Sake Travel Episode 1: Osaka

Sake On Air

We’re kicking off a new semi-ongoing series this week!

Over the course of the past couple of years, in a world where international visitors have been largely restricted from entering Japan, we’ve been repeatedly getting a specific type of show topic request: sake travel.

For those that have been used to visiting Japan on relatively frequent occasion but have had their regular visits rudely interrupted, many are keen to make the most of their long-awaited return once they are finally permitted to make the trip.

For many others that have yet to tick Japan off of their bucket list, we’ve been contacted by a lot of listeners looking to remedy that as soon as they’re able, and make the most of their sake experiences here on the islands in the process.

In a world where the results of a Google search are often treated as the “best answer” to a majority of the world’s unanswered questions, a lot of the most accessible and exceptional sake experiences to be had all across Japan have yet to bubble to the surface. For this series, we decided to bring together regular Sake On Air hosts that have both passion for, and experience with specific regions of Japan, together with long-time locals and specialists in local travel, dining, and of course, sake, to offer our listeners some tips on how to go about making the most of their next sake journey in Japan.

To kick things off this week, show host Justin Potts is joined by long-time resident, musician, Sake Industry News editor, tour guide, and all-around exceptional sake advocate, Julian Houseman, to explore his home court in and around Osaka. Whether it’s taking advantage of your proximity to the legendary Nada and Itami regions and some of their iconic breweries, finding appreciation for the underappreciated Ikeda region, shopping for exceptional sake at legendary retailers like Yamanaka Sakenomise or Asano Nihonshuten, or running out to the suburbs for a visit to Daimon Brewery, Julian has more than a few suggestions for good times and great gastronomic discoveries in one of Japan’s most boisterous culinary metropolises.

As Julian mentions at the end of the episode, be sure to keep an eye out for his article introducing some Osaka’s must-visit sake bars run by exceptional okami-san in an upcoming issue of Sake Today.

You can continue to follow along with our own sake adventures at @sakeonair on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, or if you’d like to share your thoughts or questions with the hosts, please reach out to us at [e-mail].

We’ll be back next week for a visit to the next destination in our Sake Travel series.
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. The show is brought to you by Potts.K Productions with audio production by Frank Walter. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” was composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.