tackle a wide range of sake and shochu-specific topics based upon questions submitted by you, the listeners! Even though we’re always available and eager to engage with our listeners, viewers and followers across all of the online spaces you can find us on, we also recognize that there’s still a great deal more that we could be doing to facilitate that dialogue. This episode is just one small piece of a larger initiative in-the-works to help make that happen. In order to help improve and expand the flow of communication between our listeners and everyone here at SOA, we’ve actually welcomed a new partner-in-crime to the crew! It was thanks to Cindy Bissig that we were able to make this episode happen, and if you happened to submit a question or interact at all with us here on social media over the past couple of months, chances are it was Cindy that you were talking to. A talented, ambitious, sake-loving and ever-traveling documenter of the Japan experience, we were incredibly lucky to have our world collide with Cindy’s despite a year of limited interaction and travel. For the past few months she’s been keeping a close eye on the world of sake to share up-to-date info with our listeners, while also going out of her way to create more opportunities to dialogue with the people that make this show a joy to create: you. On this week’s show, Cindy joins a handful of your regular hosts, Rebekah Wilson-Lye, Justin Potts and Chris Hughes, to tackle your questions and offer perspective from our position over here on the fine island of Japan. Consider this “Part 1”, as we still have many more questions that we weren’t able to get to and we’re always accepting your thoughts and questions. It’s an ever-expanding, never-ending quest that we’re on. Be sure to send along a big “Kampai!” to Cindy and welcome her to the show! And while you’re at it, let us know what you think of this week’s format and if you’d like to hear more of this type of discussion-based Q&A from your hosts and guests. You can go ahead and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or whatever service you rely upon for your podcasting needs, as well. Contact us at [email protected] with any thoughts about the show, and feel free to follow us on  Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Everything from Sake Future Summit 2020, as well as a number of other recordings, are all archived over on our YouTube channel, as well. We’ll be back in two weeks with more Sake On Air.Until then, Kampai! Sake On Air is made possible with the generous support of the Japan Sake & Shochu Makers Association and is broadcast from the Japan Sake & Shochu Information Center in Tokyo. The show is a co-production between Export Japan and Potts.K Productions, with audio production by Frank Walter. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” was composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.

Continuing this month’s series examining the world of sparkling sake, this week we bring you a pair of interviews with sake makers that have been instrumental in both evolving and improving the sparkling sake category. Regular host Chris Hughes first sits down with Mr. Hitoshi Suzuki, president of Ichinokura, and sales representative Ms. Erina Nakamura, to discuss what’s largely considered to be the industry’s first commercialization of a naturally fermented sparkling sake product, the Miyagi-based brewery’s beloved Suzune, along with the sake’s roots in their other popular Himezen line of sake. Following that discussion, Chris then invites CEO of leading sparkling sake producer, Yamanashi Meijo, makers of Shichiken, Mr. Tsushima Kitahara, to discuss not only the technical evolution of their sparkling sake, but also how committing to the style as a core of their business has resulted in sparkling sake now making up more than 30% of their overall sake production, with a dedication to ever-improving quality and communication around the style leading to opportunities and partnerships that are opening new doors for the wonderful world of sake. If you have more questions about the fascinating world of sparkling sake, please do reach out to us. We welcome both your questions, as well as stories of your own experiences and discoveries with the style. We’ll be revisiting this topic again down the road, so any thoughts and feelings you’re willing to share now will serve as fuel for developing a future episode of Sake on Air. You can always help us out by leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts or whatever service you rely upon for your podcasting needs. Contact us at [email protected] with any thoughts about this week’s show, and feel free to follow us on  Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Everything from Sake Future Summit 2020, as well as a number of other recordings, are all archived over on our YouTube channel, as well. We’ll be back in two weeks with more brand new Sake On Air. Until then, Kampai! Sake On Air is made possible with the generous support of the Japan Sake & Shochu Makers Association and is broadcast from the Japan Sake & Shochu Information Center in Tokyo. The show is a co-production between Export Japan and Potts.K Productions, with audio production by Frank Walter. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” was composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.

Of all the requests that we get for various show topics, an episode focusing on “Sparkling Sake” is probably one, if not the most requested topic filling our inbox. So this week, we (finally) bring you the first of two episodes that we’ve put together to help provide a bit of context and perspective for this rapidly expanding style that’s showing no signs of slowing down. This week Chris Hughes, Rebekah Wilson-Lye and Justin Potts break down the range of sparkling sake styles – from the classic kassei styles, to CO2-infused staples, to bubbly derived through secondary fermentation, and the relatively new Awasake – outlining how they differ, what makes each unique, and a providing bit of context for how each are developing and evolving in the market, particularly as the style exists in Japan. A couple of weeks from now we’ll be bringing you a follow-up episode featuring interviews with a pair of sake breweries that have been instrumental in developing, proliferating and expanding the style, pursuing ever-improved quality while carving out their own interpretation of this exciting category. Listeners, when you ask, we deliver. We hope you’ll enjoy this month’s exploration into a style of sake poised to rapidly gather the mindshare of a world of sake lovers while transforming the perception of sake for a new world of drinks-curious. Let us know what you thought of this episode of Sake On Air by leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts or whatever service you rely upon for your podcasting needs. Contact us at [email protected] with any thoughts about this week’s show, and feel free to follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Everything from Sake Future Summit 2020, as well as a number of other recordings, are all archived over on our YouTube channel, as well. We’ll be back in two weeks to dive even deeper into the world of sparkling sake here at Sake On Air.Kampai! Sake On Air is made possible with the generous support of the Japan Sake & Shochu Makers Association and is broadcast from the Japan Sake & Shochu Information Center in Tokyo. The show is a co-production between Export Japan and Potts.K Productions, with audio production by Frank Walter. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” was composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.

This week we have a rather special story to tell, as we’re joined by Katsura Sunshine, the second non-Japanese master Rakugo-ka in the history of the craft. The nuanced, playful, dramatic, and at sometimes outright hilarious art of Rakugo storytelling carries over 400 years of historical and cultural significance, passing down universal messages and timeless life lessons that have helped shape how Japan enjoys and appreciates its stories. While sharing in a bit of sake, Katsura Sunshine opens up to us about his ongoing life journey through the largely untrodden (outside Japan) world of Rakugo and his steadfast dedication to endlessly honing his craft while bringing honest and faithful depictions of the artform’s beloved stories to international audiences, whether it be Off Broadway, or on YouTube. At Sake on Air, after having been away from our regular home at the JSS Sake & Shochu Information Center amidst a turbulent and challenging year, our guest brought a much needed bit of Sunshine to our short-lived return to our sake sanctuary. While this week’s show isn’t entirely sake (or shochu) specific, together with our very special guest, your regular hosts Chris Hughes and Sebastien Lemoine explore the shared qualities of both the sake and rakugo experience, while being treated to a few performances – and resulting laughter – along the way. Sunshine’s next show is on the 7th of August at the Yoshimoto Yurakucho Theatre, tickets are ¥1,500 in advance or ¥1,800 at the door. Doors open at 12:30 and the performance will begin at 13:00. Tickets can be purchased at https://yoshimoto.funity.jp/search/?kaien_date_type=2021%2F08%2F07&kaijyo_code=999230&kaien_time=13:00 If you enjoyed this week’s (or any week’s) episode of Sake On Air, you can help new listeners discover the show by leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts or on whatever service delivers you all of your podcasting needs. Contact us at [email protected] with any thoughts about this week’s show, and feel free to follow us on  Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Everything from Sake Future Summit 2020, as well as a number of other recordings, are all archived over on our YouTube channel, as well. We’ll be back in two weeks’ time with more Sake on Air. Until then,Kampai! Sake On Air is made possible with the generous support of the Japan Sake & Shochu Makers Association and is broadcast from the Japan Sake & Shochu Information Center in Tokyo. The show is a co-production between Export Japan and Potts.K Productions, with audio production by Frank Walter.

We’ve been way overdue for an episode highlighting one of Japan’s many inspiring sake breweries. When your hosts Sebastien Lemoine and John Gauntner line up a sit-down with Mr. Jun Kono, who represents five generations of award-winning Sohomare sake, you know you’re in for a treat. Located in Tochigi prefecture – a bit of a hot-spot in the world of sake these days – Sohomare’s stretch of consecutive gold medals over the past decade at the National Sake Appraisal, along with top honors at the Kanto Regional Appraisals in both the ginjo and junmai ginjo categories in 2020 – a rather unheard of achievement – the brewery’s recognition has more than solidified the accumulated efforts of Mr. Kono and the team at Sohomare throughout his tenure. In this episode, Mr. Kono shares with us the story of his family’s lineage that was kept a secret for centuries, how intricate blending sensibilities and a return to kimoto-style sake making have grown to define Sohomare, the behavioral quirks of different yeast types, how they’ve managed to acquire yamada nishiki from Hyogo’s most prized growing sites for so long, and how for Mr. Kono, “making sake he wants to drink” takes precedent over everything else. If you enjoy Sake On Air, you can help new listeners discover the show by leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts or on whatever service delivers you all of your podcasting needs. Contact us at [email protected] with any thoughts about this week’s show, and feel free to follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Everything from Sake Future Summit 2020, as well as a number of other recordings, are all archived over on our YouTube channel, as well. We’ll be back in two weeks’ time with more Sake On Air. Kampai! Sake On Air is made possible with the generous support of the Japan Sake & Shochu Makers Association and is broadcast from the Japan Sake & Shochu Information Center in Tokyo. The show is a co-production between Export Japan and Potts.K Productions, with audio production by Frank Walter. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” was composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.

