Before I became a Sake Lover, I worked with the United Nations on Urban Policy, Gender Equality & Women's Rights, posted in Asia and Africa Africa for a decade. The women I met were inspiring, full of struggles, joys, and wisdom, despite socio-economic barriers.

As I embarked on my Sake journey, I was excited to similarly meet a growing minority of great women doing creative work in various capacities in the Sake world. Often times, women's contributions are less recognized in many industries, including the Sake industry. (Women were actually 'banned' from Sake brewing for centuries until relatively recently, even though they were the first brewers). Now, things are different. Not to exclude men, but to acknowledge these inspiring women's contributions which may not be known enough.

With the hope of renewed gender awareness in Sake and Japanese society in general, and ultimately the spread of more Sake Love!  (*All interviews were originally on Instagram at @sarika.sake  )