Sake Road is a show about Japanese sake.  The show sheds a bright light on a very closed society that is yet largely unexplained to the world.  It provides a forum where sake producers speak candidly about the wide array of elements surrounding Japan’s national drink. 

Too often, when a typical news crew visits a sake company for a human interest story, the very nature of the production yields a result that fails to do anything more than scratch the surface.  Sure, sake producers get two minutes of fame, and it is what it is - - a short two minutes.  With this kind of time constraint, it’s very hard for a deeper sense of the true picture to emerge.

Sake Road aims to stay focused on the beverage itself, its surrounding culture, and the people directly responsible for producing it.  Each episode is devoted to only one sake manufacturer. They are interviewed at length by a personal friend who also happens to be the host.  The production facility is explored, and the owner/producer is encouraged to speak as much as possible.  They tell the story of their own sake.  There is also a tasting segment where the finer elements of the taste are discussed.  Every episode divulges a wealth of information that is interesting for both beginners as well as experts. 

The people behind Sake Road are, first and foremost, sake and food lovers.  They are non-Japanese, yet long-term residents of Japan so they bring a different approach to the table. Over the years they have nurtured personal and friendly relationships with each individual sake producer well in advance of ever having conceived the show.  With warm relationships like this sake producers are much more willing to relax and speak openly.  Intimate knowledge comes directly from the source, and it’s just like they are sharing stories with an old friend because they really are.   The passion of the producers is clearly evident in each episode.