In this episode, Julian and Simone catch up with Tokyo based Alex Harrison from Mottox Craft Sake.
Craft Sake is a term that has been thrown around a little in previous episodes of this podcast. In this episode, we speak with someone from a company that actually owns the rights to the term 'craft sake'.
Alex joined Mottox in 2022, and along with many of his co-workers, he comes from a wine background. Mottox are a Japan based importing company, also working in wholesale and distribution, with a long history and a dedicated following in Japan and also overseas.
The company have built their line-up through a series of original collaborations with sake breweries from all over Japan. They are currently working with 21 breweries with a vision to expand on that number and bring sake to the tables of sake and wine lovers all over the world.
We chat with Alex a little about the sake side of Mottox, collaborating with breweries, and why he loves working with sake and sake brewers on this ever-evolving project.
We hope you enjoy listening to this conversation as much as we loved having it.
You can follow Mottox on IG: @mottox_craftsake
and our podcast and podcast hosts:
TWTT Podcast: @tastewiththetoji
Simone: @sakemistress
Maki: @sake.amata
Julian: @sakeadvocate
and don't forget to check out Julian's sake bar on IG: @sakehouse_osaka
This episode was recorded on 1 July 2025
A huge thank you to our subscribers at Patreon
More information about Taste with the Toji - The Project can be found on our website: https://tastewiththetoji.com/
Music by: Kazuyoshi Sato (Koikawa Shuzo)
Links:
In this episode, Julian and Simone catch-up with good friend, Andy Russell.
Andy was TWTT's very first podcast guest - and, alongside Miho Imada, he was the very first Zoom room guest on TWTT The Project, back in April 2020.
This episode was actually recorded on April 27th - which just happened to be the 5th anniversary of TWTT The Project - so it was very fitting to have Andy as our special guest and to find out what he has been up to since we last spoke.
When he first graced the TWTT Zoom room in 2020, he was working at Imada Shuzo in Hiroshima. When he joined us on the Podcast for our second ever episode, he had just started working at Kenbishi in Hyogo... fast forward to April 2025, and Andy has recently joined good friend, (and previous TWTT guest), Jorge Navarrete, at Matsui Shuzo in the heart of Kyoto.
We chat about the move, the notable differences between his previous and current brewery, his Hyogo sake tours, his recent visits to Julian's new sake bar in Osaka, and other sake related stuff.
It's always a joy catching up with Andy.
We hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as we enjoyed recording it.
You can follow Andy on IG: @originsake
and our podcast and podcast hosts:
TWTT Podcast: @tastewiththetoji
Simone: @sakemistress
Maki: @sake.amata
Julian: @sakeadvocate
and don't forget to check out Julian's new bar on IG: @sakehouse_osaka
This episode was recorded on 27 April 2025
A huge thank you to our subscribers at Patreon
More information about Taste with the Toji - The Project can be found on our website: https://tastewiththetoji.com/
Music by: Kazuyoshi Sato (Koikawa Shuzo)
Links:
In this episode, the gang are back together for the first time since last year, to chat to Julian about his brand new venture: Sake House!
Sake House is Osaka's newest Sake Bar, and it's something Julian has been working towards, or at least dreaming about, for some time.
Located in the popular area of Umeda, but a little out of the hard hustle and bustle, Sake House is a small bar with a big heart and an excellent sake menu - not to mention its fabulous host.
In addition to some amazing sake, and other beverages, hand selected by Julian, guests can enjoy a small menu of tasty treats ~ with things like saganaki, blue cheese and sake kasu pizza, and a dish with hummus, being some of the current items on the menu.
By the time you listen to this episode, the menu will most likely have changed a little, as will some of the sake, but that's what will keep his guests coming back for more - with each visit being a new and delicious experience.
Only 3 weeks into it's existence, Sake House aims to be a venue for locals and tourists alike. A place where everyone can feel comfortable and confident ordering, drinking and exploring the world of Nihonshu.
No stranger to many already in the sake industry, Julian has a wealth of knowledge and has been a passionate advocate for sake for many years. Needless to say, this venture was a long time coming - but it's finally here, and we are super excited to see how it evolves.
