–Sake brewers and experts who are finding a global audience
Last month, I had the opportunity to interpret for sake events that were held at the Freer|Sackler Gallery and the Baltimore Museum of Art. A friend, who was emceeing the events, kindly recommended me as the interpreter. While the interpretation itself was very short, I learned a lot from this experience.
These events, hosted by the Embassy of Japan, were a screening of the documentary Kampai! For the Love of Sake followed by a sake tasting. The two events, held on two consecutive days, were very similar except that they were geared towards audiences in different cities.
The film
The film follows three trailblazers in the sake industry. One is a British citizen who, upon moving to Japan, becomes so enamored with sake that he joins a sake brewery, becoming a master brewer who creates so many new types of sake that his boss stops him from coming up with new ideas. Another is an American citizen who, also falling in love with sake after moving to Japan, becomes a “sake evangelist” who promotes sake in English to a global audience by publishing several books, teaching courses, and giving lectures worldwide. Another is a fifth-generation sake brewer who has brought new techniques to his family business, and promotes his sake by traveling abroad or using new methods like social media.
Each person broke barriers, and it is pleasantly surprising that such a traditional field is welcoming innovation and globalization. It is no doubt a testament to the strength and talent of these three individuals, as well as the foresight and kindness of those around them.
Mr. Kuji
Mr. Kosuke Kuji, President of Nanbu Bijin Brewery in Iwate Prefecture, the fifth-generation sake brewer featured in the documentary, came to DC and Baltimore to promote the film.
His backstory is particularly compelling. During the film, he talks about how sake brewing was traditionally left to toji, or the master sake brewer, and that the head of the breweries were in charge of promotion and representing the company. But through Mr. Kuji’s own conviction, as well as a generational change among staff, he was able to bring in new ideas that he learned in agricultural college. Determined to bring his sake to a worldwide audience, he traveled to New York and visited sake pubs one by one, convincing them to try his sake. When the Great East Japan Earthquake struck in 2011, and people abstained from alcohol because of the mourning and somber mood following the disaster, Mr. Kuji took to social media to appeal to the public that consuming goods from the Tohoku region was in fact more helpful to support the local residents.
After each film screening, Mr. Kuji gave a brief speech, setting the stage for the sake tasting. It was this speech that I had the opportunity to interpret.
Mr. Kuji already seemed affable on screen, but in person, his warmth, sense of service, and hospitality came through even more clearly. I was worried about the technical vocabulary related to sake, including the process of rice milling, fermentation, etc., but when he and I met to prep before the event, he quickly assured me (even without me asking him) that he’d keep his speech simple. I was so relieved to hear that!
On stage, he said that he appeared in this film with the hopes of introducing sake to a wide audience. He mixed in a few lines in English and made everyone laugh. He enticed those in the auditorium to try his sake with a “virtual kampai,” and described in detail the aroma that would be wafting from a sake cup filled to the brim.
During the sake tasting, he stayed at the Nanbu Bijin (which was one of four sakes from around Japan being promoted at this event) booth for a while, answering questions. And for the duration of what must have felt like a long evening, he stayed at a social media photo booth with sake-related props, joking that he is now a movie star, and continuously welcoming those who wanted to take photos.
Innovation in a traditional field
What I learned from this experience wasn’t simply vocabulary related to sake. I enjoyed the film because it is so much about bringing new ideas to a very traditional field. It is refreshing that younger people, as well as non-Japanese citizens, are doing that. (The American citizen and the British citizen in the film were both of the first participants of the JET Programme, so it’s also a nice promotion of this great program.) I was doubly excited to hear from Mr. Kuji that Kampai! For the Love of Sake 2, which has recently come out in Japan, focuses on women brewers (women were traditionally forbidden from even entering the brewery).
And I’m sure that the global popularity of sake will help spur further innovation. The sake event at the Freer|Sackler required no prior registration, but I heard that around 50 people had to be turned away due to the capacity of the auditorium where the film was shown. Some of them stayed nearby until the film was over just to join the tasting, which was held in the hallways surrounding Freer’s courtyard.
I learned a lot from Mr. Kuji, with his optimism and upbeat demeanor, as well as belief in his family business as well as in sake. It was an honor to meet him, and I’m glad I had the opportunity to be involved in this event!