The 6th World Sake Sommelier Competition will be held in 2025, and many participants from Japan and abroad will gather. Among them, Tomoko Fujikawa became the first person to win two awards in history: the Retail Service Category Excellence Award (Winner) and the SAKE HUNDRED Judges' Special Award. It was the moment she reached the top of the approximately 60,000 sake sommeliers around the world.

In recent years, Japanese sake has been attracting attention not only in Japan but also around the world. This was symbolized by the fact that Fujikawa was the only Japanese to win a prize at this competition, while participants from Taiwan and the United States also won prizes.

Currently based in the Kansai region, Fujikawa teaches a wide range of alcoholic beverages, including sake, shochu, and doburoku, and continues to convey their appeal to people of all ages. In this article, we look back on her time at the International Sake Sommelier Competition, explore her journey so far, her vision for the future, and her learning at My Sake World.

From working at a wine trading company to becoming a sake studies lecturer

-Please tell us how you got involved with sake.

Fujikawa (omitted): "I majored in English at junior college, so I got a job at a major hotel where I needed to use English. After that, I took the national civil service exam and changed jobs to the post office. My desire to go abroad grew stronger, so after I left the post office, I traveled abroad on and off for several years.

Around the age of 30, I decided to settle down and got a job at a wine trading company called Motox. I was able to use my language skills and I could drink alcohol, so I really enjoyed working there. It was during this time that I obtained my wine sommelier qualification."

-So your involvement with alcohol started with wine.

"After that, I gained more and more experience in the field, moving from my position as an importer to selling at department stores and working as a sommelier at a bar in Kitashinchi. During that time, a winemaker overseas said to me, 'Japanese sake is amazing. Tell me about it.'

At the time, I didn't even know where Yamadanishiki was grown, so I remember thinking, "This is bad."

Another day, I had the opportunity to serve a Singaporean who was choosing sake at a department store. I called in the sake sommelier in charge and simply translated into English, but the person said to me, "I want to buy local sake, but I couldn't communicate in the language, so up until now I've only bought sake that has won gold medals. Today's shopping experience was the best I've ever had."

This is when my interest in sake started to take off, and I started buying and drinking every bottle of sake available at the department store. I found that drinking warm sake helped me avoid catching colds in the winter, and I became addicted to it because I thought it was good for my body."

-What did you feel when you switched from wine to sake?

"At first, I thought there were a lot of grey areas and unclear points. It seems like there is a connection to the place of production like there is with wine, but there aren't. I was able to understand a lot of things while studying for the sake sommelier qualification, but there was still a lot I didn't understand.

There were no places in Kansai where you could casually learn about sake, like wine schools, so the only way to study was to take qualification exams. As a result, I now hold around 15 different qualifications."

-And then you went on to become a lecturer?

"When I shared the knowledge I had learned about sake with my customers and fellow sommeliers, everyone was very happy. Gradually, I started offering classes, and it made me realize that this kind of service had never been offered before.

If I wanted to work as a sake professional, I needed to be able to talk about sake first and foremost. The same goes for local Osaka wine. I decided to make this my identity as a Japanese person, which led to my current job as a lecturer.

The motto of the course is, "We live in an age where we need to study alcohol. There is so much alcohol out there that it would be a waste to just drink it." With just a little knowledge, drinkers can communicate with sake breweries through the liquid known as alcohol.

Sake is made with passion. One sip can leave a deep impression, and I want to convey that to the sake breweries. I want to be a bridge between these two cultures."

Improving the reputation of sake service staff through "education"

-Through these activities, you achieved outstanding results at the World Sake Sommelier Competition held in 2025.

"This competition is divided into two categories: Retail Service and Food & Beverage Service. I won the Retail Service Excellence Award, and the American team won the Food & Beverage Service award. The overall winner was the Taiwanese team.

The existence of such competitions is still not well known in the world of sake, so I feel it is my new mission to spread the word through my activities."

▲When I won the competition

-How did you come to participate?

"People around me often say to me, 'You're amazing, you know wine, sake, and English!' But I had no idea what was so great about it. So I decided to enter the competition, thinking that if I was recognized by people and judges who didn't know me, then maybe I would be recognized as well."

- It's impressive that you've achieved such solid results. Looking back, how do you feel?

"The competition lasts for eight months. Half the contestants are eliminated in the initial blind tasting, and then there are role-playing, pairing and original cocktail proposals. It's a really long journey from entry to the finals, so I was constantly on edge throughout the period.

