This week on our show, we’re heading to Kagoshima, the heart of Japan’s shochu production! Join us as one of our regular hosts, Chris Pellegrini, sits down with the incredible Maya Aley – a certified Shochu Meister and industry expert with over 6 years of experience. Maya is also the manager of Bar Roku, a must-visit destination for shochu lovers. …

Summer in Japan is hot! Too hot some might say. To help beat the heat, nihonshu producers sell a variety of sake called natsuzake or “summer sake.” But what is natsuzake really? It has no legal definition and no established taste or serving guidelines. Miho Ohta and John Gauntner have a conversation about the recent trends in natsuzake until Frank …

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This week we are excited to welcome not just one, but two amazing guests to our table Yu Nakamura and Nattinee Sirirattanapol, aka Pam, who are changing the face of sake in Thailand with an array of amazing projects and collaborations! So join us as one of our regular hosts Chris Hughes sat down with them at our base the Japan Sake and Shochu Infor…

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We’re Back! This time we are talking to Maksim Polkin of Imadeya, one of the most well known sake distributors in Japan. He is usually at their Ginza Six location, but helps introduce people to the wonders of sake all around Tokyo. Sebastien Lemoine and Chris Hughes talk with Maksim about how he found himself in Japan and in Sake. Their conversatio…

Support us on patreon: https://www.patreon.com/smalltalkjapan

Support us on patreon: https://www.patreon.com/smalltalkjapan

Support us on patreon: https://www.patreon.com/smalltalkjapan

Support us on patreon: https://www.patreon.com/smalltalkjapan

Support us on patreon: https://www.patreon.com/smalltalkjapanArticles from this week's episodehttps://www.reddit.com/r/japannews/s/W6Nzf7MCIi「自己責任」が重すぎる──増える「子どもがほしくない20代」https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/72e4f720645a3abf4c3f558ff5e800015e536e0f?page=139 elementary school students sent to the hospital due to suspected heatstroke after sports day pr…

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/smalltalkjapanArticles from this week's episodeStudio Ghibli's Hayao Miyazaki: "The Golden Age of Anime Has Passed"https://www.cbr.com/studio-ghibli-hayao-miyazaki-anime-golden-age-over/Kanagawa woman arrested for calling police 1,200 times in 8 days, saying “Merry Christmas, Die!”https://soranews24.co…

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/smalltalkjapanArticles from this week's episodeWhy the Japanese Yen is Collapsinghttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVSsPXlql18Shinzo Abe was assassinated. Now, Japan hates him.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFn6gWYMDpoNew Tokyo restaurant charges higher prices to foreign tourists than Japanese localshtt…

This week Chris Hughes continues our discussion of contract brewing sake with a conversation with Nathaniel Hoy. We started this series with Episode-117: A Sake of Your Own: Contract Brewing Sake: in which Sebastien Lemoine, Chris and Justin Potts shared their opinions and expertise on the trend of sake companies brewing custom sakes for clients. W…

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/smalltalkjapanArticles from this week's episodehttps://soranews24.com/2024/04/26/japanese-city-loses-residents-personal-data-which-was-on-paper-being-transported-on-a-windy-day/https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2024/04/4955c6d472ab-update1-yen-sinks-to-157-range-vs-dollar-new-34-yr-low.htmlhttps://www…

Wanna become a supporter? https://www.patreon.com/smalltalkjapanArticles from this week's episodeWeak yen may actually deter Bank of Japan from hiking rates soonhttps://www.reuters.com/markets/rates-bonds/weak-yen-may-actually-deter-bank-japan-hiking-rates-soon-2024-04-11/Japan and NASA plan a historic lunar RV roadtrip togetherhttps://www.popsci.c…

In this week’s episode of Sake On Air Sebastien Lemoin and Cindy Bissig are talking about the World’s largest sake event, which just so happens to be a project that one of our other regular hosts; Rebekah Wilson Lye is deeply involved in. We are of course talking about Craft Sake Week in Tokyo! Japan’s most prominent sake event, which was founded b…

Wanna show your support? https://www.patreon.com/smalltalkjapanDIRT Japan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrv9dmWpNKASamurai of Culture https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QojixAAtv6M&t=858sArticles from this week's episodeJimmy Kimmel says his trip to Japan last week made him realize that the US is a 'filthy and disgusting country'https://www.business…

Want to show your support? https://www.patreon.com/smalltalkjapanArticles from this week's episodeJapan adds four new industries to skilled foreign worker visahttps://japantoday.com/category/national/japan-adds-driver-railway-roles-to-skilled-foreign-worker-visaExplainer: Japan hiked interest rates. Why is the yen falling?https://www.reuters.com/ma…

During the recording of Episode 115 “Should sake be promoted like wine?”, Sarah Stewart mentioned a research project between some members of the British Sake Association, and Coravin, the US firm selling a device aimed at preserving the flavors of wine in the bottle after indulging oneself with one glass or two. Intrigued, Sebastien Lemoine reached…

