{"id":25694,"date":"2012-06-13T11:04:36","date_gmt":"2012-06-13T15:04:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jetwit.com\/wordpress\/?p=25694"},"modified":"2012-06-23T14:29:04","modified_gmt":"2012-06-23T18:29:04","slug":"justins-japan-interview-with-sake-evangelistjet-alum-john-gauntner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jetwit.com\/wordpress\/2012\/06\/13\/justins-japan-interview-with-sake-evangelistjet-alum-john-gauntner\/","title":{"rendered":"Justin’s Japan: Interview with Sake Evangelist\/JET Alum John Gauntner"},"content":{"rendered":"
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“It was not one big thing but rather a million coincidences that led me to apply for the JET Program. I never, ever imagined I would stay here very long, much less 24 years (and counting)!” (Courtesy of John Gauntner)<\/p><\/div>\n

By<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>JQ\u00a0magazine<\/em><\/strong><\/a>\u00a0editor\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>Justin Tedaldi<\/em><\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>(CIR\u00a0Kobe-shi<\/a>, 2001-02) for Examiner.com. Visit his\u00a0Japanese culture page\u00a0here<\/a>\u00a0for related stories.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Known as the Sake Guy or the Sake Evangelist,\u00a0John Gauntner<\/a>\u00a0(Kanagawa-ken, 1988-89)<\/strong>\u00a0is the world\u2019s leading non-Japanese authority on the nation\u2019s signature beverage, penning numerous\u00a0books<\/a>\u00a0on the subject and touring the world with his popular seminars and speaking engagements.<\/p>\n

An Ohio native who currently resides in Kamakura, Gauntner returns to America next week to anchor\u00a0Rice & Water: The Building Blocks of Premium Sake<\/a>, this year\u2019s annual sake lecture and tasting at New York’s\u00a0Japan Society<\/a>\u00a0on June 19. The Evangelist will introduce the importance of rice and water in sake brewing, and a special sake tasting reception with more than 30 kinds of premium sake will follow.<\/p>\n

In this exclusive interview, I caught up with Gauntner on his nearly quarter-century relationship with Japan, some of his favorite spots to drink and dine in New York, and\u2014of course\u2014the best sake he ever drank.<\/div>\n
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You\u2019re known as the world\u2019s leading non-Japanese sake expert. What motivated you to take your love for sake to such heights?<\/strong><\/div>\n
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It actually was the result of countless coincidences. I did not plan it, really. I just got interested in sake, and after drinking with a friend that worked at the\u00a0The Japan Times<\/a><\/em>, he asked me to write a piece for them. That led to a column, which led to a book, which led to another. I got involved in the industry so I could study more and that led to my involvement in export and education. I didn\u2019t really choose this path; it chose me.<\/p>\n

What attracted you to Japan originally, and how did you get the opportunity to first go there?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Again, I have to say that it was not one big thing but rather a million coincidences that led me to apply for the\u00a0JET Program<\/a>. I never, ever imagined I would stay here very long, much less 24 years (and counting)!<\/p>\n

As a participant in the early days of the JET Program, what things about Japan and its people do you feel have changed for the better since then?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I was in Kanagawa and participated in JET for two years, \u201988 and \u201989. But I have been here the whole time, and the changes have taken place so gradually it is hard for me to see them. Certainly, though, a familiarity with people from other countries has changed\u2014for the better!<\/p>\n

For the complete story,\u00a0click here<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By\u00a0JQ\u00a0magazine\u00a0editor\u00a0Justin Tedaldi\u00a0(CIR\u00a0Kobe-shi, 2001-02) for Examiner.com. Visit his\u00a0Japanese culture page\u00a0here\u00a0for related stories. Known as the Sake Guy or the Sake Evangelist,\u00a0John Gauntner\u00a0(Kanagawa-ken, 1988-89)\u00a0is the world\u2019s leading non-Japanese authority on the nation\u2019s signature beverage, penning numerous\u00a0books\u00a0on the subject and touring the world with his popular seminars and speaking engagements. An Ohio native who currently resides in Kamakura, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4,25,340],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25694","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articlejournalism","category-interviewprofile","category-justins-japan"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t