We’ve been relatively quiet on the shochu front in recent months, but we’re looking to remedy that this week by serving up an episode that should inspire our listeners to begin procuring their shochu and awamori selections for the weekend and beyond. This week Christopher Pellegrini welcomes frequent collaborator, author and co-host of the Japan Distilled podcast, Stephen Lyman. Stephen took us on a detailed tour of Yamatozakura Distillery for the Sake Future Summit back in 2020, joined us to talk about his book, Guide to Japanese Drinks, back on Episode 26, and also appeared on Episode 14 to discuss some of the finer nuances of our favorite koji-crafted distillates. While shochu and awamori can be served up wonderfully any myriad of ways, this week Stephen and Christopher drill down into the basics. How are shochu and awamori most commonly prepared, served and consumed in Japan? Why would you select one style over another and how does it influence the sensory experience? What styles of shochu naturally lend themselves to certain serving and drinking styles? As shochu and awamori expand their reach across the globe, drinking and service styles are diversifying at a dizzying pace – which is incredible. But for this episode, our hosts inform as to not only ‘what’ the common and established drinking styles are, but also ‘why’. There’s a reason this beloved beverage holds market share and mindshare in Japan on-par with (and occasionally eclipsing) sake. If you’re looking to explore those reasons, this week’s episode is the perfect place to start. Thanks for once again tuning in to Sake On Air. You can help new listeners discover the show by leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts or on whatever service delivers you all of your podcasting needs. Contact us at [email protected] with any thoughts about this week’s show, and feel free to follow us on  Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Everything from Sake Future Summit 2020, as well as a number of other recordings, are all archived over on our YouTube channel, as well. We’ll be back in two weeks’ time with more Sake On Air.Have a happy and healthy week, everyone. Kampai! Sake On Air is made possible with the generous support of the Japan Sake & Shochu Makers Association and is broadcast from the Japan Sake & Shochu Information Center in Tokyo. The show is a co-production between Export Japan and Potts.K Productions, with audio production by Frank Walter. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” was composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.

This week we continue our conversation with the multi-generation family of rice (and sake rice!) farmers at Isbell Farms in the heart of Arkansas. For those of you just now joining, we highly recommend you make time to give Part 1 of this conversation a listen before diving in, as it provides a great deal of context for this week’s discussion, is referenced occasionally throughout the show, and more than anything, it introduces you to this inspiring family. This week the family kicks things off by talking about the transition from their early work with Takara Sake USA to connecting with Blake Richardson of Moto-I and Minnesota Rice & Milling via Norway, which lead to further expansion into a range of sake-specific rice varieties in support of North America’s craft sake breweries, along with the recent development of their own sake rice variety, known as Somai. From there we get into the creation of sake rice sample kits (and post office shenanigans!), the experience of opening up and sharing family life on the farm through YouTube, tackling sustainability and conservation issues surrounding rice farming while selling carbon credits to Microsoft in the process, and a great deal more. We hope that this pair of episodes not only contributed to our listeners’ appreciation of sake and the hard work and passion involved in bringing that magnificent beverage to life, but also helped to further your interest in the world of agriculture in North America – and anywhere, for that matter. All of our futures hinge upon the people and means through which we grow food. If that food being grown contributes to beautiful sake, and if that beautiful sake contributes to a healthy and sustainable future, all the better. In that capacity, we here at Sake On Air can’t wait to see where the Isbell Family takes us next. For more about Isbell Farms:– Website– Instagram– Facebook– Twitter– YouTube Thanks for once again tuning in to Sake On Air. You can help new listeners discover the show by leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts or on whatever service delivers you all of your podcasting needs. Contact us at [email protected] with any thoughts about this week’s show, and feel free to follow us on  Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Everything from Sake Future Summit 2020, as well as a number of other recordings, are all archived over on our YouTube channel, as well. We’ll be back in two weeks with a bit more Sake (and Shochu!) on Air.Until next time. Kampai! Sake On Air is made possible with the generous support of the Japan Sake & Shochu Makers Association and is broadcast from the Japan Sake & Shochu Information Center in Tokyo. The show is a co-production between Export Japan and Potts.K Productions, with audio production by Frank Walter. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” was composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.

When it comes to producing sake outside of Japan, still one of the most significant hurdles to crafting the sake of a brew-master’s dreams is access to the ideal resources needed in order to realize the vision, and included in those resources are the raw materials. Sake specific rice varieties from Japan are in high demand from sake makers across the globe–and for good reason–but there’s also something to be said for being able to craft an incredible beverage from the resources available close to home. While consistent access to a good number of sake brewing tools and resources still remains rather elusive for a significant number of international sake breweries, when it comes to sake rice in the U.S., the family at Isbell Farms is on a mission to make Japanese rice and sake rice varieties an accessible, quality, and viable option for a new world of sake breweries. After a successful foray into the production of koshihikari, a Japanese staple table rice variety that put the family’s rice (and faces) on televisions and convenience store shelves across Japan in the 80s, demand from the rapidly growing number of Japanese restaurants across the U.S., along with a handful of major sake breweries setting up operations on North American shores led to opportunities to double-down on a then relatively niche market. Since then, they’ve grown and evolved to become a go-to supplier of established sake rice varieties, including yamada nishiki and gohyakumangoku, amongst others, to breweries large and small across the U.S. This week (and next) we speak with the Isbell family as we explore the origins of cultivating Japanese rice varieties in the heart of Arkansas, the expansion to sake rice varieties, and just what it means to be a grower in the U.S. today. We’ll be back with Part 2 of this special look at sake and rice growing in the U.S. next week, as we join the family at Isbell Farms once again to more closely examine the nature of sake specific rice varieties, as well as the future of rice farming and agriculture in the U.S. Stay tuned. For those of you interested in following the work of the Isbell family online:– Website– Instagram– Facebook– Twitter– YouTube Thanks for once again tuning in to Sake On Air. You can help new listeners discover the show by leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts or on whatever service delivers you all of your podcasting needs. Contact us at [email protected] with any thoughts about this week’s show, and feel free to follow us on  Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Everything from Sake Future Summit 2020, as well as a number of other recordings, are all archived over on our YouTube channel, as well. Wishing all of our listeners happiness and health in a (hopefully) sake-infused week ahead. Take care out there. Kampai! Sake On Air is made possible with the generous support of the Japan Sake & Shochu Makers Association and is broadcast from the Japan Sake & Shochu Information Center in Tokyo. The show is a co-production between Export Japan and Potts.K Productions, with audio production by Frank Walter. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” was composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.

Despite a rich and storied history spanning millennia, in certain terms, sake has yet to unequivocally prove its ability to stand the test of time. If you’re in some way associated with the sale or service of sake, likely one of the most common questions you get is, “How long can I keep my sake before it starts to go bad?” or, “How long does sake stay good after it’s opened?” As a buyer, these are both logical and very important questions. As an industry, having clear and concise answers to those questions is equally important. In order to keep things simple, as well as to help assure an overwhelmingly positive experience for as many sake drinkers as possible, the general message adopted suggests that sake should be consumed within 6-12 months from purchase, refrigerated both prior to and after opening, and then consumed within several days to a week once it’s been opened. This is sound advice that’s relevant to a great majority of the sake being produced and sold both domestically and internationally. There is, however, a paradigm that exists entirely outside of the above logic; where a greater element of time isn’t only a factor, but a necessity. Welcome to the world of matured and aged sake. Often referred to as koshu – literally “old sake” – often translated as “aged sake”, or jukuseishu, commonly translated as “matured sake”, bottles of sake referencing these qualities were crafted taking time into account. That amount of time can be anywhere from a few years to a few decades depending on the style of sake and the intent of the brewer, and in many cases the results are astounding. Yet despite plenty of beautiful examples of aged or matured sake on the market and countless historical texts singing the praises of what time can do to a bottle of sake, a rather perfect storm of circumstances coalesced to nearly erase aged sake culture, production, and consumer appreciation from the collective understanding of sake for about a century. Thankfully, a relatively small, but thoughtful, proactive and coordinated effort from a growing number of sake makers and sellers has been hard at work seeking to rebuild and redefine what time can mean (and cost) when factored into a bottle of sake. Whether it be the collective rebranding efforts of the Toki Sake Association, the Muni line from Kokuryu used in the first ever sake industry auction in 2018, the dedication to long-term aging in ceramic storage vessels by Tsuki no Katsura, or a handful of specialty bars dedicated to the unique and treasured style, awareness surrounding the magic that time can work on a bottle of the right kind of sake is slowly building. This week, Sebastien Lemoine, Marie Nagata and Justin Potts gather to discuss the historical and modern context of matured and aged sake, the formal definitions (or lack thereof) in place, the typical qualities that time imparts on a bottle of sake, what maturing sake could mean from a service standpoint, and more. For those of you that missed our special interview on the topic for Sake Future Summit 2020, Aged Sake and the Test of Time, that’s a great primer (or follow-up) to this episode. Prior to this episode Sebastien actually sat down with Nobuhiro Ueno, while Justin paid a visit to Tokubee Masuda of Tsuki no Katsura, to help us get a bit more insight into this fascinating sake category. Those interviews will see the light of day in some form a bit further down the road, but for now, we hope you’ll pour yourself a glass of sake and settle in with us for an exploration into the one thing that proves nearly impossible to attach a price tag to no matter what the context: time. Thanks for once again tuning in to Sake On Air. You can help new listeners discover the show by leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts or on any of your favorite services that deliver you all of your podcasting needs. Contact us at [email protected] with any thoughts or feelings, or go ahead and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Everything from Sake Future Summit 2020, as well as a number of other recordings, are all archived over on our YouTube channel, as well. We’ll get into how time factors into the world of shochu and awamori in another show another day. For this week, give your sake a bit of quality time. Kampai! Sake On Air is made possible with the generous support of the Japan Sake & Shochu Makers Association and is broadcast from the Japan Sake & Shochu Information Center in Tokyo. The show is a co-production between Export Japan and Potts.K Productions, with audio production by Frank Walter. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” was composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.