If you're in, or planning to be in Osaka, be sure to pop in and say hi to Julian at Sake House.
Congratulations, Julian - from all of us at TWTT.
You can follow this podcast and its hosts on IG...
TWTT Podcast: @tastewiththetoji
Simone: @sakemistress
Maki: @sake.amata
Julian: @sakeadvocate
and don't forget to check out Julian's new bar on IG: @sakehouse_osaka
This episode was recorded on 2 Mar 2025
A huge thank you to our subscribers at Patreon
More information about Taste with the Toji - The Project can be found on our website: https://tastewiththetoji.com/
Music by: Kazuyoshi Sato (Koikawa Shuzo)
Sake House - Osaka
Address: B1, 1 Chome-2-8 Sonezaki, Osaka, 530-0057, Japan
IG: @sakehouse_osaka
In this episode, the first for 2025, Simone catches up with the team from 'Sake Unplugged' - who also just happen to be two fabulous women doing some wonderful things in the sake world: both as a team and as individuals.
These two ladies are no strangers to the TWTT community or the TWTT podcast, and both were guests on seperate episodes of this podcast in 2024.
So much has happened in their 'sake world/s' since we last spoke, including the two of them teaming up to bring Sake Challenge to Japan for the very first time. We chat with Cindy and Giulia about the upcoming Tokyo Sake Challenge, and find out what else has been happening in their world of sake since we last spoke.
A big thanks to Giulia and Cindy for making time for our little podcast, and for a most enjoyable chat.
We hope you enjoy this episode and if you're in Tokyo in March (2025) - be sure to check out the details of Tokyo Sake Challenge. They'll be calling out for volunteers soon!
You can follow our guests on Instagram...
Giulia: @jijisake
Cindy: @sakenomad
and our podcast and hosts...
TWTT Podcast: @tastewiththetoji
Simone: @sakemistress
Maki: @sake.amata
Julian: @sakeadvocate
and don't forget to check out Julian's new bar on IG: @sakehouse_osaka
This episode was recorded on 17 Feb 2025
A huge thank you to our subscribers at Patreon
More information about Taste with the Toji - The Project can be found on our website: https://tastewiththetoji.com/
Music by: Kazuyoshi Sato (Koikawa Shuzo)
Useful links from this episode:
JSS - Japan Sake and Shochu Info Centre
Sake Nomad (Cindy)
JiJi Sake (Giulia)
In this episode, the final one for 2024, Julian, Simone and Maki reflect a little on some of their sake highlights from this year.
A casual conversational episode, touching on sake moments from 2024, a few hopes and things in store for 2025, and we also make note of a few cool bars to check out if you’re travelling over the Christmas and New Year period.
We always enjoy our catch-ups, and enjoyed reflecting on some memorable sake moments from 2024.
It was a nice way to sign off on the TWTT Podcast for another year.
We hope you enjoy listening to our chat as much as we enjoyed having it.
A huge thank you to everyone who has listened to our little Podcast and to everyone who has supported TWTT.
To all our sake family and friends, and to everyone…
Stay safe, be kind…. and keep enjoying SAKE!!
KANPAI!
This episode was recorded on 7 Dec 2024
You can follow us on Instagram:
TWTT Podcast @tastewiththetoji
Our hosts:
Simone @sakemistress
Julian @sakeadvocate
Thank you to our subscribers at Patreon
More information about Taste with the Toji - The Podcast and The Project can be found on our website: https://tastewiththetoji.com/
Music by Kazuyoshi Sato (Koikawa Shuzo)
Thanks for listening!
Some useful links from this episode:
In this episode, Maki, Simone and Julian are all together again - for the first time in a long time!
We've used this as an opportunity to catch-up with one another and see what's been happening, sake-wise, in each other's lives since we were last able to catch-up.
Maki chats a bit about some recent sake events held in Tokyo, Julian tells of his recent sake tasting adventures, which includes tales from a recent monitor tour in Hiroshima, and Simone talks a little about the Australian Sake Festival, more specifically, the recent festival held in Sydney
While we can't promise that this episode will educate you, we do hope it entertains or amuses those who give it a listen!