This week Justin Potts, Chris Hughes, and Sebastien Lemoine discuss the growing trend of sake companies making special sakes for clients and/or partners. The conversations covers the benefits to both established breweries and entrepreneurs trying out their ideas before having to create their own brewery. Their conversation also goes into the differ…

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/smalltalkjapanArticles from this week's episodeForced head shave for transgender inmate a human rights violation: Osaka lawyershttps://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20240312/p2a/00m/0na/007000cJapan high court rules same-sex marriage ban unconstitutionalhttps://english.kyodonews.net/news/2024/03/44aa6f4…

Support us on patreon: https://www.patreon.com/smalltalkjapanArticles from this week's episodeLDP Members Quit as Division Heads after ‘Inappropriate’ Gathering; Dancer Reportedly Performed in Scanty Outfithttps://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/politics/politics-government/20240309-173549/ソフト・オン・デマンドの“新作ビデオ”が「あきらかにDJ SODA」と批判噴出→「諸般の事情」で発売中止にhttps://news.y…

We talk about Otani, Ghibli, teachers fighting students, and a whole lot more!

This week we’re digging a classic from out of the cellar – our episode exploring the absolute magic of sake that’s been crafted to stand the test of time. While still a relatively niche category within sake, more and more producers are leaning into clearly communicating the amount of time – and in what form – their sake spends maturing prior to rel…

Like the show? Support us on Pateron https://www.patreon.com/smalltalkjapan Japan plans to make it possible to revoke the permanent residency status of foreigners who repeatedly fail to pay tax https://goemon-jp.com/vi/news/japan-plans-to-make-it-possible-to-revoke-the-permanent-residency-status-of-foreigners-who-repeatedly-fail-to-pay-tax-1jrLDTGQ…

Support us on patreon: https://www.patreon.com/smalltalkjapanArticles from this week's episodeJapanese women lift skirts, flash ocean to attract lots of fish at annual ceremony【Video】https://soranews24.com/2024/02/15/japanese-women-lift-skirts-flash-ocean-to-attract-lots-of-fish-at-annual-ceremony%e3%80%90video%e3%80%91/FOCUS: Japan maglev train pr…

Support us on patreon: https://www.patreon.com/smalltalkjapanArticles from this week's episodeJapanese court approves nonsterilized trans man's gender changehttps://english.kyodonews.net/news/2024/02/ccc37861b206-update1-japan-court-approves-nonsterilized-trans-mans-gender-change.htmlJapan's marriage agencies going bankrupt at record rate as matchi…

It feels like only the very recent past when opportunities for more formal sake education and certifications were few and far between, and when they were available, they were often infrequent and hosted in only a handful of territories, which made learning from knowledgeable industry insiders and professionals relatively prohibitive for most of the…

Support us on patreon: https://www.patreon.com/smalltalkjapanArticles from this week's episodeANA planes in minor collision at Osaka airport, no one hurthttps://english.kyodonews.net/news/20...Mt. Fuji climbers to face 2,000 yen fees amid overtourism concernshttps://english.kyodonews.net/news/20...Japan’s Homo Sausage now comes with cheesehttps://s…

We’re getting back to basics this week in the world of shochu with one of our most popular shows from our back catalog: Shochu 101. Released back in December of 2018, Mr. Shochu himself, Christopher Pellegrini, walks us through the fundamentals that should help anyone new to the category better understand and enjoy Japan’s incredible indigenous spi…

Support us on patreon: https://www.patreon.com/smalltalkjapanCheck out Unpacking JapanYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPo0DwrGEINQIJw4-OJGSNQinstagram: https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japan/twitter: https://twitter.com/unpacking_japanApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/jp/podcast/unpacking-japan/id1684639413Check out our sponso…

Support us on patreon: https://www.patreon.com/smalltalkjapanArticles from this week's episode Man believed to be long-time fugitive Satoshi Kirishima detained in Japan: reports - The Japan Times https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2024/01/26/japan/crime-legal/fugitive-radical-caught/Japan's foreign worker population tops 2 million for first time htt…

This week’s episode of Sake On Air we dive further into the topic started with our post “Is wine the best way to promote sake?” last year. Arline Lyons, who wrote the post and has extensively researched the topic, takes a seat behind the mic and joins one of our regular hosts, Sebastien Lemoine to talk more about her findings. However, we thought i…

Support us on patreon: https://www.patreon.com/smalltalkjapanArticles from this week's episodeJapan’s biggest dating app says young people not interested in romance, creates AI girlfriend app | SoraNews24 -Japan News- https://soranews24.com/2024/01/18/japans-biggest-dating-app-says-young-people-not-interested-in-romance-creates-ai-girlfriend-app/Ja…