In an ideal world we’d bring you listeners a brand-new episode each and every week. While we can’t see that happening in the immediate future, in the process of creating or preparing for many of our episodes we end up with a lot of fun and insightful conversations that sadly just don’t make it into a final episode. Whether it be interviews conducted in attempt to broaden our perspective and gain further insight into a specific topic before attempting to tackle it, or an unanticipated tangent during a regular recording that we just can’t bring ourselves to carve up, but also can’t force into the overall show structure, we’ve continued to amass quite a bit of material that we would love to share with our listeners at some point and in some capacity. That’s what we’re testing the waters with this week, in our first (but hopefully not last) episode of “Okawari”. In Japanese, the term okawari refers to ordering “another round”. Essentially, if you’re asking for okawari, you want to keep the party going. That’s what we hope this week’s show (and future okawari installments) can bring to the table. As part of the process of examining the world of Nigori Sake for episode 60, we thought it would be interesting to get a bit of insight into the U.S. market’s unique attachment to this special style. In order to do that, we called up sake expert, certified Sake Samurai, and self-declared Sake Ninja, Chris Johnson, to share with us the evolution and status of the style in the U.S. One thing for sure is that we’ll be coaxing the Sake Ninja to reappear in future episodes, as there are dozens of topics that we’d love to pick his brain on, and he deserves a feature all his own. That’s one of the reasons we’re giving this week’s conversation okawari status. Our chat with Chris is both great supportive material for our previous episode, while providing more than enough substance to be fully satisfying as a stand-alone episode in its own right. We’ve got lots more material in the vault that we could use to pour you all “another round” of your favorite past topics, guests, and even entirely new snippets and insights. Let us know what you think of the concept and we’ll see what we can do to develop the format in the future. You can send those thoughts to [email protected] or message us via Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook. Note that you’ll also help out the show by leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts or on whichever service you rely upon for your podcast needs. Thanks for supporting us here at Sake On Air. We’ll be back with more sake and shochu-infused goodness in just a couple of weeks. Kampai! Sake On Air is made possible with the generous support of the Japan Sake & Shochu Makers Association and is broadcast from the Japan Sake & Shochu Information Center in Tokyo. The show is a co-production between Export Japan and Potts.K Productions, with audio production by Frank Walter. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” was composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.

There’s a fascinating schism that’s emerged between the domestic and international markets’ relationship with nigori-style sake over that past few decades. With its rather odd positioning landing it someplace between a more “traditional” style and at the same time a relatively “new” product proposition, a few distinct exceptions aside, nigori sake generally makes up an incredibly small portion of most makers’ product lineup. At the same time, in some international markets (the U.S. in particular), nigori sake has developed a life of its own as an ever-present and iconic style representing the sake category as a whole, resulting in relatively more common placement on drink menus and amidst distributor portfolios than you’d often find in Japan. Recent for creative and nuanced interpretations aside, for many years more “standard” offerings of nigori sake tended to be sold as (and as a result, perceived as) more budget products. However, the burdens of merely crafting a nigori sake are many and varied – arguably more demanding than a great deal of “clear” product – with the craft of producing a truly great nigori sake being in many cases a rather herculean task. Why the disconnect? Is there really a “typical” or “traditional” nigori-style sake? Is Japan slowly developing a newfound appreciation for new styles of nigori? Do international brewers have an advantage when it comes to indoctrinating new sake drinkers through nigori-style sake? Discussions around these topics and more this week with several of your regular Sake On Air hosts Sebastien Lemoine, Chris Hughes and Justin Potts. In preparing for this episode the team asked around different corners of the industry for various perspective and insight. You’ll get a bit of that here, but expect more from those interviewees in the coming weeks, as well. There’s a lot to love about nigori, an infinitely diverse and growing style poised for a renaissance in the global world of sake. We hope you’ll come along for the ride. Thanks for once again tuning in to Sake On Air. You can help new listeners discover the show by leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts or on any of your favorite services that deliver you all of your podcasting needs. Contact us at [email protected] with any thoughts or feelings, or go  ahead and follow us on  Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Everything from Sake Future Summit 2020, as well as a number of other recordings, are all archived over on our YouTube channel, as well. Thanks for choosing sake and shochu. Be sure to pour yourself a bit of nigori this week, as well. Kampai! Sake On Air is made possible with the generous support of the Japan Sake & Shochu Makers Association and is broadcast from the Japan Sake & Shochu Information Center in Tokyo. The show is a co-production between Export Japan and Potts.K Productions, with audio production by Frank Walter. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” was composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.

Just a few episodes back we decided to revisit some of the highlights from Sake Future Summit 2020. In preparing for and editing that episode there was so much that we wanted to include but couldn’t in the interest of time, we devised a clever solution: we just did it again. As with the previous round, if you have the time to really pick through all of these on the official Sake On Air YouTube channel, the visual component adds a lot to these and there’s a great deal more fascinating and insightful material that we just couldn’t cram in. Also, seeing as how half of the programming for the Sake Future Summit was comprised of interviews, tours, presentations and discussions conducted with individuals from the Japanese side of the industry and carried out in Japanese and subtitled, a majority of the great programming is still stuck in a visual-only format. If you’re sipping sake or shochu over the weekend, firing those sessions up alongside your beverage-of-choice isn’t a bad way to spend an evening. You can find those all archived over on our YouTube channel. In this episode you’ll hear from hear:– How the pros of the U.K. sake market are looking to bring it to the next level in a discussion with Barry McCaughley (Restaurateur; F&B Development Consultant), Miho Komatsu (Sake Specialist for Marussia Beverage; Marketing and International Sales for Akashi-tai Sake Brewery), Akiko Konishi (Manager of Intl. Dept. at Konishi Shuzo), and navigated by Oliver Hilton-Johnson (Tengu Sake). – About how some unique approaches to the Spanish market could change the game for sake, together with Pablo Alomar Salvioni (President of Salvioni & Alomar), Francois Chartier (Aroma Specialist; Master Blender for Tanaka 1789 X Chartier), and Rubén Pol Ramon (Head Sommelier at Restaurant Disfrutar, Barcelona). – The ways in which shochu is poised to be woven into the future of the world’s best bars with Don Lee (Industry mentor; former partner Existing Conditions), Ryan Chetiyawardana (Founder of Mr. Lyan; Cocktail bartender), and Chikako Ichihara (CEO of Azix; Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association US Liaison officer). – How French cuisine could pave the way for sake to be incorporated into the upper echelons of the epicurean experience, together with Xavier Thuizat (President of Kura Master; Chef Sommelier of Hotel Crillon) and Marco Pelletier (Vigneron at Domaine de Galouchey; Proprietor of Vantre, Paris). – About the fascinating ways that sake and shochu are being incorporated into some of the U.S.’s best restaurants in a dialogue between Nobuo Fukuda (Chef at Teeter House), Sachiko Miyagi (Sake Expert at Tippsy Sake), Mutsuko Soma (Chef at Kamonegi; Owner of Hannyatou), David Schlosser (Chef at Shibumi), and Christopher Gomez (Beverage Director at Shibumi). Thanks for tuning in this week. Please help new listeners discover the show by leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts or your favorite service bringing you your podcasts. Contact us at [email protected] with any thoughts, feelings or kind words about the show, or go  ahead and follow us on  Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Don’t forget to subscribe to us over on YouTube, as well. Thanks for choosing sake and shochu. Kampai! Sake On Air is made possible with the generous support of the Japan Sake & Shochu Makers Association and is broadcast from the Japan Sake & Shochu Information Center in Tokyo. The show is a co-production between Export Japan and Potts.K Productions, with audio production by Frank Walter. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” was composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.