We certainly enjoyed this little catch-up, and we hope you do too!
KANPAI!
You can follow us on Instagram:
TWTT Podcast @tastewiththetoji
Our hosts:
Simone @sakemistress
Julian @sakeadvocate
Maki @sake.amata
This episode was recorded on 19 October, 2024.
Thank you to our subscribers at Patreon
More information about Taste with the Toji - The Podcast and The Project can be found on our website: https://tastewiththetoji.com/
Music by Kazuyoshi Sato (Koikawa Shuzo)
Thanks for listening!
Some useful links from this episode:
Yagi Shuzobu - Yamatan Masamune
In this episode of TWTT, Simone and Julian chat with Giulia Maglio.
Giulia was born and raised in Italy and moved to Japan in 2015. From then she worked in the tourism industry focusing on Japanese food culture which led to her growing interest in sake.
She went on to receive qualifications in sake from SSI (Sommelier of Sake - International kikisake-shi) and the SEC (Sake Education Council) and also became a certified SSA Sake Educator.
Wanting to further her knowledge and understanding of sake, she worked at Itakura Shuzo, a sake brewery located in the Shimane Prefecture for 4 seasons and is now brewing at Konohanano, a small craft sake brewery located in Asakusa, Tokyo.
We chat to Giulia about her time at Itakura Shuzo, her work at Konohanano, making doburoku, the craft sake world and Singapore's first sake brewery: Orchid Craftworks.
We hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as we enjoyed making it.
Follow Giulia on Instagram: @jijisake
TWTT Podcast @tastewiththetoji
Our hosts:
Simone @sakemistress
Julian @sakeadvocate
Maki @sake.amata
This episode was recorded on 22 August, 2024.Thank you to our subscribers at Patreon
More information about Taste with the Toji - The Podcast and The Project can be found on our website: https://tastewiththetoji.com/
Music by Kazuyoshi Sato (Koikawa Shuzo)
Thanks for listening!
Some useful links from this episode:
In this episode of TWTT, Simone and Julian chat with a guest who needs very little introduction to those who are in the sake industry... Mr. John Gauntner.
Hailing from the U.S, John Gauntner is recognised as the world’s leading non-Japanese sake expert.
A resident of Japan since 1988, he is well known in the sake industry as the window to making sake understandable and popular outside of Japan. He has been writing and teaching about sake since 1994.
There is so much accessible information about John online that we decided to skip the back-story in our chat, (and in our show notes), and just have a good chin-wag and catch up while talking all things 'sake'.
A huge advocate in the sake world, and a huge influence & mentor for many - we hope you enjoy our chat with John as much as we did!
Useful links:
SPC - Sake Professional Course
JSS - Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association
Follow John on Instagram: @johngauntner
TWTT Podcast @tastewiththetoji
Our hosts:
Simone @sakemistress
Julian @sakeadvocate
Maki @sake.amata
This episode was recorded on 11 July, 2024.Thank you to our subscribers at Patreon
More information about Taste with the Toji - The Podcast and The Project can be found on our website: https://tastewiththetoji.com/
Music by Kazuyoshi Sato (Koikawa Shuzo)
Thanks for listening!
In this episode of TWTT, Simone and Julian chat with Marcus Consolini, CEO of Daimon Shuzo in Osaka.
Marcus hails from New York but has held strong business connections with Asia through his many years of working in finance. The story of how he came to be a non-Japanese CEO of a Japanese Sake Brewery, (a very rare thing indeed), has been told many times in print and on other podcasts.
We initially wanted to catch up with Marcus to talk about the internship that Daimon Shuzo offer, as sake brewing experiences has been a little bit of a theme for us lately, but it has also been some time since Marcus appeared on TWTT The Project, (our Zoom room series and where TWTT, as a whole, began).
Marcus was our special guest in the Zoom room for TWTT The Project back in February 2021, right in the heart of COVID lockdowns and border closures. He presented a wonderful virtual tour of the incredible space that is Daimon Shuzo, we got to see inside the brewery and the restaurant, and we were also joined by 6th generation, Yasutaka Daimon and his son Kohei for that session.
