エピソード

  • Visiting Fukushima Sake Breweries with Miho and Elvira
    2025/10/15
    Miho Ota is joined on this episode of Sake on Air by Spanish sake educator and promoter Elvira Aldaz to talk about their three-day sake trip to Fukushima in July. They visited 9 breweries in under 72 hours including travel to and from Tokyo! The two friends share their impressions from talking with local brewers, tasting many different styles of sake, and experiencing how the region’s climate, culture, and brewing traditions make Fukushima sake what it is. Fukushima Trip ItineraryDAY 1Niida Honke - Participated in their weekly tourDAY 2Aizu Shuzo - Made a prior reservation for a visitKokken - Made a prior reservation for a visitTsurunoe - Had tasting samples and shoppedDAY 3Kita no Hana - Had tasting samples and shoppedMine no Yuki - Saw the brewery from outsideYoshinogawa - Saw the brewery from outsideYumegokoro- Saw the brewery from outsideSuehiro - Participated in their daily tourYamatogawa - Didn’t visit, but there is a museum Elvira also talked a little bit about her experience at Gakkogura, a week-long sake brewing workshop on Sado Island, run by Obata Shuzo. Participants have to fully engage in the brewing process, from koji production to three-stage fermentation, and live in the converted schoolhouse that houses the brewery. Throughout the week they connect with the island’s community and environment as they work on their brews. We’d love to hear what you thought about the episode! Let us know at questions@sakeonair.com or send us a message on our Instagram, Facebook, or Substack! We’ll be back very soon 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. Sake on Air was created by Potts K Productions and is produced by Export Japan. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” was composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.
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    41 分
  • The Changing of the Guard at Fujii Shuzo
    2025/10/09
    Sebastien and Chris had a lovely time talking to Norihiro Fujii of Fujji Shuzo, makers of Ryusei. Their conversation was wide ranging: covering the history of the brewery, the change to all kimoto brewing, and the ongoing move to all wild fermentation. We’d love to hear what you thought about the episode! Let us know at questions@sakeonair.com or send us a message on our Instagram, Facebook, or Substack! We’ll be back very soon 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. Sake on Air was created by Potts K Productions and is produced by Export Japan. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” was composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.
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    1 時間 1 分
  • Happy Sake Day!
    2025/10/02
    Marie, Miho, and Frank have a sit down and try three hiyaoroshi sake with various pairings in this laid back episode of Sake on Air. We hope that as you give it a listen you pour yourself a glass and taste along with us. The sakes we had are all available at the info center:Joku Junmai from Hachinohe Shurui in AomoriMongai Fushutsu Junmai Ginjio from Nishibori Shuzo in Tochigi Takaji Yamahai Junmai from Juhachi Zakari in Okayama A reminder that you can find out about sake events going on throughout October in Japan here: https://kampai-sake.jp/en/index.html We’d love to hear what you thought about the episode! Let us know at questions@sakeonair.com or send us a message on our Instagram, Facebook, or Substack! We’ll be back very soon 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. Sake on Air was created by Potts K Productions and is produced by Export Japan. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” was composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.
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    49 分
  • On Location at the Kokushu Fair 2025 (Part 2)
    2025/09/25
    Frank Walter and Chris Hughes spent the first day of the biggest event of the sake calendar, JAPAN SAKE & SHOCHU FAIR 2025, talking to old and new friends about the world of sake and shochu. It was held in Osaka for the first time on June 14th and 15th of 2025. Oliver Chan, founder of Sake Moto HK and recent author; Keith Norum, of Masumi Sake; Chris's former student, who is involved in the Taiwan Sake & Shochu Research Association; and Mika Eoka, who has been pioneering sake imports and education in India. A reminder that you can find out about sake events going on throughout October in Japan here: https://kampai-sake.jp/en/index.html We’d love to hear what you thought about the episode! Let us know at questions@sakeonair.com or send us a message on our Instagram, Facebook, or Substack! We’ll be back very soon 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. Sake on Air was created by Potts K Productions and is produced by Export Japan. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” was composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.
