Dec 20, 2025
I was in charge of arranging the itinerary and acting as a tour guide for the "Sake/Shochu Brewery Tour for Influencers" organized by the Japan Sake Brewers Association.
This project aimed to raise international awareness of Japanese alcoholic beverages and provide educational opportunities for overseas experts. It consisted of two parts: a tour for sommeliers visiting sake breweries (5 participants) and a tour for bartenders visiting shochu and awamori distilleries (5 participants).
■ Sake tour for sommeliers (Tohoku area)
The participants visited Saura, Kanbai Sake Brewery, Akita Prefectural Comprehensive Food Research Center, Akita Sake Brewing, Kodama Brewery, Saiya Sake Brewery, Tenju Sake Brewery, Dewatsuru Sake Brewery, and Akita Konno Shoten.
The tour, which combines learning about research and development related to yeast and koji at specialized institutions with experiencing firsthand how that research is reflected in sake brewing at various breweries, was praised as a "tour to learn about the fusion of science and tradition."
■ Shochu and Awamori Tour for Bartenders (Kyushu/Okinawa Area)
The participants visited Chuko Shuzo, Miyazato Shuzo, Mizuho Shuzo, Okinawa Prefecture Sake Brewers Association, Ishikawa Shuzo, Kokubu Shuzo, Wakashio Shuzo, Shoro Shuzo, Kodama Jozo, and Watanabe Shuzo.
Participants gained a new understanding of the diversity and flavor structure of shochu and awamori, and many positive comments were received, such as "I would like to use this in future proposals at stores, cocktail development, and consumer education."
Based on the knowledge gained through these experiences, we will continue to design professional-level alcoholic beverage education programs and strengthen our collaboration with local breweries.