A lot of changes have happened at Daimon since we last spoke to Marcus, so we thought we'd touch base and hear about the recent happenings and changes at Daimon, as well as a little about the internship they offer.
We hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as we enjoyed making it, and if you are curious to hear or read more about Marcus and Daimon after listening to this episode, we have shared a few links below of interviews and articles from others that you might find of interest.
Sake Today article by John Gauntner from 2020
Japan Eats podcast episode from 2021
Sake Revolution podcast episode from 2022
You can follow Daimon Shuzo on Instagram @daimonbrewery
TWTT Podcast @tastewiththetoji
Our hosts:
Simone @sakemistress
Julian @sakeadvocate
Maki @sake.amata
This episode was recorded on 4 June, 2024.Thank you to our subscribers at Patreon
More information about Taste with the Toji - The Podcast and The Project can be found on our website: https://tastewiththetoji.com/
Music by Kazuyoshi Sato (Koikawa Shuzo)
Thanks for listening!
In this episode, the TWTT gang chat all things sake to sandwiches with Australian chef, Michael Ryan.
Michael Ryan is the owner/chef of two-hatted restaurant, Provenance, in the delightful town of Beechworth, Victoria.
Ryan opened his first restaurant, Range, in 2006, winning a succession of awards, including The Age Good Food Guide’s two-hats and Country Restaurant of the Year in 2008. Provenance opened in early 2009 and has gone on to receive two-hats every year since. In 2013, Provenance won Best Regional Restaurant and Ryan was named Chef of the Year.
Ryan has a long-term interest in Japanese sake, cuisine and culture. His influences are reflected in the techniques and flavours he uses in his dishes and sake is always a feature on the restaurant’s extensive beverage list.
Ryan also hosts small-group guided culinary tours to Japan and is the author and co-creator of the book ‘Only in Tokyo’.
We could easily have chatted twice as long as we did with Michael, who is always a joy to speak with and always has some great stories to share.
If this episode inspires you to seek out some great places to eat and drink in Tokyo, be sure to seek out Michael and Luke’s book, Only in Tokyo.
Also, if you ever find yourself in Beechworth, Victoria, be sure to pay a visit to The Provenance, and be sure to include sake in your experience!
We’ve put a few links in the episode notes and we hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as we enjoyed chatting with Michael.
You can follow Michael on Instagram...
@theprovenance
@beechworthbittersco
and our podcast and hosts...
TWTT Podcast: @tastewiththetoji
Simone: @sakemistress
Maki: @sake.amata
Julian: @sakeadvocate
This episode was recorded on 16 Apr 2024
A huge thank you to our subscribers at Patreon
More information about Taste with the Toji - The Project can be found on our website: https://tastewiththetoji.com/
Music by: Kazuyoshi Sato (Koikawa Shuzo)
Useful links from this episode:
Gem by Moto (Mizunotori)
In this episode, Maki and Simone chat with good friends, and fellow TWTT community members, Arline Lyons and Cindy Bissig.
Both women are doing remarkable sake-related work - from tours to translations, and we could've easily done a complete episode with each of them, simply chatting about their involvement with the sake world. However, we wanted to focus on the theme of 'sake brewing experiences' for this particular episode.
Arline, (born in Ireland, residing in Switzerland), and Cindy (born in Switzerland, residing in Japan), are no strangers to many amongst the TWTT community and it was a delight to sit down and chat with them about two places that are currently offering these 'sake brewing experiences': GakkoGura (Niigata) and Kurabito Stay (Nagano).
Arline chats with us about her 2 separate experiences at Kurabito Stay, while Cindy takes us to Sado Island and shares her experience of attending GakkoGura.
GakkoGura and Kurabito Stay are possibly the 2 most well know of the venues offering these types of hands-on brewing experiences, although we know there are others currently offering short internships and some form of hands-on learning. We have also heard whispers of a few more places planning to run brewing experiences or 'courses' that may become accessible in the near future. We hope to come back to this topic in future episodes and chat with other people who have been involved in some of the other brewing experiences out there.
