Today, we are featuring Mr. Matsumoto by retracing the career footsteps of a person who has made great contributions to the succession of Japanese food culture in America to the following generations.

<In Order to Pass Along Japanese Food Culture ...>
Mr. Matsumoto worked for Nomura Securities Co., Ltd., a major brokerage firm in Japan, before he made the career switch into the food industry.  What lay behind this big leap was his love for food and his strong desire to promote the wonderful culture of Japanese food.  Ever since he stepped into the food business, Mr. Matsumoto has continuously asked himself what he could do to pass along Japanese culinary traditions.  Operating a school for sushi chefs, cooking as chef owner at his own sushi restaurant, and supporting the Japanese restaurant industry in America while working for a trading company ... these are all examples of his efforts.  After trying various avenues, however, Mr. Matsumoto came to the conclusion that he was not really a chef at heart.  Besides, the amount of contact with people is limited to a few customers when working as a sushi chef or a restaurant owner.  Although he still loved cooking, he began searching for a new way to be involved in promoting Japanese food more suitable to his personality.  Mr. Matsumoto finally found a meaningful breakthrough by pursuing a career as a “sake sommelier.”

<Life as a Sake Sommelier>
Since he embarked on a career in the sake business, Mr. Matsumoto has never once thought of his work as burdensome.  He has always been interested in sake, so it was like finding his true calling.  Unfortunately, working only as a “sake sommelier” is not enough to earn a living yet.  “Considering the current Japanese sake boom in America, however, the future looks quite promising,” Mr. Matsumoto says.  He is talented at giving powerful and convincing presentations. 

After obtaining his certificate as a certified sake sommelier, Mr. Matsumoto has been honing his presentation skills while going around to various restaurants as a consultant and giving lectures at sake seminars.  (I found it very impressive that he has given 130 lectures in English over the past two years.)  Mr. Matsumoto was also selected as one of the three representatives from the United States for the 2nd annual World Sake Sommelier Competition.  Currently, he is energetically promoting sake while working with “Tokyo Table” on La Cienega Blvd. in Beverly Hills.

<Tastebuds Can Change in Two Weeks. >
People may think of a sake sommelier, like a wine sommelier, as someone who is erudite about sake and eloquent in expressing the different and delicate flavors of sake.  But Mr. Matsumoto says that the main role of the sake sommelier is not so much in displaying one’s knowledge or poetically expressing the nuances of different flavors.

Light and refreshing dishes like sunomono (vinegary dishes), on the other hand, go well with fine and exquisite sakes.  “One’s taste can change every two weeks.  Depending on the condition of your body and other factors, or the accompanying food, the sake you think tastes good changes,” Mr. Matsumoto emphasizes.  He therefore recommends sakes that truly match the food dish, while considering all factors.  If the customer is familiar with Japanese sake, Mr. Matsumoto sometimes ventures to recommend a type of sake that is different from the customer’s usual preference.  He notes that one can be awakened to even more profound beauty and deliciousness of sake by trying something new and having different taste buds stimulated.

<A Desire to Make Japanese People Re-Evaluate the Value of Japanese Culture>
Lastly, we would like to tell the readers why Mr. Matsumoto has chosen America, rather than Japan, to express his enthusiasm for Japanese food culture.  It was because “I wanted American people to understand Japanese culture, and I wanted to popularize Japanese culture in a foreign land.  I also wanted Japanese people to re-realize the unique value of their own culture.  By advocating sake here in America, I wanted Japanese people to become aware that their sake culture is great.  That’s why I decided to come here,” Mr. Matsumoto told us.  Many Japanese people, particularly the younger generation, tend to stay away from many aspects of good old Japanese culture and become blind followers of Western culture.  His words of warning may sound harsh to those who will not hear.  Hopefully he will succeed in promoting the understanding of the splendor of Japanese sake from non-Japanese people living in America, as well as from the Japanese people themselves.

<What Is the Certificate for a Sake Sommelier? >
The certificate for a sake sommelier is issued by the Sake Service Institute in Tokyo.  Candidates have to attend seminars and learn fundamental academic knowledge about sake, including its history.  Candidates then have to pass both the written and tasting tests to become a certified sake sommelier.  The sake sommelier’s job is to explain the different aromas and flavors of the varieties of sake to consumers, as well as selecting the most suitable sake for each consumer’s taste, physical condition, and perfectly matching a sake with a particular food dish.