Sake brewer Yasutaka Daimon recalls his seven-year voyage during the 1960s hippie explosion

What’s the story behind Daimon Brewery? “It was founded in 1826 and is in Katano, outside Osaka, bordering Nara prefecture. We are at the foot of Mount Ikoma, so we have natural soft water that has low mineral content. Our sake is feminine, gentle and mellow, and pairs well with traditional Kansai cuisine.”

Did you always want to be part of the family business? “I grew up running around in the brewery, but when I was young, I wasn’t interested in sake. My father was a gentle man and let me do what I wanted. Ever since I was a child, I wanted to see the world, so I saved up and, when I was 21 years old, after studying commerce at Kyoto University, I got on a ship and sailed to France. It was a 55-day voyage.”

What did you do there? “I was interested in foreign culture and language. My journey went on for seven years. I visited 55 countries, mostly in central Europe, but also North Africa, Central Asia and Southeast Asia. I supported myself through small jobs, so it was an adventure.

At the beginning, my English was not good, but I gradually learned and was lucky to meet European and American kids. It was the 1960s, the hippie gener­ation. After five years, I decided to go back to Japan by land, so I went through Istanbul [in Turkey] and India. I was like a wandering monk.”

Did your father know you would come back? “Yes, I told him I would but that I needed time. I’m the oldest of four children and I had the responsibility to the family business.”

Did you have to learn to make sake? “I came back to Japan in 1975, when I was 28 years old, and started doing sales and administrative work, not brewing. At the time, sake brewing was done by people who stayed at the brewery for six months at a time, and for the rest of the year were farmers, fishermen, carpenters. In the winter, they had to leave their homes to find work and would join guilds that were led by toji – master sake brewers.