For the semi-finals, everyone gathered in Tokyo to do role-playing, and the finalists were decided on the morning of the final. The night before, I thought about the four categories of shochu while I was sleeping, and although I was nervous, I worked hard to finish the competition.

There is a lot of enthusiasm from overseas competitors, but I would like all of the next finalists to be from Kansai (laughs). Kansai is the best sake region in the world, so it would be great if local service staff could take the lead."

▲Fujikawa performing a role-play as a finalist on the final day of the competition

-We look forward to further development of sake services.

"The alcohol industry consists of manufacturing, distribution/retail/restaurants, and consumers. In addition to these three, there is also the field of 'education.' In the world of wine, the WSET (*1) is raising the overall standard.

In order to further improve the reputation of sake service staff, education is essential. I would like to be an educator who develops professionals who make people think, 'I want to be like this person,' 'This looks glamorous and fun,' and 'I want to serve sake.'"

*1: Abbreviation for Wine & Spirit Education Trust. An international alcohol education organization headquartered in London.

"My Sake World" is a fun sake tourism business

-Today you also had the chance to try blending at My Sake World. What did you think?

"The differences in each brand and flavor were clearly explained, making the experience enjoyable.

For the first one, we focused on Matsui Shuzo's "Kamikura" and created something that is easy to drink and has a strong aroma. For the second one, we added Tamanohikari's "TAMA" to Fujii Shuzo's "Ryusei" and "Niidashi Zenshu" to create something a little more unique."

- The experience of blending sake to create the aroma and flavor you like is invaluable.

"I was talking to a student about 'My Sake World' a while ago, and he was so interested he said, 'I want to go!' He's actually a product manager at a sake brewery (laughs).

Actually, I have experienced this once before when I took a Taiwanese student I was teaching to help him prepare for the sake master exam to come and celebrate his success. This was my second attempt, so I feel like I was able to do a better job.

The Kawaramachi branch seems to be able to accommodate large groups, so I'd like to bring more students next time."

-Have you had any experience blending wine?

"When I was a wine buyer, I was in charge of blending wines for the development of private label products in Italy. I blended wines with different aromas from different tanks to complete a single product, and it brought back memories of that time (laughs)."

-What do you think about blending sake?

"I imagine each drink as being as complete as a sphere. They wouldn't go together without some irregularities, but it's interesting to imagine the spheres linking together so well. I feel that I've managed to bring together the two drinks this time in an elegant way.

Because we blend the coffee, we can fully taste each individual brand, which makes it ideal for education. It's educational because you can grasp the five tastes, including sourness."

-What are your expectations for My Sake World?

"I think this is a fun facility for sake tourism. It's wonderful to be able to check out a variety of sake little by little and focus on the taste.

I'm going to try serving the two types I made this time blind to my students (laughs). I want to tell them, "I made a great blend," and "Let's all try it together." I hope you continue to entertain many customers in the future."

Expanding your circle of friends through alcohol

-Please tell us about your future prospects.

"Until now, I have only held courses for Japanese people, but from now on, I would like to hold courses in Japan that will allow people from overseas to easily obtain sake qualifications, and spread the appeal of sake from the standpoint of an educator so that they will make it a priority to choose it.

As the first step, we plan to start a "Sake Navigator Certification Course" in English in February 2026.

I've had a lot of fun experiences since I entered the alcohol industry. Once I meet people through alcohol, they become my friends forever. I feel like I've had a really enriching time, so I'd like to spread these kinds of fun opportunities."

"I think the desire to study alcohol is a God-given ability. Meeting people who share the same values ​​is a valuable experience, and we all become very close," says Fujikawa.

Through sake education, we aim to develop talent, revitalize the industry as a whole, and pave the way for the future of sake. At the heart of our activities is our desire to pass on the sake culture that is a national treasure as Japanese people, our desire to convey the passion of the sake brewers, and above all, our pure desire to share the "fun."

Winning the World Sake Sommelier Competition is a milestone, and he will no doubt continue to share the depth and joy of sake with even more people. We look forward to seeing his continued success in the future.

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Writer: Yuki Arai
A freelance writer who conveys the culture and stories of sake. After graduating from university, he got a job at a liquor store in Kyoto City, and then worked in sales at a food manufacturer before going independent.WEB SITE）
Qualifications: JSA SAKE DIPLOMA, Wine Expert, SSI Sake Master, Sake Studies Instructor