Many of our listeners are likely aware of the 7.6 magnitude earthquake that struck the Noto Peninsula of Ishikawa Prefecture back on New Years Day, 2024. While the most severe damage was unquestionably across the peninsula, the massive quake reverberated across neighboring prefectures as well, resulting in extensive, far-reaching damage that’s goin…

We are always thrilled to be joined by special guests here at Sake On Air, but it is rather rare that we have a chance to interview a 15th-generation kuramoto. This week we’re thrilled to share our recent interview with Junichi Masuda, newly appointed CEO of Tokubee Masuda Shoten, makers of Tsukinokatsura, a brand of which we are all collectively h…

Support us on patreon: https://www.patreon.com/smalltalkjapanArticles from this week's episodeロマンス詐欺で起訴の巡査の女を懲戒免職　カナダ人医師名乗り女性２人に９０万円振り込ませたか　大阪府警西成署に勤務 https://www.asahi.co.jp/webnews/pages/abc_23295.htmlStudent letters from 1923 Kanto quake preserved by kin of U.S. president https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2023/12/a10cf423123b-feature-student-le…

This week we’re digging up a classic from the archives that we released back in April 2020. The theme of the week is kanzake, which felt appropriate as a majority of our audience is now officially rolling into the winter months. If you’re interested in more warm/hot sake insight, we highly encourage you to check out the special session we hosted fr…

Support us on patreon: https://www.patreon.com/smalltalkjapanArticles from this week's episode【東中野・西太后（せいたいごう）】中華料理店が炎上中？中国人お断り？ | 住もうよ！東中野 https://higashinakano.jp/seitaigou/Nearly half of young Japanese men in survey have never had a girlfriend, zero-boyfriend women rise too | SoraNews24 Japan News https://soranews24.com/2023/12/15/nearly-half-of…

With more travelers these days favoring unique experiences over a few days of leisure for their limited vacation days, Japan’s sake breweries have gradually been improving and expanding their offerings to both domestic and international visitors choosing to tick “sake journey” off their bucket list. An industry that’s largely sheltered itself from …

Support us on patreon: https://www.patreon.com/smalltalkjapanArticles from this week's episode Ohtani, Dodgers agree to 10-year, $700M deal | theScore.com https://www.thescore.com/mlb/news/2787980 Third victim of UNLV campus shooting identified by coroner https://www.8newsnow.com/news/local-news/third-victim-of-unlv-campus-shooting-identified-by-co…

Support us on patreon: https://www.patreon.com/smalltalkjapanArticles from this week's episodeCheck out our sponsors! STAPLETON 英会話: https://stapleton.me/ Online classes! DROPS Hair: http://drops-hair.jp/ If you are interested in the equipment we use, check out the links below! mic https://amzn.to/3gtJapQ mixer XLR USB https://amzn.to/2XtQ8SL camer…

Fabio Ota joins regular host Sebastien Lemoine to talk all things sake in Brazil. Fabio, a lawyer turned sake guy, is the CEO and creator of Megasake, São Paulo’s premier sake shop and distributor. He was named a Sake Samurai earlier this year as part of the 18h cohort, and holds 13 different sake certifications. Sebastien and Fabio get into the in…

Support us on patreon: https://www.patreon.com/smalltalkjapanArticles from this week's episode'He brainwashed her': Tokyo woman says daughter was lured by 'host,' ran up huge tab - The Mainichi https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20231122/p2a/00m/0na/022000cFOCUS: Barking deer in Japan causing havoc for human population https://english.kyodonews.n…

Support us on patreon: https://www.patreon.com/smalltalkjapanArticles from this week's episodeCar rams into Israeli Embassy barricade in Tokyo, injures officer https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2023/11/5cdb465c1670-car-rams-into-israeli-embassy-fence-in-tokyo-injures-police-officer.htmlNo ex-Johnny's singers cast for NHK year-end show after sex sc…

For many years a Sake Tasting Competition has been held for selected sake sommeliers from across the country in Tokyo to challenge their tasting skills and knowledge. This year the Brewing Society of Japan has released a special tasting kit, that can be bought by anyone (depending on the availability of it, of course) to help sake professionals and…

Support us on patreon: https://www.patreon.com/smalltalkjapan Articles from this week's episode Super Mario and Gap Japan team up for new Nintendo clothing line【Photos】 | SoraNews24 Japan News https://soranews24.com/2023/11/10/super-mario-and-gap-japan-team-up-for-new-nintendo-clothing-line%e3%80%90photos%e3%80%91/ Fukuoka: 6-Year-Old Boy Injured b…

Support us on patreon: https://www.patreon.com/smalltalkjapanArticles from this week's episodeReddit - Dive into anything https://www.reddit.com/r/japannews/s/G6ynFk096W7-meter spear from hit anime "Evangelion" installed in western Japan https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2023/11/509ff1582d88-7-meter-spear-from-hit-anime-evangelio…