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 [email protected] 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.