*Information related to faculty members/students and graduate schools at Gifu University here are all that of the time of interviewing.

In 2019, the Gifu Prefectural Research Institute for Food Sciences and Gifu University launched a course called Practical Training in Sake Brewing. We conducted interviews with the course administrators to gain insights into its objectives and gather feedback from students regarding their experiences.

Hands-On Experience in All Stages of Sake Brewing at the Gifu Prefectural Research Institute for Food Sciences

In 2019, the Gifu Prefectural Research Institute for Food Sciences relocated to the Gifu University campus. Following this move, the university contemplated launching a joint program with Gifu Prefecture for student development and decided to initiate the "Regional Food Industry Training" course starting in October 2023. However, to start a course that awards academic credits, various procedures are necessary. Despite the institute having moved here, it will be a while before we can begin conducting class.Therefore, although we could not offer credit certification immediately, we explored other ways to collaborate with Gifu Prefecture in nurturing students. As a result, we launched the "Practical Training in Sake Brewing" course as a part of Gifu This year marks the fifth iteration of the Practical Training in Sake Brewing, initiated in 2019. Due to capacity limitations, the course can accommodate a maximum of 10 students. It targets third-year students from the course of Applied Life Science in the Faculty of Applied Biological Sciences. Annually, the program attracts more applications than available places, and it has garnered high praise from the students who have completed it.

Despite not being able to earn credits, the students voluntarily join this program, showing a high level of initiative and eagerness to learn. The practical sessions are conducted almost daily from October to December. Among the participants, some come from families who run miso brewing businesses, and they are keen to gain fundamental knowledge in this field. This program offers a rare and valuable opportunity for students to engage in sake brewing on campus, an experience that they might not have, unless they pursue a career in a sake brewing company. This unique aspect of the program significantly contributes to its appeal.

Students Discover the Fascination of Sake Brewing and are Inspired to Pursue careers in the Sake Industry

While sake brewing might be perceived by many as a craft based on intuition, it actually involves rigorous data management and a full range of quality control techniques. In this practical training course, students perform daily component analysis and manage fermentation just as in a professional sake brewery. By applying data analysis, we control fermentation to craft sake that meets brewing-industry quality standards, providing participants with an experience of the intricacies of the brewing process. A distinctive feature of this training is the sensory journey, allowing participants to taste the evolving flavors throughout fermentation, witnessing the gradual transformation of raw ingredients into sake. This course not only offers a fantastic opportunity to deepen understanding of practical brewing but also includes sessions on sensory evaluation, a crucial skill in food production. This equips students with a broad range of skills useful across the food industry.

The Practical Training in Sake Brewing course has awakened an interest in sake brewing among the course participants, with some even embarking on careers in the sake industry. Remarkably, simply mentioning "I have taken a sake brewing training course" during job interviews has led to job offers from major sake brewing companies. Our goal with this course is to continue sharing the allure of Japanese sake with the younger generation, fostering a continued interest in sake brewing.