My SakeTrip
by SakeMelv
Why Nihonshu 日本酒 and All Things Sake お酒?
It began with a Japan trip that included a sake brewery tour.
And 8 years later…
And 4 Japan trips later…
And 4 sake brewery tours later…
I still didn’t understand or remember much. I decided to learn about sake basics, so I will can have a better experience on my next brewery tour.
Little did I know that I would go crazy. I went sake nuts! I took a barrage of classes, certification tests, immersion experiences, even basic Nihongo (for reading sake labels).
Onwards with my learning & my sake trip.
Ganbatte 頑張って！ Kanpai 乾杯！🍶
My SakeTrip (2022-2023)
November 2022
John Gauntner’s Sake Professional Course Level 1 (online) - SEC Certified Sake Professional
January 2023
John Gauntner’s Sake Professional Course Level 2 (JSS, Tōkyō) - SEC Advanced Sake Professional;
Visited 3 breweries ( Masumi 真澄、 Izumibashi 泉橋、 Tensei 天青 )
Met esteemed guest lecturers —
Mr. Haruo Matsuzaki — renowned sake industry expert in Japan and worldwide; John Gauntner deems Matsusaki-as having the “best palate” in the sake world
Mr. Shuso Imada — General Manager, Japan Sake & Shochu Information Center and Sake Marketing Consultant
February 2023
Kurabito Stay - Kurabito Experience (Saku, Nagano) - sake brewery immersion at Kitsukura Shuzo 橘倉酒造; covered and aired by NHK World.
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/backstories/2490/
April 2023
Visited Japan Sake & Shochu Information Center; tasted all sake flights
July 2023
Commenced SSI International Kikisake-shi 国際唎酒師 course (correspondence; 1 year to complete)
August 2023
Tamagawa Sake Dinner (Singapore); met the renowned Philip Harper, who currently is the only foreign-born non-Japanese tōji 杜氏 (master sake brewer) in the Japan sake industry
September 2023
Michael Tremblay’s Sake Scholar Course (JCCNC, San Francisco; finally passed the test on August 2024)
November 2023
WSET Level 3 Award in Sake taught by Michael Tremblay (IWEG, Toronto); final result - “Pass with Merit”
Kurabito Stay x NHK World
My participation and small contribution to help promote Japanese sake to NHK viewers.
My Sake Trip (2024 Onwards)
January 2024
John Gauntner’s Sake Professional Course (SPC) Level 1 (JSS, Tōkyō) - 5 brewery visits ( Hakutsuru 白鶴、Fukuju 福寿、Kagura 神蔵、Tsuki no Katsura 月の桂、Daimon 大門 )
February 2024
Kurabito Stay - Saku Tōji Experience Advanced Program (Saku, Nagano) - 3 brewery visits to meet the tōjis
Japan Sake & Shochu Academy 2024 Tōkyō - 1 of 12 people selected out of 150+ applicants
June 2024
SSI International Kikisake-shi 国際唎酒師 “Sake Sommelier” Course (correspondence)
September 2024
SSI International Sake Lecturer 国際日本酒講師 Course (correspondence; started)
SSA Certified Sake Sommelier taught by Joshua Kalinan, MSS (Singapore)
October 2024
SSA Master Sake Sommelier taught by Julien Alsoufi, DipWSET, MSS (Mannheim, Germany)
Planned Pursuits and Beyond
JSA Sake Diploma, SSA Master of Sake, WSET Certified Sake Educator
With John Gauntner a.k.a. "The Sake Evangelist" (San Francisco, September 2023); "John Gauntner becomes the first and only non-Japanese to become certified as both a Sake Expert Assessor, as bestowed by the National Research Institute of Brewing, and as a Master of Sake Tasting as bestowed by Nihon Jouzou Kyoukai, the Brewing Society of Japan." (from the Sake World website)
Books by John Gauntner
With Mr. Haruo Matsuzaki (January 2023); John Gauntner considers him as his mentor and always says that Matsusaki-san has the “best palate” in the sake world
With Mr. Shuso Imada (JSS Tokyo, January 2023)
With John Gauntner and Mr. Yuichi Hashiba, president of Izumibashi sake brewery (Kanagawa, January 2023)
Tamagawa Aged Sake Vintage 2016
With Philip Harper, master sake brewer of Tamagawa (Singapore, August 2023)
Books by Philip Harper
Books signed by Philip Harper
With Michael Tremblay right after the Sake Scholar Course (San Francisco, September 2023); aside from teaching SSC and WSET classes, his credentials include Sake Samurai title, WSET L3 Wine, DipWSET Wine, French Wine Scholar
James Beard Award-winning book by Nancy Matsumoto and Michael Tremblay
Book signed by Michael Tremblay
Akabu sake dinner (Itria, San Francisco, September 2023)
With the owners of Akabu sake brewery and Jesse Pugach of Fifth Taste sake importer & distributor
At the Independent Wine Education Guild (IWEG) in downtown Toronto, where I took my WSET Level 3 Award in Sake in November 2023; unfortunately IWEG had to close down in May 2024, after 47 years
With Michael Tremblay after the WSET Level 3 Sake course (IWEG Toronto, November 2023)
At Tsuki no Katsura 月の桂 (Fushimi, Kyoto, January 2024)
Tokubee Masuda, 14th generation owner of Tsuki no Katsura sake brewery
Junichi Masuda, eldest son of Tokubee Masuda and newly appointed CEO of Tsuki no Katsura
At Daimon sake brewery (Osaka, January 2024)
Kampai with Daimon-san (January 2024)
With Chris Cabrera (WSET L3 Sake, Sake Scholar) and Chad Santo Tomas of TRUE SAKE (San Francisco, September 2023)
Kōji room at Kitsukura brewery
Sake tasting and sampling at TRUE SAKE
At Ontario Spring Water Sake Company, makers of IZUMI sake (Toronto, November 2023)
NHK World coverage during lunch break from Kurabito Stay experience.