In the past we’ve hosted episodes with a handful of non-Japanese individuals that have dedicated themselves to the work and lifestyle that comes along with being a kurabito (brewer) in Japan. We’ve even had a guest that’s been so deep in the game for so long that he’s approached toji status. This week, however, we sit down for a sort of fireside chat with an inspiring and insightful young woman who not only committed herself to the rhythm of a sake brewery, but in doing so, made herself a part of the small mountain town that it resides in, and all that comes along with it. Lucky for us, in Water, Wood & Wild Things, accomplished writer, artist and food stylist Hannah Kirshner was kind enough to document it for all of us, as well. Scheduled to release on March 23rd via Viking, Hannah conveys her experiences in Yamanaka since 2015 in a manner that I’ve rarely experienced in books crafted to communicate an experience of life in Japan. Maybe it’s because the book isn’t really about Japan. While in Yamanaka, Hannah has set up shop in a sake brewery, in this case Matsuura Shuzo, makers of Shishi no Sato brand sake, committed herself to apprenticing behind the bar with a borderline-obsessed sake evangelist and service professional, relentlessly pursued the “way” of tea, dedicated her time and energy to the lathe with a woodturning artisan of national acclaim, insistently pursued the inherent warmth in the craft of charcoal making, grown indoctrinated into the world of wild game hunting, and all of the other things you might imagine (and many you wouldn’t) that would accompany such a lifestyle and commitment. Thankfully, there are a lot of books these days that focus with precision on what sake is. In Water, Wood & Wild Things, by shedding light on the ways in which the people of Yamanaka’s livelihood is interwoven into the fabric of their work, community, and hence their identity, we finally get a voice that shares with us why sake – and the ecosystem that it’s inseparable from – is important. You can help new listeners discover Sake On Air by leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts or your favorite service for podcast enjoyment. Send us your thoughts at [email protected] and follow along with us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. There’s also a lot of great sake and shochu-inspired programming over on YouTube. We’ll be back with more Sake On Air very, very soon. March is going to be a busy month. You can thank us later. Kampai! Sake On Air is made possible with the generous support of the Japan Sake & Shochu Makers Association and is broadcast from the Japan Sake & Shochu Information Center in Tokyo. The show is a co-production between Export Japan and Potts.K Productions, with audio production by Frank Walter. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” was composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.

Umeshu might be one of the most universally pleasing drink categories on the planet. Its characteristic sweet and spunky qualities can be served up any myriad of ways and seem to tickle just about everyone’s taste buds no matter how you spin it. However, while the style may seem relatively straightforward, the category is anything but. The content of this show tends to stick very close to the core categories of its namesake: sake and shochu. However, when it comes to umeshu, in order to fully understand the depth and breadth of what’s out there, we have to open up the conversation to the wider world of drinks and spirits. To help us unravel its nuance and mysteries, this week we’ve recruited Todd Van Horne. Having a long history in Japan, focusing primarily on food and fermentation, he’s found himself smack in the heart of Japan’s “ume country” – Wakayama – where he wound up working with an ume producer creating, blending and transporting umeshu to the global market. The number of non-Japanese taking up roles as sake brewers here and there is on the rise, but in the world of ume and umeshu-dedicated individuals, Todd is indeed an outlier. From the significance of ume in the Japanese diet, to the beverage’s historical position as a do-it-yourself creation, this week your hosts Rebekah Wilson-Lye, Christopher Pellegrini, and Justin Potts join forces with our special guest to try and cover all you’ll need to know to start discerning what questions to ask about that next bottle of umeshu that you encounter in the wild. Please help new listeners discover Sake On Air by leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts or whatever service you depend upon for your podcast enjoyment. Reach out to us at [email protected] with any thoughts, feelings or kind words about the show. You can follow us on  Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook as well, and if you’d be so kind, don’t forget to subscribe to us over on YouTube. Thanks for listening this week, and thanks for choosing sake and shochu. Kampai! Sake On Air is made possible with the generous support of the Japan Sake & Shochu Makers Association and is broadcast from the Japan Sake & Shochu Information Center in Tokyo. The show is a co-production between Export Japan and Potts.K Productions, with audio production by Frank Walter. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” was composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.

Since hosting Sake Future Summit 2020 back at the end of November, we’ve since gone and spliced up that nearly 30 hours of dialogue and nearly as many programs into individual videos to help make topics, speakers and conversations easier to find and enjoy. Having been conducted with a visual component, viewing these on the official Sake On Air YouTube channel is arguably the best way to take in a lot of these discussions, however there are a lot of great ideas and conversations that we felt ought to translate just as well to an audio-only format. That’s why this week we’ve decided to weave together segments from some of those sessions into a podcast. For our listeners that have already exhausted everything from the actual Summit, this will likely be revisiting familiar territory. But for those that missed out on a lot of the programming, hopefully this will serve as a meaty digest of the depth and breadth explored, as well as prompt you to go back and visit or revisit the great conversations that are all archived over on our YouTube channel. It’s worth noting, however, that a little more than half of the programming for the Sake Future Summit was comprised of interviews, tours, presentations and discussions conducted with individuals entrenched in the Japanese side of the industry, and as a result, were conducted in Japanese. On YouTube, all of those discussions have been translated, subtitled and made available and accessible. However, due to their nature, that means that roughly half of the programming is still tethered to YouTube. If you’re so inclined, we highly recommend checking those out, as well. It’s material that we feel uniquely privileged to have been able to organize and deliver, and offers a great deal of insight into the topics and conversations permeating the Japanese sake and shochu industries. In this episode you’ll hear from hear:– A convincing argument for selecting sake over wine with local Taiwanese cuisine with Wolfgang Angyal (President & CEO of Riedel Japan Co. Ltd.) and Michael Ou (Owner/chef of Hanabi Izakaya; President of Ho-Wei Sake Imports in Taiwan).– How dedication to the craft of imo (sweet potato) shochu rises above all with Stephen Lyman (Author and Shochu Specialist), Tekkan Wakamatsu (Master Brewer-Distiller at Yamato Zakura Shuzo), and Maya Aley (Shochu Expert).– About the true motivations behind saving a sake brewery through unprecedented partnerships with Marcus Consolini and Yasutaka Daimon of Daimon Brewery.– Tips for getting the most out of Imo, Kome, and Mugi shochu with your food, both at the bar with Shingo Gokan (Founder of SG Group) and Joshin Atone (Brand Manager for SG Shochu), as well as at home.– Why the future expansion of koji outside of Japan is potentially more exciting and dynamic than here in the homeland, with Jeremy Umansky (Chef/owner of Larder Delicatessen and Bakery; Author) and Koichi Higuchi (Director of Higuchi Matsunosuke Shoten Co., Ltd.)– How music legend Richie Hawtin took what he’s built through ENTER.Sake and brought a new vision to life in the midst of a global pandemic with Sake 36.– About ways to interpret and untangle the increasingly confusing relationship between mugi (barley) shochu and Japanese whiskey with renowned author and journalist, Brian Ashcraft. With the Sake Future Summit, we recognize that we tried to thread the needle a bit, by hosting a mix of rather industry-centric discussion, alongside a good deal of more light-hearted entertainment focusing on the simple enjoyment of sake and shochu. Our thought was that, the people, places, processes and activities surrounding these amazing drinks are just inherently. Our hope then is that, whether you’re just getting to know what sake and shochu have to offer, or have long been committed to these koji-born beverages, you’ll agree. If you enjoy Sake On Air, help new listeners discover the show by leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts or whatever service you depend upon for your podcast enjoyment. You can contact us at [email protected] with any thoughts, feelings or kind words about the show. Go ahead and follow us on  Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook as well, if you’d be so kind, and don’t forget to subscribe to us over on YouTube. Thanks for listening, and thanks for choosing sake and shochu.Kampai! Sake On Air is made possible with the generous support of the Japan Sake & Shochu Makers Association and is broadcast from the Japan Sake & Shochu Information Center in Tokyo. The show is a co-production between Export Japan and Potts.K Productions, with audio production by Frank Walter. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” was composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.

Anyone who has heard of a little country by the name of “Japan” has probably heard of “Kyoto”. Anyone who has sat through a formal sake education program has probably heard of “Fushimi”, the small region of Kyoto often touted as one of the historically defining regions of the entire category. Nine times out of ten, when referring to Kyoto in the context of sake, that person is probably commenting on the historical role and influence of Fushimi in some form or another. Here at Sake On Air we’ve yet to dedicate an entire episode to any specific sake-producing region: until now. While we could have started with any one of hundreds of the unique and fascination regions across Japan, kicking off this new experiment with Fushimi came about for two reasons. The first, it’s a region that gets emphasized more than just about any other (aside from maybe Nada, in Hyogo Prefecture), but also seems to get glossed over rather quickly. The region’s “significance” is praised, but the examination into what that significance is often leaves a bit to be desired. The second reason is that we were able to connect with a well-qualified individual that was up to the challenge. This week we welcome a very special guest, sake educator, writer and researcher, Ayuko Yamaguchi. Being a resident of Kyoto, Ms. Yamaguchi’s commitment to doubling-down on the sake stories close-to-home has led her on an endless journey scouring Fushimi’s contributions to the world of sake, both historically, as well as in the present. Joined by Christopher Hughes, Sebastien Lemoine, and Justin Potts, this week the team takes a deep dive into what’s largely considered to be one of the industry’s most influential sake-producing regions and ask the question: Does it live up to the hype? If you enjoy Sake On Air, you can help new listeners discover the show by leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts or whatever service you depend upon for your podcast enjoyment. You can contact us at [email protected] with any thoughts, feelings or kind words about the show. Go ahead and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook as well, if you’d be so kind, and don’t forget to subscribe to us over on YouTube. We that hope everyone’s 2021 is off to a sake and shochu-fueled happy and healthy start. Japan is still under a State of Emergency as of the recording and release of this episode, which means that we’ll be continuing to conduct our recordings at a distance, with “on the road” updates kept to a minimum. That being said, we’re going to continue to do what we can to keep all of our listeners updated and in-the-loop. If there’s a topic you’re keen to hear us explore amidst the current climate, do let us know. While we can’t make any promises, we like to do what we can to deliver. Thanks for listening, and thanks for choosing sake and shochu.Kampai! Sake On Air is made possible with the generous support of the Japan Sake & Shochu Makers Association and is broadcast from the Japan Sake & Shochu Information Center in Tokyo. The show is a co-production between Export Japan and Potts.K Productions, with audio production by Frank Walter. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” was composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.

