EDUCATION
The Sakeology lectures offer Interdisciplinary Study that takes advantage of Niigata University’s strengths as a comprehensive university, and Selfmotivated Problem-solving Study that incorporates practical training and seminars at breweries and sake stores. Through them, we foster international human resources who have a broad perspective that goes beyond conventional brewing and fermentation studies, and who can acquire knowledge and education about sake, a traditional Japanese culture, by learning about it from various perspectives, and who can disseminate them both domestically and internationally.
Sakeology Lectures
Sakeology lectures (Sakeology A, B, and C) are offered as liberal arts programs for undergraduate students.
Sakeology A (Introduction) 350 places (FY2025)
Lectures on the fundamentals and development of a wide range of cultural and scientific disciplines related to sake
| Date | Content | Lecturers |
|---|---|---|
| Class 1 April 9 |
Greetings from the director of the Sakeology Center | SUEYOSHI Kuni (Ph.D., Director, SCNU*; Executive Vice President, Niigata University) (currently Ph.D., Executive Vice President, Niigata University) *SCNU: Sakeology Center, Niigata University |
| Special course 1 | USHIKI Tatsuo (M.D., Ph.D., President, Niigata University) |
|
| Origins of Sakeology | KISHI Yasuyuki (Ph.D., Vice Director (currently Director), SCNU; Professor, Faculty of Economic Sciences, Niigata University) |
|
| Course guidance | WATANABE Hideo (Faculty Member, SCNU; Assistant, Faculty of Economic Sciences, Niigata University) |
|
| Class 2 April 16 |
Special course 2 | ODAIRA Shunji (Chairman, Niigata Sake Brewers Association) |
| Sake fundamentals 1 : World liquor brewed from rice | HIRATA Dai (Ph.D., Vice Director, SCNU; Professor, Faculty of Agriculture, Niigata University; Vice Chairman, Niigata Sake Brewers Association) |
|
| Class 3 April 23 |
Sake fundamentals 2 : Production method basics | AOKI Toshio (Ph.D., Director, Niigata Prefectural Sake Research Institute) JOH Toshio (Ph.D., Cooperating Faculty Member, SCNU; Professor, Faculty of Agriculture, Niigata University) |
| Class 4 April 30 |
History of sake | GOTO Nami (Ph.D., Managing Director (currently Vice President, Managing Director), Research and Development, Brewing Society of Japan / Former President, National Research Institute of Brewing) |
| Class 5 May 14 |
Sake and tax | KAKUDA Kyosuke (Professor, Faculty of Economic Sciences, Niigata University) |
| Class 6 May 21 |
Alcohol and the brain | TAKEI Nobuyuki (Ph.D., Cooperating Faculty Member, SCNU; Part-time Lecturer, Brain Research Institute, Niigata University) |
| Class 7 May 28 |
Culture of ryotei and kagai in relation to sake | OKAZAKI Atsuki (Ph.D., Cooperating Faculty Member, SCNU; Professor, Faculty of Engineering, Niigata University) |
| Class 8 June 4 |
Mid-term examination (Exams on session 2~7) | |
| Class 9 June 11 |
Globalization of Japanese food and sake – The new strategy for regional revitalization | KITAGAWA Hironobu (Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), The Japan Food Product Overseas Promotion Center (JFOODO), Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO)) |
| Class 10 June 18 |
Sake etiquette | WATANABE Hideo (Faculty Member, SCNU; Assistant, Faculty of Economic Sciences, Niigata University) MURAYAMA Kazue (Associate Professor, Niigata Seiryo University Junior College) |
| Class 11 June 25 |
To understand the sake brewing process | FUKUDA Hisashi (President, National Research Institute of Brewing) |
| Class 12 July 2 |
Globalization of Japanese alcohol beverages : Comparison of sake with beer and whiskey | TSURU Tsuyoshi (Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, Hitotsubashi University) |
| Class 13 July 9 |
Sake palatability and food pairing | FUJITA Akiko (Ph.D., Deputy Director, National Research Institute of Brewing) |
| Class 14 July 16 |
Learn from comparison with beer | ITO Noboru (Company Friend, Suntory Holding Limited) |
| Class 15 July 23 |
How to convey sake to the world | WHITAKER Andrew (Ph.D., Cooperating Faculty Member, SCNU; Associate Professor, Faculty of Agriculture, Niigata University) TANAKA Yosuke (Founder Brewer, Lagoon Brewery Inc.) |
| Class 16 July 30 |
End-term examination (Exams on session 9~15) |
* Please search for “Sakeology” (Course Title) on the Niigata University Syllabus Search Site for the latest lecture information.