With Naoko Hattori, director & writer & producer at NHK World
With Marika Tazawa, owner of Kurabito Stay, and Hiromi Tanaka, who did all the English translation for the group
With Naoko Hattori and two-man crew from NHK World
Screenshot from NHK clip
Marika Tazawa of Kurabito Stay and Tyler Ide of Kitsukura Brewery
Receiving certificates of completion at Kurabito Stay
Waiting for my sake bottle signed by Mr. Tyler Ide of Kitsukura sake brewery
Certificate, limited edition Kurabito Stay daiginjo sake, and special keychain gift --- all from Kurabito Stay
With fellow Kurabito Stay participant - Kenji Fabio Ota of Megasake Brazil; 6 months after meeting Fabio-san, he was awarded the esteemed Sake Samurai title in September 2023 👏🫡🙇🏻
With fellow Kurabito Stay participant - Chika-san, who is also a sake lecturer and instructor at Japan Sommelier Association (J.S.A.)
With fellow Kurabito Stay participant - Mei-chan
With fellow Kurabito Stay participant - Rika Obara
Enjoying coffee at Edit Coffee Roastery with fellow Kurabito Stay participants - Phyllis Lee and Mandy Fung of Hong Kong (Saku, Nagano, February 2023). Mandy is an SSI International Kikisake-shi, while Phyllis is an SSI International Kikisake-shi for both Sake and Shochu, International Sake Lecturer, and Sakasho (Master Sommelier of Sake).
Sharing a noodle soup lunch with fellow Kurabito Stay participant - Take-san, who is my sworn "Bread Brother" (i.e. our wives are the "Bread Empress" and "Bread Commander" in our everyday life...)
With Sake Samurai Andre "Sake Master" Bishop from Melbourne, Australia (San Francisco, September 2023)
At Ki Modern Japanese + Bar, where Michael Tremblay holds the position of Beverage Director. Bumped into fellow SPC L2 and SSC alumnus and "hardcore sake & koji nut" Carl Callewaert a.k.a. "Kampai Carl" (Toronto, November 2023)
With several sake-happy classmates at SPC Level 1 (January 2024)
With fellow SPC L2 alumni Andrea Sorani, Kelly Havaaldsrud, and Nathaniel Hoy --- joining the SPC L1 class brewery tours (January 2024)
SPC L1 at Hakusturu sake brewery (January 2024)
SPC L1 at Tsuki no Katsura (January 2024)
With Taste With The Toji (TWTT) members - Kelly, Maki, Harald, Cathy, their guest couple from Australia (January 2024)
With my Kurabito Stay family: Part 2, The Return (February 2024)
At Kitsukura Shuzo, Kurabito Stay (February 2024)
With the jolly, amiable Tōji san from Ōsawa Shūzo; he's a truly genuine person that lives & breathes the company & brand values (February 2024)
At Edit Coffee Shop, where I enjoyed a concoction of coffee + sake from Saku no Hana (Saku, Nagano, February 2024)
Tasting a unique lineup of sakes from Saku no Hana 佐久乃花 during a workshop at Kurabito Stay (February 2024)
Kurabito Stay, Part 2 - Graduation Day (February 2024)
With my Kurabito Stay family - Reunion at Tokyo (February 2024)
At JSS Academy 2024; out of 80-100 applicants, 12 of us were picked for this program (February 2024)
With Andrea Machado of Brazil; great talented lady that works with Fabio Ota (February 2024)
My classmates at JSS Academy 2024 posing with Utsunomiya san and Marie Chiba san of Eureka! bar; she gave a fantastic class on discovering pairing tastes (February 2024)
With the famous Ms. Marie Chiba of Eureka! bar (February 2024)
At JSS Academy (February 2024)
With Yamada san of Sake Bunka, that helped organize the JSS Academy 2024 class and schedules (February 2024)
With my wife and Hashiba san of Izumibashi at Sake Manila (May 2024)
With Eric Wang at Sake Manila (May 2024)
With representative of Kozaemon at Sake Manila (May 2024)
With Keith Norum of MASUMI at Sake Manila (May 2024)
Pretending to have a smart conversation with Keith Norum of MASUMI at Sake Manila (May 2024)
At Sake no Wa (HK, May 2024)
At Sake no Wa; even in my drunkenness, I don't think I asked to wear the esteemed robe (HK, May 2024)
SSI International Kikisake-shi 國際唎酒師 Correspondence Course; there are times when I gotta be thinking instead of drinking (June 2024)
Bumping into Utsunomiya san of JSS at the HK OSA & Sake Festival (August 2024)
With Melissa Mills and Will Jarvis of Sake Matters at the HK OSA & Sake Festival (August 2024)
With Melissa Mills and Sake Samurai Micky Chan at the HK OSA & Sake Festival (August 2024)
With Joshua Kalinan, my instructor for SSA Certified Sake Sommelier course conducted at WineLanguageSG (September 2024)
With Joshua Kalinan (September 2024)
Sake session & tasting with wine expert Sherwin Lao, who always encourages me to pursue sake learning further (Ishinomaki, Singapore, May 2023)
At a fateful Japan trip with sake brewery tour that inspired me to learn more about sake.... (Katayama Shūzo, February 2018)
