Podcast · Arts & Books

TWTT - (Taste with the Toji)

TWTT - The Podcast Sake Stories, Sake People! Inspired by TWTT - The Project: created by Sake Mistress, Simone Maynard Podcast hosts: Simone Maynard (Australia) & Maki Tanaka (Japan) & Julian Houseman (Japan)

New episodes: Monthly
Typical length: 51 min
Latest: 10 Jul 2025
Language: English

Latest episode

10 Jul 2025 · 41 min

Alex Harrison - Mottox Craft Sake

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…

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Earlier episodes 29 most recent

E30 · 5 May 2025 · 54 min
Catching Up with Andy Russell
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…
E29 · 4 Mar 2025 · 41 min
Julian's 'Sake House - Osaka'
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…
E28 · 19 Feb 2025 · 46 min
A catch-up with Cindy Bissig and Giulia Maglio
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,…
E27 · 16 Dec 2024 · 39 min
End of Year Wrap
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…
E26 · 20 Oct 2024 · 41 min
Co-Host Catch-Up
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…
E25 · 29 Aug 2024 · 49 min
A chat with Giulia Maglio
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…
E24 · 14 Jul 2024 · 46 min
A chat with John Gauntner
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…
E23 · 10 Jun 2024 · 59 min
A chat with Marcus Consolini from Daimon Shuzo
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…
E22 · 25 Apr 2024 · 51 min
A chat with Michael Ryan from The Provenance
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…
E21 · 6 Apr 2024 · 55 min
Sake Brewing Experiences
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…
E20 · 24 Feb 2024 · 33 min
Kicking-off 2024
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…
E19 · 15 Dec 2023 · 52 min
End of Year Wrap
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…
E18 · 29 Nov 2023 · 54 min
A chat with Etsuko and Jason from Sake Tours
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…
E17 · 24 Nov 2023 · 47 min
A chat with Hannah Kirshner
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…
E16 · 8 Nov 2023 · 1 hr 4 min
Catching up with Justin Potts
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…
E15 · 26 Oct 2023 · 1 hr 5 min
A chat with Wolfgang Angyal
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…
E14 · 28 Sep 2023 · 1 hr 6 min
A chat with Robert Yellin
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…
E13 · 24 Aug 2023 · 42 min
Chatting with Philip Harper (Part 2)
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…
E12 · 16 Aug 2023 · 59 min
Chatting with Philip Harper (Part 1)
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…
E11 · 27 Jul 2023 · 49 min
Chatting with Eiko Kodama
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 “fermented” food products represented by “Yamakyu” brands still remains an important part of Kodama Jozo’s business. It was the second generation of the business that began brewing sake at Kodama Jozo. In 1913,…
E10 · 1 Jun 2023 · 41 min
Speaking 'Nihonshu-go' with David Cheek
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 a long, long time - it was even how he met his wife, Miwa, who was managing True Sake in San Fransisco at that time. Dave was born in the USA, in Tacoma, Washington. He then moved to Washington DC, then…
E9 · 4 May 2023 · 42 min
Just Talking Sake (with Julian Houseman)
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 Japan), Mr. Julian Houseman. Julian is no stranger to those who have followed TWTT The Project, as he was co-host and interpreter for a few TWTT Zoom sessions in 2020 and 2021. Many in the broader sake…
E8 · 17 Mar 2023 · 1 hr 6 min
Interview with Matt Kingsley Shaw (Melbourne Sake)
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 recording. We had so much fun chatting with Matt whilst tasting the most recent releases from Melbourne Sake. 'After working together at a Melbourne wine bar in 2014, it didn’t take long for Matt Kingsley…
E7 · 14 Feb 2023 · 1 hr 2 min
Interview with Jim Rion
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 interpreted for the Meet the Artisan session featuring Hagi potter, Hideo Hadano, in 2021. Jim, originally from Kansas, USA, is a translator, writer, and sake lover who has lived in Yamaguchi…
24 Jan 2023 · 1 hr 3 min
Interview with Jorge Navarrete
In this episode we catch up with Jorge Navarrete from Matsui Shuzo in Kyoto. Jorge was a guest in the Zoom room on the Taste with the Toji Project for session #24 back in November 2020. He also featured as part of a panel of guests for the 1 year anniversary session of the Taste with the Toji Project in April 2021, alongside Andrew Russell (our Podcast guest for episode #2), Cody Brailsford (our Podcast guest for episode #5), and the much adored 'Godmother of Sake', Rumiko Moriki. Originally from New York, we hear how Jorge came to be brewing sake in the heart of Kyoto and what has been…
E5 · 12 Jan 2023 · 45 min
Interview with Darryl Cody Brailsford
In this episode, we catch up with Darryl Cody Brailsford. Originally from Utah in the USA, 'Cody', as he is affectionately known by friends, family and people in the sake world, has been brewing sake in Japan for over 15 years. Pretty much all of that time has seen Cody brewing sake at Watanabe Shuzoten, (producers of Hourai and Irootoko brands), in Hida, Gifu Prefecture. However, just on a year ago, Cody left Watanabe Shuzoten and started working at Funasaka Shuzo, located in the picturesque town of Takayama, Gifu Prefecture. Cody was an early guest of The TWTT Project (the Zoom sessions),…
13 Dec 2022 · 59 min
Interview with Justin Potts
In this episode we catch up with our good friend and fermentation guru: Justin Potts. Originally from Seattle, USA, Justin has called Japan home for the past 18 years. He is certainly no stranger to most people in the Sake world, but some may not be aware of his recent big move and new job which has seen him and his young family relocate from their coastal Chiba home in Japan to Hot Springs, Arkansas in the USA! Those who have been following the TWTT Project and attending the Zoom sessions will be well aware of Justin's contribution to the TWTT community - he first joined as co-host and…
30 Nov 2022 · 55 min
Interview with Keith Norum
In this episode we catch up with the ever-charming Keith Norum from Masumi / Miyasaka Brewery in Nagano Prefecture. We are thrilled to be able to interview Keith early on in our Podcast journey as he is the person who introduced Maki and Simone back in May 2020. Since then, Maki has been a huge part of Simone's online project, 'Taste with the Toji' and the two are now hosting this podcast together as an extension of those Zoom room sessions ~ which just this week celebrated its 100th session. Keith was a guest on the Taste with the Toji project, alongside Toji Atsushi Nakano, back in March…
8 Nov 2022 · 47 min
Interview with Andrew Russell
In this episode we catch up with Scottish-born, Japan-based, sake brewer: Andrew Russell. It seemed only fitting that Andrew be the first guest on the TWTT Podcast as he was the guest for the very first session of the TWTT Project, back in April 2020, alongside Miho Imada, (Imada Shuzo - Hiroshima). Entering his 7th season as a sake brewer, and after working the past 3 years at Imada Shuzo, Andrew recently started his new venture at Kenbishi in Hyogo Prefecture. Andrew is the creator of the Origin Sake website and blog: https://www.originsake.com/ and the co-host, (alongside Jim Rion), of…

About TWTT - (Taste with the Toji)

TWTT - (Taste with the Toji) is a English arts & books podcast from TWTT. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.

Publisher: TWTT
Language: English
Category: Arts & Books
New episodes: Monthly
Typical length: 51 min
Latest episode: 10 Jul 2025
Feed: RSS — paste into any podcast app
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1652261003
Rights: TWTT

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