But for now, we hope you enjoy listening to Cindy and Arline chat about their sake brewing experiences as much as we did - and we hope their stories might inspire others to explore this 'behind the scenes' way of learning more about sake.
You can follow our guests on Instagram...
Arline: @tastetranslation
Cindy: @sakenomad
and our podcast and hosts...
TWTT Podcast: @tastewiththetoji
Simone: @sakemistress
Maki: @sake.amata
Julian: @sakeadvocate
This episode was recorded on 3 Apr 2024
A huge thank you to our subscribers at Patreon
More information about Taste with the Toji - The Project can be found on our website: https://tastewiththetoji.com/
Music by: Kazuyoshi Sato (Koikawa Shuzo)
Useful links from this episode:
The TWTT Podcast team is back for a new year after a 2 month break.
In this episode Julian, Maki and Simone are kicking-off the TWTT Podcast for 2024 with a casual chat about what each of them have been doing since they last caught up in December last year.
It's been a busy start to the year with sake events already in full swing for 2024, not only in Japan, (where Julian and Maki are based) but also in Australia, (where Simone is based and has recently been hosting some fun sake focused events to kick off the new year).
Julian talks a little about his visit to Shoryaku-ji Temple, known as the 'birth-place' of modern sake. Maki shares her experiences from some recent Tokyo-based sake events and Simone chats about her January visit to Sydney, where she was involved in a number of events with special guest from Tokyo, Marie Chiba.
It's a short and sweet episode from us this time round. We're a little rusty, after the 2 month hiatus, but it was great to get back together via our laptops and have an enjoyable chat about some fun sake events and hear what each of us has been up to.
When we look back to when the whole TWTT Project & concept began - in the depth of COVID, lockdowns and border closures - it's wonderful to see sake events in Japan, and other parts of the globe, back in full swing.
We hope you enjoy listening to our sake banter, and wherever you are in the world, we hope there is a fun sake event headed your way soon!
This episode was recorded on 14 Feb 2024
A huge thank you to our subscribers at Patreon
More information about Taste with the Toji - The Project can be found on our website: https://tastewiththetoji.com/
Music by: Kazuyoshi Sato (Koikawa Shuzo)
Useful links from this episode:
* Donate to Noto Peninsula Earthquake Relief
* Ikkon no Keifu, (documentary)
In this episode, the final episode for 2023, Maki, Simone and Julian reflect a little on some of their sake moments from this year.
They also chat with Chris Hughes and Harald deRopp and hear a little about their sake year of 2023.
Chris and Harald are no strangers to those who have attended Zoom room sessions of the TWTT Project.
Both Chris and Harald, alongside Maki, have been the dedicated TWTT Translation Team of 2023.
Chris is known for his work with JSS and Sake on Air Podcast, he is also a WSET Sake educator and has worked with a number of sake breweries in various roles.
Harald has a day job that is unrelated to sake, but once he is off the work clock, he is well and truly on a mission to fly the flag high and hard for sake! He's a loved member amongst the TWTT community and greater sake community and if there's ever a sake festival or event happening in Japan, it's usually on Harald's calendar!
We really enjoyed our chat, reflecting on some enjoyable sake moments from 2023, and it was a lovely way for us to sign off on the TWTT Podcast for this year.
We hope you enjoy listening to our chat as much as we enjoyed having it.
A huge thank you to everyone who has listened to our little Podcast and to everyone who has supported TWTT.
To all our sake family and friends, and to everyone...
Take care
This episode was recorded on 12 Dec 2023
A huge thank you to our subscribers at Patreon
More information about Taste with the Toji - The Project can be found on our website: https://tastewiththetoji.com/
Music by: Kazuyoshi Sato (Koikawa Shuzo)
Useful links:
https://yamaguchisake.com/author/admin1204182/
https://www.gokyo-sake.co.jp/
https://www.instagram.com/kiichimatsushiro/
https://www.chiyomusubi.co.jp/about/index_eng.html
https://iinumahonke.com/
https://www.japan.travel/en/spot/21/
https://sakeworld.com/sin/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natsuko_no_Sake
https://www.kodamajozo.co.jp/en/company/
https://shinkame.com/
http://fumigiku.co.jp/
https://www.sake-toko.co.jp/en/company/
https://sakeonair.com/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hash_House_Harriers
https://www.prowein.com/https://www.sake-toko.co.jp/en/company/
In this episode Simone and Julian catch up with their good friends Etsuko Nakamura and Jason Adamson, from Sake Tours Japan.