How many of our listeners are familiar with amazake? Despite having clear progenitor qualities to this show’s favorite beverage, this non-alcoholic, koji-fermented drink hasn’t quite amassed the international mindshare of its intoxicating cousin – yet. Although the core principle and function in preparing and making amazake shares a great deal with the early stages of sake-making, probably one of the biggest reasons it has taken a while to reach the global stage is the fact that Japan more or less forgot about it themselves. For a number of reasons (discussed in the show), over the past few generations amazake in Japan has largely come to be equated with a sake-kasu-based drink pumped with sugar and served warm for a small handful of ceremonial or celebratory occasions. While plenty delicious in its own right, it’s also entirely different from “traditional” koji-fermented amazake of the kind that has reclaimed space across Japan’s supermarket shelves just in the past decade. The producer largely credited with helping to re-create and prove the viability of the incredibly delicious, yet largely-forgotten amazake market, is Hakkaisan. Regular listeners and those hovering in the sake sphere will most likely be familiar with Hakkaisan brand sake. Despite being one of Japan’s largest sake producers, their dedication to small-batch production, high-quality in their most affordable lines (futsushu, honjozo), along with truly exceptional ginjo-styles, has made them a mainstay both in Japan, as well as in countless markets across the globe. What many of our listeners may not know is that Hakkaisan also has separate operations (known as, Sennen Koujiya) that create all sorts of fermented food and beverage products of incredibly high quality emphasizing local jobs and ingredients. The merging of the craftmanship and competencies from across these multiple endeavors came at a perfect time, resulting in a venture into amazake production that was transformative both for the company, as well as national mindshare surrounding this traditionally and culturally significant beverage. For this week’s show we’re joined by Shoko Baba, who is the International Marketing & Sales Section Chief with the team at Hakkaisan based in Japan. Both a teacher and a student of the wide world of Japan’s fermented foods and beverages, her role at Hakkaisan extends far beyond sake or any one specific market. With a hand in the many ambitious frontiers of both Hakkaisan’s international and domestic project development, along with being a relentless advocate of Japan’s culture of fermentation, Shoko has seen Hakkaisan’s amazake frenzy at its peak and is gearing up for its future in new markets outside of Japan. This week Marie and Justin join our fantastic guest to discuss the cultural and functional relevance of amazake in Japan, its evolution over time, its perceived health benefits, relationship to sake, popular uses, and the process through which Hakkaisan made Japan a believer in the importance of this incredible beverage all over again. You can help more listeners discover Sake On Air by leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts. Feel free to also contact us at [email protected] with any questions, comments, or insights. You can follow us on  Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, or subscribe to us over on YouTube. We’ve got a lot in the works for 2021 that we can’t wait to share with you all. Here’s to a great deal more sake and shochu love in the year ahead. Kampai! Sake On Air is made possible with the generous support of the Japan Sake & Shochu Makers Association and is broadcast from the Japan Sake & Shochu Information Center in Tokyo. The show is a co-production between Export Japan and Potts.K Productions, with audio production by Frank Walter. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” was composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.

Any of our listeners that tuned into Sake Future Summit 2020 will likely already be familiar with the brilliant work of this week’s guest, Hotel de Crillion Chef Sommelier, Xavier Thuizat. In that session, together with Marco Pelletier (of Vantre), we looked at what it will take to insert sake into the upper echelon of the French dining experience. One crucial topic we didn’t touch upon, however, is the unprecedented sake competition Xavier established which thrust him into the sake industry limelight. That competition, as likely many of our listeners are familiar, is Kura Master. Having been wooed by the world of sake, and then for years worked painstakingly in order to integrate it into some of the world’s most illustrious wine programs, in order to further raise the bar and expand the reach of the category he saw a need to create a standard that spoke to the individuals at the front lines of the French dining experience–sommeliers–thus gathering mindshare for sake on France’s strictest stage: the dining table. For this episode, our eloquent and thoughtful in-house Frenchman Sebastien Lemoine takes the reigns, while Chris Hughes and Justin Potts co-pilot a fascinating conversation exploring what it takes to create a world class beverage competition from the ground up, along with the decisions and reasoning that led to Kura Master taking the form that is has today, and what we can expect in the years to come. You can find our previous interview with Xavier from Sake Future Summit 2020 inside the event’s playlist on our official YouTube channel, along with an additional 30 hours of sake and shochu-inspired exploration. Whether you’re settling in for a long, quiet holiday, or cracking a celebratory bottle of sake to ring in the New Year, you should be able to find something amidst that sake marathon to enhance your appreciation of what went into that special bottle of koji-inspired alchemy. If you find a moment this holiday, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts. We’d also love to have you reach out to us at [email protected] to share with us what you thought of the show in 2020. You can follow us on  Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, or subscribe to us over on YouTube. Wherever you may call home, the wildness that defined 2020 surely touched all of our listeners in some capacity. With eyes on the year to come, we’re going to keep seeking out and creating ways to help make sake and shochu a more meaningful and enjoyable element to define good times ahead. Thanks so much for all of our listeners and supporters for sticking with us – and with sake – throughout this turbulent year. We can’t wait to do our part in boosting the number of reasons to “Kampai!” in 2021. Here’s wishing you all a very Happy and Healthy New Year from the team at Sake On Air. Kampai! Sake On Air is made possible with the generous support of the Japan Sake & Shochu Makers Association and is broadcast from the Japan Sake & Shochu Information Center in Tokyo. The show is a co-production between Export Japan and Potts.K Productions, with audio production by Frank Walter. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” was composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.

An exploration into the various types of drinking vessels and related wares that have for centuries shaped the service and enjoyment of sake is one of the most frequently requested show topics that we get. That’s why this week we’re thrilled to (finally!) welcome Robert Yellin to the show. Owner and curator of Robert Yellin Yakimono Gallery in the heart of Kyoto, over the past 30+ years Robert has dedicated himself to the exploration of the world of yakimono – literally “fired things,” referring specifically to Japanese pottery and ceramics – a life’s work that has made him one of the world’s leading non-Japanese experts in the field. Robert’s expertise extends far beyond just the world of sake-related wares, however this week we hone in on an array of enthralling (and largely) sake-specific works, discussing history, types, regional styles, and more. Conducting our interview at a distance via ZOOM, entirely by chance Robert was visited by an artisan colleague packing a suitcase of extraordinary works just as we began recording. If you notice a bit of banter in the background, that’s it. (We may have to try and get a short video segment from this recording up on our YouTube channel sometime in the coming weeks, as well…!) When it comes to drinking, serving, and enjoying sake, there really is no “right” or “wrong” way to go about it. However, if you have the curiosity and access to explore, experiment and integrate the world of yakimono into your experience, it opens up an entirely new world as deep and enriching as the liquid itself. If this week’s visit with Robert doesn’t spark that interest, we don’t know what will. Sebastien Lemoine, Rebekah Wilson-Lye and John Gauntner are piloting this week, with Justin Potts occasionally playing the role of the annoying backseat driver. Ready your tokkuri and settle in.   We now have almost all of the sessions from Sake Future Summit 2020 conveniently compiled into a playlist on our official YouTube channel for your holiday enjoyment. If you missed out (and there are a few that YouTube cut from the primary recording), we’ve got you covered. The remainder should be up in time for the holidays. Please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, and reach out to us at [email protected] if you have any questions, comments, thoughts, suggestions, or messages for us here at the show. You can follow us on  Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, or subscribe to us over on YouTube. We’ll have a bit more Sake On Air for you before we close out 2020. Until then, have a happy and healthy sake and shochu-filled holiday. Thanks for joining us this year. Kampai! Sake On Air is made possible with the generous support of the Japan Sake & Shochu Makers Association and is broadcast from the Japan Sake & Shochu Information Center in Tokyo. The show is a co-production between Export Japan and Potts.K Productions, with audio production by Frank Walter. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” was composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.