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    37 分
  • On Location at the Kokushu Fair 2025 (Part 1)
    2025/09/17
    The biggest event of the sake calendar, JAPAN SAKE & SHOCHU FAIR 2025 was held in Osaka for the first time on June 14th and 15th of this year! Chris Hughes became our roving reporter on the fair floor and interviewed a variety of characters sipping a variety of beverages. He spoke to Tomomi Duquette, founder of Niigata Sake Lovers; representatives from the Zenkoku Chori Shokuhin Kogyo Kyodo Kumiai; Takeshi Itani, founder of Sake Experience; and Shun Kosaka, bartender at Quarter Room. Join us next week for part 2! We’d love to hear what you thought about the episode! Let us know at questions@sakeonair.com or send us a message on our Instagram, Facebook, or Substack! We’ll be back very soon 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. Sake on Air was created by Potts K Productions and is produced by Export Japan. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” was composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.
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    41 分
  • Chatting Sake Volume Two
    2025/09/11
    Join Miho Ota, Chris Hughes, and Chris Pellegrini as they catch up about what they have been doing recently. Tune in to hear how Big Chris has started a new sake tasting experience, all about Little Chris's business development, and Miho's exciting sake travel plans. You can sign up for the JSS sake and shochu tasting here: https://www.airbnb.com/experiences/6022742! We’d love to hear what you thought about the episode! Let us know at questions@sakeonair.com or send us a message on our Instagram, Facebook, or Substack! We’ll be back very soon 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. Sake on Air was created by Potts K Productions and is produced by Export Japan. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” was composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.
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    37 分
  • Opening THE GATE on Xavier Thuizat’s Recent Activities
    2025/08/29
    We are back! Sake on Air's long summer hiatus is over and you can expect lots of new episodes in the coming weeks and months. Starting off is an interview of Xavier Thuizat, sommelier extraordinaire, about his new sake project with Daishichi Sake Brewery, how to pair sake, the emotional experience of drinking sake and many other interesting topics. Frank Walter interviewed Xavier after an event explaining the creation of The Gate, so there is a bit of background noise. But the conversation is definitely worth it. Check out the Kouta event at JSS on 9/20 here: https://jss-event17.peatix.com/view Subscribe to our newsletter: https://sakeonair.substack.com/ We’ll be back very soon 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. Sake on Air was created by Potts K Productions and is produced by Export Japan. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” was composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.
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    50 分
  • Kanpai Revisited: Catching up with Tom Wilson
    2025/07/20
    This week on Sake On Air, host Cindy Bissig is joined by special guest host Julian Houseman to welcome back a familiar voice: Tom Wilson, co-founder and head brewer of Kanpai, the UK's first sake brewery! They recorded their conversation at Julian’s sake bar, Sake House, in Umeda, Osaka. Listeners may remember Tom from “Episode #73: Future of Sake with Les Larmes du Levant & Kanpai London”, where he joined us for a lively conversation alongside Grégoire Boeuf. Now, several years later, Tom returns to share exciting updates from the Kanpai camp. In this episode, Tom reflects on his recent collaboration with a sake brewery in Nara, giving us a peek into the inspiration and process behind this unique Japan-U.K. brew, which will soon be available in both countries. He also offers insight into Kanpai’s evolving philosophy and what’s been happening at their new home in London Bridge, where they continue to experiment, grow, and celebrate all things sake. And for a special treat, Tom brought along a bottle of Kanpai’s 2021 vintage “Kura” sake, which was enjoyed during the recording—and let’s just say, it didn’t disappoint. Tune in to hear how the international sake scene continues to evolve, and what it means to brew Japanese sake with British roots. Join us for a special English / Japanese bilingual rakugo performance: https://jss-event16.peatix.com/ Subscribe to our newsletter: https://sakeonair.substack.com/ We’ll be back very soon 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. Sake on Air was created by Potts K Productions and is produced by Export Japan. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” was composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.
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    44 分