In our interview for this issue, Mark Zheng-Garratt of Gekkeikan USA casually mentioned, “The sake industry has gotten good value from the JET (Japan Exchange and Teaching) Programme.” It seems clear that the sake industry and, on a much larger level, Japan will benefit even more deeply in the next few years from a growing array of exchange programs and opportunities that are appearing. Perhaps you should consider one, too–or maybe recommend such an opportunity to young adults in your circle of family and friends. If you’re not familiar with JET, what follows is a brief overview before a discussion of what the sake industry offers.
Launched in 1987, it’s one of the world’s largest, longest-running, and successful exchange programs, having brought over 77,000 people from dozens of countries to Japan since its inception. Most participants become assistant language teachers (ALTs) in local schools, but applicants with some level of Japanese ability (often from college study) are assigned to local governments as coordinators for international relations (CIRs), which handle minor administrative duties, translating/interpreting, and occasional cultural exchange programs. The stated goals are to improve ‘internationalization’ in Japan via English-language education and international exchange at the community level. There was an expectation that many participants would return to their home countries as ambassadors for Japanese society and culture, and that some would continue into careers related to Japan. No program of this scale is without its flaws and inefficiencies, but I personally believe that the program has been an overwhelming success and a good investment by the Japanese government.
Sake Today cofounder John Gauntner and I are both JET alumni who followed what JET planners might have envisioned as ideal trajectories. Gauntner became enamored of sake and we all know how that went: over the course of several decades he became one of the world’s most respected educators of Japan’s national beverage, and a boon to the industry for his other contributions. What the National Tax Agency has reaped from his influence in domestic sake consumption and exports has long since paid for JET’s investment in him. Zheng-Garratt and I were commenting on how regularly we meet people in the industry who were on JET. In my role as a CIR, I helped produce a quarterly international magazine in Fukuoka. Inspired by my experiences, I went on to get my doctorate in Japanese literature and eventually launched a magazine publishing and media company in Yokohama that now has a couple dozen folks on payroll, many of them Japanese. I’m proud to give back to a country and culture that gave me such a generous opportunity right out of college. Now I see many other opportunities when, back in the day, there was little else besides JET.
An increasing number of sake breweries are offering experiential learning programs and internships, some for a few days to a couple of weeks, others for longer. Nanbu Bijin (ST8) has a long history of welcoming international folks into its kura. One of those, Ben Bell, is now the cofounder of Origami Sake in Arkansas, USA. Nishiyama Shuzō (ST18) also boasts a legacy of cultivating an international team. Rumiko Obata of Obata Shuzō (ST11; see also ST34, “Special Brewing Zones”) runs educational immersion programs on Sado Island that are popular. Sekiya Jōzō (ST20) operates Houraisen Sake Lab (ST32), which provides short experiences if you just want to dip your toes. Daimon Shuzō (ST22) offers short internships at its brewery, which has a decidedly international flavor (CEO Marcus Consolini often writes our parting essay). There are several others and we’re sure that more are in development or they simply haven’t hit our radar yet.
I understand that many people want more than an internship–that they want paying jobs with benefits like the JET Programme provides–and I also understand that there can be complications with obtaining visas to stay in Japan for more meaningful periods. I do know of a few brewery owners that are working with the government in trying to make it easier for people to obtain cultural immersion visas so programs like these can have participants stay for longer periods of time. And even if these programs are unpaid internships, they can be essential stepping stones for employment in the industry. Breweries just aren’t going to take a shot on hiring somebody without this kind of experience in Japan and/or some recommendations from those programs.
Or maybe these programs become a stepping stone to something else. You work in a brewery for a few weeks or a few months, but in the course of your daily life you have interactions with other individuals and industries that introduce opportunities you hadn’t anticipated. That’s the beauty of these programs. And you can always come back to sake–this industry will need you.