Last January Sebastien and Justin travelled to Shodoshima, the island of kioke, shoyu, and olives, located off the coast of Kagawa Prefecture of Shikoku Island in Western Japan. The purpose? To take part in the Kioke Summit hosted by Yamaroku Shoyu. Why are we visiting a shoyu (soy sauce) maker for an episode of Sake On Air? A quick internet search for any combination of the key words above will tell you why, but here’s the gist: With almost no one left in Japan (which means, in the world) that possesses the skill and knowledge for crafting large-size kioke (wooden tanks) used for the fermentation and storage of sake, soy sauce, miso, vinegar, and occasionally other fermented beverages and flavorings, Japan is at risk of losing a massive element of its microbial DNA. That includes the character, quality and originality that makes Japanese regional cuisine—and Japanese cuisine in general—the delicious wonder that it is. Owner of Yamaroku Shoyu, Yasuo Yamamoto, took it upon himself to develop a means of reversing that trend. For years he and a dedicated team bound together both locally and across Japan have been honing those woodworking skills themselves and then training others around Japan that are in a position to reinstate kioke into their production. The future of Japan’s kioke (and if you haven’t caught on yet, the flavors that define Japan) is at risk of being lost and Yamamoto-san and team are close to being the last bastion. For years Yamamoto-san and team have been hosting what they call a “Kioke Summit,” where those in the industry come to learn the craft and share the culture of kioke. Back in January, for the first time they opened the event up a bit more to those on the periphery of the industry and hosted something more akin to an actual summit, with guest speakers, panels and lectures spread across several days with kioke construction serving as an ongoing backdrop. The incredible work, energy, passion and sense of community is something above and beyond what any of us could have imagined. Sadly, we can only transmit a fraction through the airwaves, but I think our sense of awe of the entire ordeal shines through in our discussion. And fret not, as we are indeed discussing sake and shochu as well, in the context of kioke. We touch on the input from participating breweries and distilleries, including Kenbishi, Aramasa, Satsuma Shuzo, Yamanashuzo (makers of Okutamba) and more. Plus, Sebastien pays a visit to the island’s only sake brewery, Morikuni, and shares a bit of his experience. We’re lucky to be joined again this week by Jamie Graves, Japanese Beverage Portfolio Manager for Skurnik Wines & Spirits and previous guest from Episode 16, who made the trek to the island with us. He tells us about his trip to Kenbishi the week prior and the unexpected discoveries and chance meetings from throughout the Summit. Speaking of Summits, for those of you that missed out on, Sake Future Summit 2020 back on November 21-22, we’ve begun to upload and archive the various sessions from that informative and inspiring weekend into a playlist on our official YouTube channel. The remainder are scheduled to go up over the next couple of weeks, so do check back occasionally and share Day 1 YouTube Archive: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqP_2k2S7iEDay 2 YouTube Archive: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQu2XcwtxpY*Note that due to YouTube’s streaming and archiving restrictions five sessions did not get included in the Day 1 archive. Some of these have been uploaded to the playlist already, with the remainder scheduled to go up in the coming weeks. We somehow managed to produce more programming over a weekend than we do in an entire year for the show. That being said, the podcast is where our home is! If you appreciate what we’ve put out into the world, please do leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, or reach out to us at [email protected]. You can follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, or subscribe to us over on YouTube. Only a month left in 2020.Here’s to hoping the remainder of your year is filled with sake, health and happiness. Kampai! Sake On Air is made possible with the generous support of the Japan Sake & Shochu Makers Association and is broadcast from the Japan Sake & Shochu Information Center in Tokyo. The show is a co-production between Export Japan and Potts.K Productions. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” was composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.

Thank you. Two years ago Sebastien, Big Chris, Justin, John and Little Chris huddled around some microphones after-hours at the Japan Sake & Shochu Information Center and tried to sort out how to approach an episode of Sake On Air. We stumbled our way through a year with all kinds of amazing guests and inspiring events. Along the way, we were incredibly lucky to be able to welcome Rebekah and Marie into the fold. Over the next year, things got a bit smoother and more polished. And then COVID happened, and for the first time in the show’s history we started doing shows from a distance. We had always really enjoyed that the show was conducted entirely in-person, however with new challenges brought new opportunities. We were able to welcome guests to the show we wouldn’t otherwise have been able to convene with, and we put in a great deal of work gathering information for our listeners during these unprecedented times. And here we are, exactly two years and 50 episodes later. Thanks to the blessing and support of Imada-san and the Japan Sake & Shochu Makers Association, along with one of the luckiest chance encounters imaginable in crossing paths with Frank, the man who really makes it all work, we were able to get the entire cast together – in true, physical space – to celebrate this special occasion. As sake (and shochu) are still relatively niche in the grand scheme of things, conversations and perspective on the categories tend to get boiled down to the lowest common denominator – the love for the beverage itself. With this cast, crew, and our incredible community of listeners and supporters across the globe, we feel so incredibly honored and proud to be able to share and contribute to the wider, ever-expanding dialogue growing with the world of sake. For us, these beverages represent much more than merely liquid in a bottle. It’s something that has resonated with us and changed our lives in all kinds of incredible ways we never could have imagined. With Sake On Air, being able to continue to grow and develop our excitement, perspectives and relationship with sake and shochu together with such a vast population of sake-lovers and sake-curious has been rewarding beyond words. We can’t thank you enough. So, in order to celebrate two years and 50 episodes…we celebrated. Last month we got the entire cast together for a two-hour live Q&A, while welcoming previous guests Dave Joll (Zenkuro), Andre Bishop (Sake Master), Natsuki Kikuya (Museum of Sake), and Pablo Alomar Salvioni (S&A) for live discussions and debates, and delving into some of the most heated conversations we’ve had to-date here at Sake On Air. It’s unquestionably a sake-fueled session, but if it’s any indication of what’s to come in year number three, we’re already very excited. Maybe most important of all, Sake Future Summit 2020 is happening on November 21-22. That’s next weekend. There’s more programming scheduled over a single weekend that what we’re able to produce in an entire year at Sake On Air. This is an entirely new endeavor for us. We don’t know how it’s all going to go, but we’re as excited for this as we were when we first started the show. We certainly hope you’ll join us for this very special event. Day 1 YouTube Stream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqP_2k2S7iEDay 2 YouTube Stream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQu2XcwtxpY Feel free to leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, or reach out to us at [email protected]. You can follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, or join us over on YouTube, as well. Thanks for an incredible two years, everyone.Here’s to the next two. Kampai! Sake On Air is made possible with the generous support of the Japan Sake & Shochu Makers Association and is broadcast from the Japan Sake & Shochu Information Center in Tokyo. The show is a co-production between Export Japan and Potts.K Productions, with audio production by Frank Walter. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” is composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.

The role of the “kurabito” – one who works in a sake brewery – is incredibly varied. While the traditional image is that of a team of brewers hunkered down for a long brewing season of focus and isolation, nowadays the term has come to encompass the diverse range of tasks at the brewery involved in seeing a bottle of sake through from start to finish. That being said, for the most part, having a physical hand in the process of crafting sake, in more cases than not, is often central to the role. New sake breweries are popping up right and left internationally, creating opportunities for ambitious brewers to experience the craft closer to home, however the role as it exists in Japan is very much something unique to beverage’s relationship to the livelihoods, people, communities and culture that it has been central to for centuries. This makes the role of working in a sake brewery in Japan incredibly special and intriguing, yet equally demanding and challenging. As sake’s prevalence has grown internationally, so has the number of non-Japanese investing a significant part of their time and energy to the act of making sake here in Japan. While those cases are still few and far between, you can only expect it to become more common. This week we invited three gentlemen from very different backgrounds with different motivations; their common thread being that they have all found themselves making sake as kurabito here in Japan, each at very different breweries of very different scale, style and philosophy. We’re joined this week by Andy Russell at Imada Shuzo in rural Hiroshima, makers of Fukucho, Jorge Navarrete of Matsui Shuzo in the heart of Kyoto, makers of Kagura, and J.J. over at Imanishi Seibei Shoten in Nara, makers of Harushika. Together with Sebastien, Chris and Justin, the group explores the nature of this truly invaluable, yet incredibly demanding, and equally rewarding career path. Grab a glass, sit back, and travel with these inspiring gentlemen to their respective locales for a taste of life in the kura. If you haven’t heard, Sake Future Summit 2020 is happening on November 21-22! Imagine more than a year’s worth of Sake On Air on steroids, with visuals, packed into a single weekend. A lot of the sessions have been announced, but we still have lots of exciting announcements to come. Stay tuned! Feel free to leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, or reach out to us at [email protected]. You can follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, or join us over on YouTube, as well. Thanks for tuning in with us this week and we’ll be back with more Sake On Air in a couple of weeks. Kampai! Sake On Air is made possible with the generous support of the Japan Sake & Shochu Makers Association and is broadcast from the Japan Sake & Shochu Information Center in Tokyo. The show is a co-production between Export Japan and Potts.K Productions, with audio production by Frank Walter. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” is composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.

Drink Sake. Stay Soba. It’s this simple mantra that has made Seattle’s Hannyatou and its neighboring soba destination Kamonegi almost overnight mainstays for the sake-inspired community of the Pacific Northwest. It was almost exactly one year ago that Justin sat down with and renowned soba chef Mutsuko Soma and sake specialist partner-in-crime Russell King at their (then) newly-opened fermented creation-driven sake bar, Hannyatou. The pair’s appreciation for craft along with their fearless creativity have turned their co-creation just two doors down from Chef Soma’s soba haven into one of the most exciting sake stops, not just in the Northwest, but arguably in the country. In less than three years, how do you go about bringing to life, not one, but two hit restaurants able to maneuver right for that elusive sweet spot between tradition and free exploration, pushing the envelope for traditional Japanese food and beverage while making it feel like a completely natural progression? That’s what we went to find out. You might also be wondering why an interview conducted almost a year ago is just now making it to the airwaves. Originally scheduled for an early-Spring release, 2020 happened. We could have brought the interview out sooner, but given all that was happening and the surplus of challenges facing restaurants everywhere, we wanted to make sure we had a show that represented the dedication and hard work of Soma and Russell to the best of our ability. Not wanting to shower them with questions while they were scrambling to feel out their new format in the current reality, we decided to wait a bit. The good news is that the latter half of the show you get to hear Justin catch up with Russell as he tells us all about how the last 6 months have played out, their setbacks and successes, the evolution of both Kamonegi and Hannyatou, and their positive vision for the still unforeseeable future of sake dining and sales in Seattle. Grab your favorite ochoko or guinomi and settle in for a journey into Seattle’s sake heartland this week. While you’re sipping along, you’re welcome to leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, or reach out to us at [email protected]. You can keeps tabs on us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, or join us over on YouTube, as well. Thanks for tuning in with us this week and we’ll be back with more Sake On Air in a couple of weeks. Kampai! *Note: Since our follow-up interview with Russell King only a few short weeks ago, he has announced that he’ll be leaving Hannyatou to pursue other endeavors and focus on family. All of us here at Sake On Air wish him happiness, health and success on all of his adventures to come. Sake On Air is made possible with the generous support of the Japan Sake & Shochu Makers Association and is broadcast from the Japan Sake & Shochu Information Center in Tokyo. The show is a co-production between Export Japan and Potts.K Productions, with production and editing by Frank Walter. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” is composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.