Etsuko Nakamura - Sake Tours Founder / Tour Leader
Etsuko Nakamura is a Sake Samurai, Advanced Sake Professional certified by The Sake Education Council and a Government Certified Bilingual English Guide [Registration Number: EN02400]. Etsuko owns and operates sake tours under enakamura Inc, Registered Travel Agency No. 3 – 7490 approved by the Government of Tokyo.
Etsuko began Sake Tours in 2008 and believes in giving guests an experience rather than just a tour. She has toured more than 300 sake breweries around Japan and enjoys creating and leading customised tours for special interest groups.
Jason Adamson - Tour Leader /Marketing / Photographer
Jason has been living in Osaka, Japan since 2011. He has a Masters in Gastronomic Tourism from Le Cordon Bleu and is an Advanced Sake Professional having studied under John Gauntner and the Sake Education Council. Jason takes care of all the website, photos and marketing at saketours.com and when not travelling around Japan drinking sake and eating food - he is curating new tours, taking photos, making videos and feeding the internet. He also is part of the team at Sake Industry News.
In the early days of TWTT The Project, Etsuko and Jason were regular Zoom room attendees, as COVID and border closures had put a stop to sake tourism. We don't see them much in the Zoom room anymore, and all for good reason...
Now Japan's borders are open again and sake tourism is growing in popularity and demand, which means these guys are busy planning and running sake-focused tours to some amazing destinations all over Japan.
We chat a little about their own personal sake journeys as well as the birth and evolution of Sake Tours, and sake tourism in general, as well as their future plans for their tours.
We hope you enjoy listening to our chat with Etsuko and Jason as much as we enjoyed having it.
This episode was recorded on 23 Nov 2023
You can follow Sake Tours on Instagram @sake_tours or find her website in our links list below.
A huge thank you to our subscribers at Patreon
More information about Taste with the Toji - The Project can be found on our website: https://tastewiththetoji.com/
Music by: Kazuyoshi Sato (Koikawa Shuzo)
Useful links:
https://saketours.com/
https://www.chiyomusubi.co.jp/
https://kaiunsake.com/english
https://rihaku.co.jp/
https://sake-world.com/sin/
https://sake-world.com/sake-professional-course/
In this episode, Simone and Maki catch up with Hannah Kirshner and see what's been happening since they visited her in Yamanaka Onsen in September 2022.
Hannah Kirshner is author and illustrator of the beautiful book titled Water, Wood, and Wild Things: Learning Craft and Cultivation in a Japanese Mountain Town. Her reporting has appeared in publications including The New York Times and Food & Wine, and on the Proof podcast from America’s Test Kitchen. She’s a Solutions Journalism Network Climate Initiative fellow, and winner of an International Gourmand “Best In The World” award for writing on Japan. Kirshner grew up on a small farm outside Seattle, studied painting at the Rhode Island School of Design.
Hannah was introduced to the TWTT community during the second season of TWTT - The Project, for session #33. The feature brewery for that session was Matsuura Shuzo, where Hannah currently works as a part-time seasonal kurabito.
Hannah also featured on TWTT's sister project, Meet the Artisan, where she introduced the audience to local Yamanaka woodturner, Takehito Nakajima.
Hannah spends her time between Yamanaka Onsen, where she is currently renovating two houses, and New York, where her husband's business is situated.
Through her process of writing Water, Wood and Wild Things, (where she got to know many of the local artisans and craftspeople), working at the local sake brewery, and tackling the process of renovating not only one, but two houses in the town, Hannah has made Yamanaka more of a home, rather than a home away from home, and has become a member of the community in this small rural town.
We hope you enjoy listening to our chat with Hannah as much as we enjoyed having it.
You can follow Hannah on Instagram @sweetsnbitters or find her website in our links list below.