* The class format for FY2025: face-to-face (partially online)
Photos of Sakeology A Lectures (FY2025)
Sakeology B (Practical) 25 places (FY2025)
Lectures on practices related to sake for students who are 20 years of age or older and have earned credits for Sakeology A
| Date | Content | Lecturers |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 August 5 |
Sake tasting Pairing of sake and food |
AOKI Toshio (Ph.D., Director, Niigata Prefectural Sake Research Institute) |
| Basic taste identification Sake tasting explanation: Taste of sake Identification of taste and taste concentration difference |
SATO Keigo (Ph.D., Expert Researcher, Niigata Prefectural Sake Research Institute) |
|
| Sake tasting explanation: Aroma characteristics of sake Memorization and identification of aroma characteristics Matching test of 5 types of commercially available sake |
SUGAWARA Masamichi (Ph.D., Senior Researcher, Niigata Prefectural Sake Research Institute) |
|
| Practice in pairing of sake and food | NAKAJIMA Yuka (Culinary Researcher) |
|
| Day 2 August 6 |
History and initiatives of Kikusui Sake Co., Ltd. Sake brewery tour |
ITAGAKI Kenichi (Manager of Operations Department, Kikusui Sake Co., Ltd.) |
| Regional revitalization through sake 1: From agriculture to sake brewery tourism | HIRASHIMA Takeshi (Vice Chairman, Niigata Sake Brewers Association) |
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| Regional revitalization through sake 2: The city of brewery and fermentation, Nagaoka Settaya | MINEMASA Yuki (Vice Chairman, Niigata Sake Brewers Association) |
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| Discussion | Facilitator： HIRASHIMA Takeshi (Vice Chairman, Niigata Sake Brewers Association) Discussion： ODAIRA Shunji (Chairman, Niigata Sake Brewers Association) HIRASHIMA Takeshi (Vice Chairman, Niigata Sake Brewers Association) MINEMASA Yuki (Vice Chairman, Niigata Sake Brewers Association) MIYAO Shunsuke (Director, Kikusui Sake Co., Ltd) HIRATA Dai (Ph.D., Vice Director, SCNU*; Professor, Faculty of Agriculture, Niigata University; Vice Chairman, Niigata Sake Brewers Association) *SCNU: Sakeology Center, Niigata University |
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| Sake drinking etiquette | HIRATA Dai (Ph.D., Vice Director, SCNU*; Professor, Faculty of Agriculture, Niigata University; Vice Chairman, Niigata Sake Brewers Association) |
* Please search for “Sakeology” (Course Title) on the Niigata University Syllabus Search Site for the latest lecture information.
* The class format in FY2025: face-to-face
Photos of Sakeology B Lectures (FY2025)
Sakeology C (Practical examples of research) 100 places (FY2024)
【No classes in FY2025】
Lectures on the latest research in various academic fields related to sake by faculty members of the Sakeology Center, etc.
| Date | Content | Lecturers |
|---|---|---|
| Class 1 June 12 |
Guidance | HATA Yuki (Ph.D., Specially Appointed Assistant Professor, SCNU*) NISHIDA Ikuhisa (Ph.D., Specially Appointed Assistant Professor, SCNU) YAMAMOTO Masahiko (M.D., Ph.D., Specially Appointed Assistant Professor, SCNU) MIYAMOTO Takuji (Ph.D., Specially Appointed Assistant Professor, SCNU) SATO Mami (Ph.D., Postdoctoral Researcher, Rudolf-Virchow-Zentrum – Center for Integrative and Translational Bioimaging, Universität Würzburg) *SCNU: Sakeology Center, Niigata University |
| Class 2 June 19 |
The microbial world, which can be seen through sake | NISHIDA Ikuhisa (Ph.D., Specially Appointed Assistant Professor, SCNU) |
| Class 3 June 26 |
Sake rice grown by soils and farmers | MIYAMOTO Takuji (Ph.D., Specially Appointed Assistant Professor, SCNU) |
| Class 4 July 3 |
Sake in Japanese classical literature | HATA Yuki (Ph.D., Specially Appointed Assistant Professor, SCNU) |
| Class 5 July 10 |
Diabetes mellitus and alcohol consumption | YAMAMOTO Masahiko (M.D., Ph.D., Specially Appointed Assistant Professor, SCNU) |
| Class 6 July 17 |
Bioactivities of sake and sake lees | SATO Mami (Ph.D., Postdoctoral Researcher, Rudolf-Virchow-Zentrum – Center for Integrative and Translational Bioimaging, Universität Würzburg) |
| Class 7 July 24 |
Consideration of Sakeology | HATA Yuki (Ph.D., Specially Appointed Assistant Professor, SCNU) NISHIDA Ikuhisa (Ph.D., Specially Appointed Assistant Professor, SCNU) YAMAMOTO Masahiko (M.D., Ph.D., Specially Appointed Assistant Professor, SCNU) MIYAMOTO Takuji (Ph.D., Specially Appointed Assistant Professor, SCNU) SATO Mami (Ph.D., Postdoctoral Researcher, Rudolf-Virchow-Zentrum – Center for Integrative and Translational Bioimaging, Universität Würzburg) |
| Class 8 July 31 |
End-term examination |
* Please search for “Sakeology” (Course Title) on the Niigata University Syllabus Search Site for the latest lecture information.
* The class format in FY2024: face-to-face
Photos of Sakeology C Lectures (FY2024)
Graduate School Sakeology Program
The Sakeology program is offered at the Graduate School of Modern Society and Culture and the Graduate School of Science and Technology.
The center imparts education and conducts research that integrates specialized domains in the humanities and sciences with a focus on the subject of sake, thereby adopting content that provides a bird’s eye view of diverse fields, which ranges from raw materials and production to the sale and consumption of sake as well as culture, history, tradition, and health in addition to the students’ areas of specialization.
* Please search for “Sakeology” (Course Title) on the Niigata University Syllabus Search Site for the latest lecture information.
* The class format in FY2024: face-to-face, online and hybrid
Certificate Program
Sakeology Professional Program (Sakeology-P1)
Sakeology Professional Program (Sakeology-P1) is offered to train professionals involved in sake brewing as Sakeology evangelists.
For more details, please visit the Certificate Program page.
Online International Education Platform
JV-Campus
Lecture videos of Sakeology in English are available on “Japan Virtual Campus (JV-Campus),” an online international education platform originating in Japan, a project of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT).
