Sake On Air

In this episode Sebastien Lemoine, John Gauntner, and Chris Hughes (and Frank Walter) interview Jacky Royer about sake, food, and travel in Shizuoka. Jacky works at Shidaizumi and runs a land operator tour business for French-speaking visitors to Japan. We learn about his origins studying library science in Tokyo, how he came to brew sake, and much much more.

As always, if...

Awamori is a traditional spirit from Okinawa with a history of over 500 years, yet it remains little known outside Japan. In this episode of Sake on Air, Miho interviews two Okinawa-based drinks professionals, Madoka Numata and Maurice Dudley. They talk about about places visitors can explore in Okinawa—particularly in the capital city of Naha—to taste, learn about, and experience awamori, along with i...

Following up on our Izakaya 101 episode, Frank, Cindy, and Chris share some of their favorite sake focused restaurants and watering holes. Cindy took on Kyoto, Chris led the Tokyo discussion, and Frank filled in the gaps with off the wall picks from places in between. Our rollicking discussion bounces around all of the archipelago, and it’s hard to imagine someone who has visited every place on o...

Cindy leads a year-long discussion about sake events with fellow hosts Sebastien, Chris, and Frank. They talk about many of the main sake events that are happening or have happened this year. They talk about the large events like the Niigata Sake no Jin and small events like the various Kurabiraki that are held throughout the country. (Kurabiraki are when a sake brewery or group of breweries opens thei...

This week, Cindy Bissig and Frank Walter sit down with Takashi Eguchi, better known in the sake world as Umio, to explore Shiga Prefecture’s vibrant sake scene and its potential as a sake tourism destination

Together, they discuss breweries across the region that welcome visitors, from formal tours to shops and lively brewery festivals, along with practical tips on h...

Every February, the Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association holds the Sake and Shochu Academy, a week-long course that teaches students everything they need to know about Japan’s national beverages. Think Hogwarts for sake. The teachers are not wizards in a literal sense, but are top representatives from various official sake industry and research bodies, the equivalent of wizards in the sake wo...

In the second of our new format “Bulletin” episodes, Chris reports back from the JSS’s annual press conference, sharing current export figures, and strategies to increase exports further. The press conference was held at the JSS headquarters in February 2026, and presented by our very own Shuso Imada and Hitoshi Utsunomiya. With domestic consumption flailing, all eyes are on the rest of the world. Is t...

Frank visited the multi-instrumentalist Bobby Griffin at his home and studio to talk about how sake is treated in traditional Japanese music. In particular they talked about Sasa no Tsuyu, a piece for shamisen, koto, and voice. It was arranged in the 1800s and the lyrics are all about the power and pleasure of sake. We also filmed our visit, and you can check out the video here on youtube: https://yout...

This week, Frank is joined by Aaron Hao, the founder of Sake Studio, to talk all things sake tasting. Aaron drinks sake every day. He basically has to, since he is a triple-certified Sommelier, Executive Director of Sake Base, and the owner of a sake focused izakaya. Their conversation covers, of course how to taste sake, but also what got Aaron into the world of sake and what excites him about being a...

In this special episode we are trying out a new format we are dubbing the “Sake on Air Bulletin.” One or more of our hosts will report back on an event or experience they tried recently in the form of a short audio bulletin. This time it’s the turn of Chris to don his journalist hat. He recently attended a panel discussion and seminar on GIs. It’s read ‘Gee Eye’ not G1, and stands for...

Frank got to sit down with Okura Taiji of Gekkeikan Sake to talk about the whole swath of Gekkeikan’s existance. Our conversation covers its rise to prominence in the late 1800s to its creation of a brewery in America to what’s going on in Gekkeikan Studio, the experimental arm of the brewery.

We ae trying out a new video format which you can find on YouTube: ...

In this episode of Sake on Air, we’re heading off the tourist path to Kochi Prefecture! Tune in to learn more about this little-known yet deeply compelling region, and why it deserves a spot on your sake travel list.

In September 2025, Cindy Bissig; Simone Maynard, creator of Taste with the Toji (check out episode 92!), a Sake Samurai, and a sake educator; and Taichiro Ogi...

Join Imada-san and Sebastien (and a late arriving guest) as they talk all things Izakaya. These Japanese drinking and eating establishments are the foundation of sake culture and the trio has a lot to say about where to go, what to order, and how to have a good time. They talk about which foods go well with sake and many of the unwritten rules of dining out in Japan.

When ...

Frank and Eric C Rath, Professor at University of Kansas and author of multiple books on Japanese food culture, dive deep into his new book, Kanpai: The History of Sake. We talk about samurai drinking games, the origins of sake as a beverage, sake’s effects on the Japanese economy, and many other topics.