Lately it feels as though we’re teetering on the verge of shochu’s day in the limelight. Japan’s indigenous spirit with about as much market and mindshare as the beverage more commonly associated with the island nation – sake – has been gradually demanding more and more attention amongst some many of the world’s most prolific bartenders, mixologists and connoisseurs of fine spirits. However, despite the category’s all-too-common association at home, the incredibly diverse, distinct and delicious category has struggled to find a way to reach the masses. With The SG Shochu, internationally renowned bartender and arguably currently the world’s most successful bar owner, Shingo Gokan, and his team at the SG Group are setting out to change that. Should they manage to realize their lofty goals for the product line, and the category itself, shochu could become a staple behind bars around the world…maybe by the time you’re reading this. And the man responsible for helping lead that charge is long-time SG Group bartender, now The SG Shochu brand manager, Joshin Atone. For this episode, Joshin packed a bottle each of IMO, MUGI and KOME and joined Justin and Sebastien in the studio, where the trio sipped (and guzzled, as you’ll hear) their way through the process of developing a line of shochu from scratch that’s persuasive enough to claim a permanent spot both behind bars across the globe, while communicating what makes the category so unique and special in the first place. Oh, and Snarky Puppy fans might enjoy this week’s show (and shochu) as well. This week we’re (finally) back at the Japan Sake & Shochu Information Center, recording in the actual physical presence of one another for the first time in a long time. We missed this format! There will still be more online recordings coming down the pipe, but it was a nice reminder of how pleasant – and important – it is to be able to sit down together with our guest, and one another. Go ahead and pour yourself a glass (or several) and settle in with us on this week’s episode of Sake On Air. When you’re done, go ahead and drop us a review on Apple Podcasts, or reach out to us at [email protected]. You can follow our current limited movement on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, or join us over on YouTube, as well. Thanks for listening and we’ll be back with more Sake On Air in a couple of weeks. Kampai! Sake On Air is made possible with the generous support of the Japan Sake & Shochu Makers Association and is broadcast from the Japan Sake & Shochu Information Center in Tokyo. The show is a co-production between Export Japan and Potts.K Productions, with audio production by Frank Walter. *Please note that the official theme song for The SG Shochu made by Snarky Puppy is not what is playing in this week’s show. You’ll likely have to wait just a bit more for that. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” is composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.

Thanks for tuning in to Part 2 of our special focusing on the current impact of COVID-19 on the sake and shochu industries. If you haven’t yet listened to Part 1, where we interview a number of significant individuals with unique perspective on the industry here in Japan, that’s a great place to start. You can find that here. Slightly different from Part 1, this particular recording is more discussion-based. This time around several of your regular Sake On Air hosts, including John Gauntner, Sebastien Lemoine, Christopher Pellegrini, and Justin Potts, share anecdotal insights from their own experiences over the past several months. While our experience is by no means any be-all-end-all “official” word on where things stand, we hope that it will contribute further perspective, as well as provide some additional food for thought. In addition to the impact of COVID-19, we also touch upon the serious flooding that has battered the Kyushu region throughout the month of July, only adding insult to injury in already incredibly trying times. This is impacting the livelihoods of the locals, as well as producers across both the shochu and sake industries. If any listeners are keen to donate and contribute to the relief efforts still very much underway, please contact us at [email protected] and we’ll be happy to provide you with a few potential options. As all of these activities and the information related to them are being conducted in Japanese, it makes it hard for the international community to support. If you’d like to help, let us know how we can help you. While all of us in Japan are now generally free to roam at this point, this particular conversation took place online, with John joining us from the U.S., where he’s been grounded since the early days of all of this, Christopher and Sebastien joining us from their respective locales in the heart the Tokyo metropolis, and Justin tuning in from his home Chiba countryside. For this conversation, do feel free to pour yourself a glass or two of sake or shochu (or both) and settle in with us. After the show, we’d love to hear from our listeners about their experiences over the past several months all across the globe, so do feel free to reach out to us on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook at @sakeonair, or mail us at [email protected]. Thanks so much for joining us across this special two-part series. As this is an ongoing challenge affecting everyone, we’ll very likely revisit this topic again six months or a year from now. While the hurdles to overcome are high any many, we’re all guaranteed to learn a lot through this process together. We look forward to helping keep you informed along the way. We’ll be back to our regular programming in two weeks.Until then, Kampai. Sake On Air is made possible with the generous support of the Japan Sake & Shochu Makers Association and is broadcast from the Japan Sake & Shochu Information Center in Tokyo. The show is a co-production between Export Japan and Potts.K Productions, with audio production by Frank Walter. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” is composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.

This week, we’re bringing you a double episode exploring the impact of COVID-19 on the sake industry here in Japan, and how that impact is beginning to reverberate through the international market. The entire nation of Japan, while never undergoing a formal lockdown, was officially placed on State of Emergency status as of April 7th, a state which continued until May 31st, with the country gradually easing restrictions in phases over the several weeks that followed, leading to a complete reopening on June 19th. During this period, restaurants and izakaya were requested to limit their hours of operation from 5am to 8pm, while closing all alcohol service by 7pm. This, combined with the request for the entire population to refrain from unnecessary travel, as well as shift to teleworking in all instances possible, transformed how people shopped, dined, and of course, accessed and consumed sake and shochu. As you might have guessed, for many breweries, wholesalers, retailers and restaurants, sake and shochu stocks became largely idle for months on end. While sales numbers have been gradually recovering since June, the number of people testing positive for COVID 19 have also been on the rise as of late, with Japan now experiencing what at this stage might be considered a “mild second wave.” As a result, dining establishments have again been asked to curtail their hours of operation for the month of August, closing by 10pm, with particularly dense dining and entertainment districts in parts of Osaka being asked to cut back their hours of operation even further. These front-line sales tend to get a lot of attention, however it’s the beverage’s deep agriculture ties, along with the particular timing of the pandemic which might result in a truly devastating fallout down the road. We discuss this as well. To be honest, there’s still a lot that we don’t know. The impact from the past 6 months isn’t truly going to manifest itself for some time to come, and how the pandemic will develop both in Japan and internationally is, at this point, still anybody’s guess. However, we do feel a responsibility to sake lovers around the world to share what it is we do know, which is why over the past couple of months we’ve been conducting a series of short interviews, as well as discussing this reality amongst ourselves, in order to help paint at least somewhat of a picture as to where we stand as of the end of August 2020. For Part 1, we’ve edited together a series of excerpts from five different interviews that we conducted with individuals here in Japan who are in a position to offer particular insight into the impact COVID-19 on certain pockets or channels of the sake and shochu industries. Our guest include: ・Yoshiro Okamoto – Vice President of the Japan Sake & Shochu Makers Association・Koichi Saura – President of Saura Co. Ltd. (makers of Urakasumi) and co-chairman of the Japan Sake & Shochu Makers Association・Takahiro Ibaragi – Head of the International Sales Division at Nihon Shurui Hanbai・Sam Mitsuya – Owner of Mitsuya Liquors・Shinnosuke Hiramatsu – Retail Sales Office at Imadeya When you’re done with this episode, Part 2 is already live, so you can jump over and continue this exploration whenever you’re ready. For Part 2 we bring your regular hosts Christopher Pellegrini, John Gauntner, Sebastien Lemoine, and Justin Potts together to anecdotally discuss the experience of the past six months. We hope you’ll find it to be an interesting supplement to the first-hand perspective provided in this episode. Between this and Part 2, we’ve left you with a lot to digest over the next couple of weeks. There’s still a long road ahead, but we’ll be in it for the long haul. We hope you’ll stick with us. If you’re looking for a great way to support, there’s always one: Keep kampai-ing. Part 2 is here.We’ll see you in two weeks. Timestamps:0:00:21 Introduction0:05:17 Yoshiro Okamoto – Vice President of JSS0:12:47 Koichi Saura – President of Saura Co. Ltd. (Urakasumi), Co-chairman of JSS0:29:00 Takahiro Ibaragi – Head of International Department at Nihon Shurui Hanbai0:41:48 Sam Mitsuya – Owner of Mitsuya Liquors0:57:15 Shinnosuke Hiramatsu – Retail Sales Office at Imadeya1:16:27 Closing Sake On Air is made possible with the generous support of the Japan Sake & Shochu Makers Association and is broadcast from the Japan Sake & Shochu Information Center in Tokyo. The show is a co-production between Export Japan and Potts.K Productions, with audio production by Frank Walter. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” is composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.

