TWTT - (Taste with the Toji)

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...

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 g...

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...

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 the...

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...

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...

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...

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. H...

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 initiall...

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. Provenan...

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 expe...

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) b...

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...

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 und...

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 &...

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 Sak...

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 Wor...

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...

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 thr...

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...

In this episode, Maki and Simone are once again joined by Julian Houseman, and they chat with the lovely Eiko Kodama , from Kodama Jozo in Akita Prefecture. Kodama Jozo was founded in 1879 in picturesque Katagami City, Akita Prefecture, northwest of Japan.  Originally, the Kodama family started their business by making  soy  sauce and  miso  for local consumers.  Production of these quality “ferme...

In this episode, Maki and Simone catch up with good friend and TWTT faithful, Mr. David Cheek. Those who frequent the TWTT Project Zoom sessions will know Dave for his enthusiasm, his 3 part questions and his dedication to keeping the Nijikai going after each session, but most importantly, for his undeniable love of sake. There is no denying that sake has played a huge role in Dave's life for...

We're back after a brief hiatus and trying something a little different and more laid back for this episode. It's been a busy month for Maki and Simone with travel and family commitments - some of that included visiting a few breweries in Japan together... so some good research travel... and drinking! In this episode, we welcome our friend, sake advocate and fellow Aussie (residing in Japa...

In this episode, we audibly cross the seas to Australia and spend time chatting with Matt Kingsley Shaw, one half of the team that is Melbourne Sake. It seemed only fitting to chat with an Australian guest whilst Simone, (who is based in Melbourne), was traveling in Japan. This is the first episode where we, (Maki and Simone), have been in the same country, let alone the same room, during a record...

In this episode we catch up with Jim Rion, aka: The Yamaguchi Sake Guy and speak to him about his soon to be released book: Discovering Yamaguchi Sake. Jim made his debut on TWTT [The Project] back in September 2020, interpreting for the session with Yamada Shoten from Gifu Prefecture. He then went on to co-host and interpret for a number of TWTT sessions showcasing Yamaguchi breweries. He also in...