NANAME KIKAKU started its activities in 2019. Our main activity is to provide support to examinees for the SAKE DIPLOMA certification exam held by the Japan Sommelier Association. We are developing and selling original teaching materials based on our own surveys of past test takers, and from 2020 we will be selling Kindle version teaching materials on Amazon, as well as English version teaching materials for overseas SAKE DIPLOMA International test takers. We would like to continue to deepen our relationship with sake fans around the world through the development of SAKE DIPLOMA teaching materials.
Management Policy
NANAME KIKAKU is working to realize the following three goals.
Satisfying the Intellectual Curiosity of Sake Lovers
The deeper you get involved with sake, the more you want to know the background of the sake, not just the taste and aroma that people can directly feel with their five senses. What kind of land, what kind of history, and what kind of policy does the brewery have in making it? And what kind of message do the brewers and toji want to convey to the drinkers? NANAME KIKAKU recommends acquiring the SAKE DIPLOMA certification as one of the ways to learn more about sake.
Supporting the learning of people working in restaurants and liquor stores
In order to improve the situation where the consumption of sake continues to decline, it is essential to have restaurants and sake stores that are close to the consumers. No matter how wonderful sake may be, it is not the manufacturer but the staff working in restaurants and sake stores that can directly convey its excellence to consumers. That is why it is essential to improve the level of customer service in order to increase the number of sake fans in the future, and NANAME KIKAKU will do its utmost to support restaurant and liquor store staff who have a high level of awareness and take the SAKE DIPLOMA exam.
Raise awareness of SAKE DIPLOMA
The SAKE DIPLOMA certification exam, which started in 2017, will be in its sixth year in 2022. It has produced about 6,000 successful candidates so far, mainly from the restaurant, retail, and lodging industries. However, the recognition of the certification is still low, and the hard work required to take the exam continues to go unrewarded. We would like to improve this situation and create an environment where consumers can buy and choose sake with confidence because of SAKE DIPLOMA. I believe that this will create an environment in which SAKE DIPLOMA certificate holders can work with pride.
Achievements and Goals of NANAME KIKAKU
In the three years from 2019 to 2021, we were involved in the passing of more than 400 examinees: 94 passed the exam in 2019, 163 in 2020, and 146 in 2021. Currently, about 7% of the SAKE DIPLOMA holders in Japan have used NANAME KIKAKU’s educational materials. Our goal is to increase this percentage to 10%.
Profile of the representative
Yasuyuki ITO. Lives in Kyoto City. Certified SAKE DIPLOMA by the Japan Sommelier Association (passed in 2018 / No.2153). Full member of the Japan Sommelier Association (No.29546). After graduating from university, I joined Mynavi Corporation, and for about 10 years, I provided recruitment support to client companies in the areas of new graduate and mid-career recruitment. After leaving the company, I passed the SAKE DIPLOMA certification exam and started working for NANAME KIKAKU. I am working hard to build a healthy body with the goal of completing a full marathon every year so that I can enjoy sake forever.