A huge thank you to our subscribers at Patreon
More information about Taste with the Toji - The Project can be found on our website: https://tastewiththetoji.com/
Music by: Kazuyoshi Sato (Koikawa Shuzo)
Useful links:
https://hannahkirshner.com/
https://shishinosato.com/en/
https://www.americastestkitchen.com/podcasts/proof
https://www.ishikawatravel.jp/en/spots/yamanaka-onsen/
https://www.instagram.com/washubar_engawa_yamanakaonsen/
http://takehitowoodworks.com/
https://kyotofoodie.com/how-to-make-hoshigaki-japanese-dried-persimmons/
In this episode, the TWTT team catches up with good friend Justin Potts.Justin was our special guest for Episode 4, back in December, 2022, when he had just started a job that saw him pack up his Japan-based family and move back to his native US to begin an epic new adventure, playing a leading role in setting up a new American sake brewery, and Arkansas's first ever sake brewery, Origami Sake.We heard a little about the beginning of that journey in Episode 4, but having been in semi-regular contact with Justin since then, and also following the progress of Origami Sake, we wanted to touch base with him to chat about where things are at one year on from his first day with Origami Sake.When we last spoke, the brewery was basically a shell.... Now, they are an operational brewery and have released their first 2 sake to the people of Arkansas. We spoke a little about what has happened since we last caught up, Origami's first products and their process, the brewery's short term goals and vision for the future... and more.It's always an absolute joy to chat with Justin, and no doubt we will want to do so again in the future to hear more about this progressive journey of his, and to share some of that journey with you!We hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as we enjoyed chatting with Justin!
A huge thank you to our subscribers at Patreon
More information about Taste with the Toji - The Project can be found on our website: https://tastewiththetoji.com/
Music by: Kazuyoshi Sato (Koikawa Shuzo)
Useful links:
https://origamisake.co/
https://www.kidoizumi.jp/en/about/
http://isbellfarms.com/
https://sakeassociation.org/
https://sakerevolution.com/episode/live-the-american-craft-sake-festival-2023-whitney-isbell-jones-of-isbell-farms/
In this episode the TWTT crew chat with Wolfgang Angyal, President of Riedel (The Wine Glass Company) in Japan.
Wolfgang Angyal was born in Kufstein, Austria, the village that is home to the headquarters of the wine glass company Riedel.
Angyal first came to Japan in 1985 while he was working in the hotel industry in Austria. He travelled to Osaka as a representative of his country in the 28th WorldSkills Competition, where he won the gold medal in the Restaurant Service category.
His first experience of Japan was enough to entice him to return, which he did 3 years later. In 1988, he worked as a guest lecturer at Tsuji Academy in Osaka and the following year, he began working for Riedel.
Angyal has played a huge role in the development of Riedel's 2 sake specific glasses, the Daiginjo glass and the Junmai glass.
In this episode, we talk a little about that journey, the glasses themselves, and more, in what was a most enjoyable conversation.
We hope you enjoy listening to our chat with Wolfgang as much as we enjoyed having it.
A huge thank you to our subscribers at Patreon
More information about Taste with the Toji - The Project can be found on our website: https://tastewiththetoji.com/
Music by: Kazuyoshi Sato (Koikawa Shuzo)
Useful links:
https://www.riedel.com/en-au
https://www.riedel.co.jp/
https://en.sake-times.com/how-to-drink/riedels-new-junmai-sake-glass-worlds-best
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netsuke
Follow Wolfgang on Instagram: @w.j.angyal
Follow TWTT Podcast on Instagram: @tastewiththetoji
In this episode, Simone, Maki and Julian bust out their ceramic sake-ware and chat with TWTT's Yakimono Guru, Robert Yellin.
No Stranger to the TWTT audience, and well known to many pottery collectors, and 'Sake Today' readers around the world, Robert has been residing in Japan since 1984.
Robert has been a valued core member of the TWTT community since its founding year, 2020. In that same year, Robert helped to launch TWTT's sister project, MTA (Meet the Artisan). Fewer and far between compared to TWTT session, the MTA sessions introduces potters and artisans from Japan, all whom create sake vessels amongst other beautifully crafted vessels and creations.
