Rikkyo University’s College of Tourism is offering a course on Japanese wine and sake to give students the skills to explain in English about the alcoholic beverages, at a seminar taught by Professor Takayuki Shoji.

Japanese wine and sake have become increasingly popular among foreign travelers, and the annual number of visitors to Japan topped 20 million for the first time in 2016. Against this backdrop, Shoji planned the course in collaboration with a winery in Yamanashi Prefecture and a nonprofit organization that certifies sake and wine experts. Seventeen students aged 20 or over are taking the course.

The students will acquire knowledge about sake and wine in addition to learning how to serve and taste the beverages. The course references programs offered by the Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET), the world’s largest educational institution on wine, with the aim of developing human resources capable of explaining in detail about Japanese sake and wine based on global-standard knowledge.

At the last lecture on July 3, the enrolled students will make presentations and hold a sake and wine tasting event for international students to showcase their acquired knowledge and techniques in English.

Shoji is considering dispatching students who have taken this course to ryokan inns across Japan to explain in English the charms of Japanese sake and wine to foreign travelers. He also is considering offering a similar course to people working in local tourism-related industries. These endeavors ultimately aim to attract more foreign tourists to Japan and invigorate regional areas across Japan.

The College of Tourism strives to develop tourism industry experts with high proficiency in foreign languages, especially English, through this course. The College of Tourism is in Niiza City, Saitama Prefecture.