While this summer has certainly been a lot of things for many of our listeners, we hope that one thing which has been a defining mainstay throughout the summer of 2020 has been sake. Summer is gradually winding down a bit at this point, but we thought it was about time we did a (semi-)timely episode that celebrates the sake of the season. For summer, that’s natsuzake. Literally “summer” (natsu) “sake” (zake), this relatively recent entry into the seasonal release calendar has rapidly garnered fans from across the sake-sipping spectrum and the annual releases have turned the category into one that grows and evolves dynamically every year, birthing more unique products and interpretations of the style than even the most dedicated follower of sake can hope to keep up with. Although no one particular property defines what is (or isn’t) natsuzake, profiles commonly trend toward things like bright flavors, lower ABV, slight effervescence, a gentle palate, and general qualities that tend to require refrigeration or ice cubes (or both), lending to relatively sessionable sake. As a result, if you can get your hands on the stuff, it often tends to be a great entry point for a lot of new drinkers into the sake category itself, as well. This week Chris Hughes is joined by Rebekah Wilson-Lye and Marie Nagata, where they cover the history of the summery beverage, its evolution, definitions (and its accompanying ambiguity), personal experiences and suggestions, and more. Go ahead and put a bottle on ice and slide into a patio recliner to beat the heat with us on this week’s episode of Sake On Air. When you’re done, go ahead and  drop us a review on Apple Podcasts, or reach out to us at [email protected]. You can follow our current limited movement on  Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, or join us over on YouTube, as well. Thanks for listening and we’ll be back with more Sake On Air in a couple of weeks.Kampai! *Notes: – Rebekah uses the term “kanzake” occasionally to refer to sake brewed in the winter while discussing traditional sake brewing practices and seasons. For our regular listeners, you may have heard this word before in an entirely different context. Note that this is not actually the same word. The terminology that Rebekah uses is actually a less-common term for what is often referred to as “kanzukuri”.– Prestige Sake Association comes up while discussing its role in developing the natsuzake product concept.– Ajinomachidaya, a sake shop and wholesaler located on the west end of Tokyo, near Nakano, also comes up in referencing the development and proliferation of natsuzake.– The Sake Cellar ideal for storing your natsuzake.– Big thanks to Takahiro Nagayama of Nagayama Shuzo (Taka) and Yusuke Sato of Aramasa Shuzo (Aramasa) for their support when preparing for this episode. Sake On Air is made possible with the generous support of the Japan Sake & Shochu Makers Association and is broadcast from the Japan Sake & Shochu Information Center in Tokyo. The show is a co-production between Export Japan and Potts.K Productions, with audio production by Frank Walter. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” is composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.

This week’s episode is precisely what you’d assume it to be: the crew talking shochu. It had been a bit too long since we’d last done a real shochu-centric show, so we decided to drag Christopher Pellegrini into the studio to update us on some of the latest industry happenings and also humor our questions and musings. While we do get down into the nitty-gritty a bit, this week’s show is actually very casual and free-form. Instead of focusing on something very specific, taking a little time to just discuss the possibilities and implications of some of the rapid changes and recent happenings felt like a worthwhile exercise. We hope you think so too. From new trends in local styles to efforts in international expansion, ways that unconventional producers are pushing the boundaries of the definition of “shochu” and how it could both help and hurt communication for the category as a whole, shochu makers expanding their offerings to more and more spirits categories, from gin, to whiskey, and more, we run the gamut this week. So, pour yourself a glass of honkaku shochu and settle in with Marie Nagata, Sebastien Lemoine and Chris Hughes, along with our shochu pro Chirstopher Pellegrini, for and hour of all-things-shochu. We tagged this episode, “1st Edition”. It is indeed the first – possibly in a new series – or it could prove to be the last. We’ll see! Attacking shochu in this format was fun for us and we’d like to do it on a regular basis, but let us know what you think. If you manage a free moment, we would love a review and rating over on Apple Podcasts, or wherever it is you get your favorite podcasts. Feel free to reach out to us at [email protected], or follow us at @sakeonair on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, or join us over on YouTube, as well. Thanks for listening and we’ll be back with more Sake On Air in a couple of weeks.Until then, Kampai! Sake On Air is made possible with the generous support of the Japan Sake & Shochu Makers Association and is broadcast from the Japan Sake & Shochu Information Center in Tokyo. The show is a co-production between Export Japan and Potts.K Productions, with audio production by Frank Walter. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” is composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.

Although we’re all still grounded here in Japan, this week we’re getting off the island for a visit to the great Pacific Northwest to chat with Andrew Neyens, the one-man-band behind Seattle’s Tahoma Fuji Sake. Between stints at some of Toyama’s most exciting and inspiring breweries, including Fumigiku Shuzo (makers of Haneya) and Masuda Shuzo (makers of Masuizumi), as well as attempts to scratch a similar itch at craft beer producers in the greater Seattle area, Andrew finally settled upon making sake something rooted closer to home – and he couldn’t have gotten much closer. Committed to making Tahoma Fuji not only a great sake, but also something that he could manage entirely on his own, Tahoma Fuji Sake Brewing Company was born in the small brewery built together with his father on the same property as his home in Ballard. From there, he’s passionately honed his craft, DIY’d his equipment little-by-little, and over the past few years managed to turn Tahoma Fuji into a mainstay at many of the Seattle area’s most selective beverage retailers and pioneering dining establishments. This week’s visit to Tahoma Fuji actually took place this past autumn, and begins with Justin being guided on a brief, but detailed brewery tour. The two then settle in to discuss Andrew’s progression through the world of sake and brewing in general over the years, exploring the experiences and values that have guided the development of Tahoma Fuji Sake as both a business and a more personal endeavor, and what the future sake landscape of Seattle might look like. You’ll notice right away that this recording was managed on the most minimal equipment. Frank has worked some serious magic in order to bring this episode to life. While not up to our regular audio standards, we think that the story and the messages in this week’s show carry it above any technical limitations. We appreciate you’re understanding and hope you’ll stick with us all the way through. We think you’ll be glad that you did. Please do take a moment to review and rate us over on Apple Podcasts. You can also get in touch with us at [email protected], or follow us at @sakeonair on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. There’s a stockpile of episodes on our YouTube channel, as well. Thanks for tuning in everyone. We’ll be back in a couple of weeks.Until then, Kampai! Sake On Air is made possible with the generous support of the Japan Sake & Shochu Makers Association and is broadcast from the Japan Sake & Shochu Information Center in Tokyo. The show is a co-production between Export Japan and Potts.K Productions, with audio production by Frank Walter. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” is composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.

With LINK, Pernod Ricard made their first foray into the world of sake. Bringing together the craftmanship and nuance of Chivas Regal with the pioneering spirit of Toyama’s Masuda Shuzo – makers of Masuizumi – the company in charge of many of the world’s most iconic labels in spirits set out to bring an unprecedented proposal to the world of sake. But why sake? And why now? This week Sebastien and Justin welcome Marketing Director for Pernod Ricard Japan, Yann Soenen, to discuss this and more. While the focus of the show is, of course, primarily on sake, we can’t help but inquire about the world of Japanese spirits, as well; particularly with Pernod Ricard’s recent acquisition of The Kyoto Distillery, creators of Ki No Bi, a label that has almost overnight become synonymous with Japanese gin. This was the first show that we here at Sake On Air have recorded satellite following Japan entering a State of Emergency due to the impact of the COVID-19, which means that the audio is a bit rougher than our listeners might be used to. At the time of releasing this episode, the State of Emergency has been released across all of Japan’s 47 prefectures, including Tokyo, and things are slowly beginning to shift back into motion, however we’ll likely continue to record a few more episodes remotely before getting everyone together for our standard format at the Japan Sake & Shochu Information Center. We just kindly ask for your patience and understanding as we gradually transition into the world ahead of us along with the rest of you.  Thanks for tuning in everyone.Take care & Kampai! Sake On Air is made possible with the generous support of the Japan Sake & Shochu Makers Association and is broadcast from the Japan Sake & Shochu Information Center in Tokyo. The show is a co-production between Export Japan and Potts.K Productions, with audio production by Frank Walter. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” is composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.

Here it is! The final installment of our “Know Your Hosts” series, introducing our listeners to the minds and motivations behind Sake on Air. For the first half of this week’s show, we have Rebekah Wilson-Lye in the hot seat. Currently the head of international marketing and public relations for Japan Craft Sake Company, we delve into not only the personal journey that led her from New Zealand to the Izu Peninsula, but also her evolution in the industry as she went from school teacher, to gourmet dining guide, to spearheading innovative sake projects with the likes of Takashi Murakami and Hidetoshi Nakata, all while carving out her own unique niche as a staunch advocate for the betterment of the industry as a whole. Following her, our man on the mixing boards Frank Walter interviews the sake guy himself, Mr. John Gauntner. Seeing as how interviews with John are scattered across the interwebz in an array of formats, we wanted to mix it up a little bit. The result? A fun, lighthearted discussion that sidesteps a lot of the more conventional sake questions, instead attempting to peer into the sake habits of the man himself, and as a result, scoring a lot of enjoyable and entertaining industry tidbits along the way. If you enjoyed this or any of our shows here at Sake On Air, taking a moment to review and rating us on Apple Podcasts would be greatly appreciated. You can also share your thoughts and feelings about the show with us by mailing to [email protected]. Say “Hi” to the team anytime at @sakeonair on  Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. If you’re so inclined, we actually have a YouTube channel, as well. Thanks for tuning in everyone. We’ll be back in a couple of weeks.Until then, Stay Home & Kampai! Sake On Air is made possible with the generous support of the Japan Sake & Shochu Makers Association and is broadcast from the Japan Sake & Shochu Information Center in Tokyo. The show is a co-production between Export Japan and Potts.K Productions, with audio production by Frank Walter. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” is composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.