Pottery was not what initially brought Robert to Japan, but somehow, slowly but surely, his path led him to become one of the world's leading experts on Japanese pottery.
What started with curiosity, appreciation and a humble personal collection, turned into a deeper curiosity, tireless and continuous research, endless appreciation, a deep connection and respect, a bigger personal collection, an online store, lectures, articles and book publications, all which led to him opening the most beautiful gallery space in Kyoto - showcasing a rotating and stunning collection of ancient treasures and modern masterpieces.
Robert's knowledge is extensive and his passion is infectious. It's always a joy chatting all things pottery - AND sake, (and drinking sake), with him. We hope you enjoy our chat!
If you're travelling to Kyoto, be sure to pay a visit to Robert Yellin Yakimono Gallery, right on the Philosopher's Path, not far from Ginkakuji, (the Silver Temple).
A huge thank you to our subscribers at Patreon
More information about Taste with the Toji - The Project can be found on our website: https://tastewiththetoji.com/
Music by: Kazuyoshi Sato (Koikawa Shuzo)
Robert's website: https://japanesepottery.com/
Follow Robert on Instagram: ry_yakimono_gallery_kyoto
In this episode, Simone, Maki and Julian pick up where they left off in Episode 12 and continue their conversation with Tamagawa Toji, Philip Harper.
In this second half of the conversation with Philip, we chat a little about the impacts of COVID, the brewery's use of Yeast #1, Junmai vs Aruten and more.
More info on Philip can be found in our show notes from Episode 12.
We will be sorting through some of the edits that are still on the cutting room floor and releasing them in video format to our subscribers over at Patreon.
We hope you enjoy listening to our conversation with Philip as much as we enjoyed having it.
A huge thank you to our subscribers at Patreon
More information about Taste with the Toji - The Project can be found on our website: https://tastewiththetoji.com/
Music by: Kazuyoshi Sato (Koikawa Shuzo)
Useful links:
https://www.sake-tamagawa.com/en/
https://sake-festival.com.au/melbourne
https://www.amazon.com.au/Insiders-Guide-Sake-Philip-Harper/dp/4770020767
In this episode, Maki and Simone are once again joined by Julian Houseman, and they chat with Philip Harper, from Kinoshita Shuzo in Kyoto Prefecture.
No stranger to fans of sake, Philip is the only non-Japanese Toji (head sake brewer) in Japan. Originally from the UK, Harper was born in 1966 and came to Japan to teach English when he was 22.
Currently in his third decade of brewing, having begun working at a sake brewery back in 1991. He joined, Kinoshita, (producers of Tamagawa sake), where he works as the Toji, in 2007.
Last month, (July 2023) Philip Harper visited Melbourne, Australia for the Australian Sake Festival, held at Queen Victoria Market, where Simone got to meet him in person for the first time.
This was Philip's second time in Australia but first visit to Melbourne and this is just one of the many things we chat to him about in this episode.
Harper was a guest in the Zoom room for the TWTT Project for session #19, back in October 2020.
(correction: in Episode 11 of TWTT The Podcast, I mentioned that the TWTT session with Philip was in 2021).
That session back in 2020 went for a whopping 5 and a half hours... and maybe then some, so it came as no surprise that this podcast chat with Philip saw us deep in conversation for over 2 hours. Rather than cutting a whole lot of content and leaving it on the editing room floor, we have decided to split this conversation into 2 episodes.
We hope you enjoy listening to our conversation with Philip as much as we enjoyed having it.
A huge thank you to our subscribers at Patreon
More information about Taste with the Toji - The Project can be found on our website: https://tastewiththetoji.com/
Music by: Kazuyoshi Sato (Koikawa Shuzo)
Other links from this episode:
https://www.sake-tamagawa.com/en/
https://sake-festival.com.au/melbourne
https://qvm.com.au/
https://supernormal.net.au/
https://sakenet.com.au/
https://www.amazon.com.au/Insiders-Guide-Sake-Philip-Harper/dp/4770020767
https://sake-world.com/