International kikisake-shi (Sommelier of sake) is a “sake specialist” who provides customers with sake in a foreign language, appropriately and accurately.
（Distinct from the Sommelier of Sake®︎ awarded by the Sake Sommelier Association (SSA).）
This is a course where you can take the exam at the venues of “Tokyo”, “Osaka”, and “Other areas in Japan” and receive a pass / fail judgment.
| Eligibility to take the exam | Those who have reached the age at which they can drink alcohol according to the laws and regulations of the exam site at the time of application |
| Language | Examination in Japan English, Chinese (* Traditional Chinese ver.) |
| Examination at affiliated schools English, Chinese, Korean* , Spanish * *Korean and Spanish can be taken only at some affiliated schools. Please contact the affiliated school directly. List of affiliated schools | |
| Examination deadline | Within one year from the month following the application date * (* The application date refers to the day when the payment procedure is completed) |
| Step.1 Application We do not accept applications over the phone, please apply from the WEB. We will send you a set of teaching materials within 7 business days after completing your application. * Please select your home or office at the time of application. The delivery address is limited to Japan. |
Official text
※Kindle Edition: Sold separately as Vol. 1 and Vol. 2. Both volumes are required for study.
『NIHONSHU-NO-MOTOI The Textbook for INTERNATIONAL KIKISAKE-SHI』
Click here for details
Tasting Teaching Materials * We cannot ship overseas. Correspondence course issues Cannot be used as alcoholic beverages.* The listed alcoholic beverages are ordered, sold, and delivered at the Service Science Research Institute entrusted by the Society. * The following liquor sales license has been obtained from the head of the tax office in charge. ［Liquor sales contractor］ Business name: Service Science Research Institute Business location: 1-15-17 Koishikawa, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 112-0002 TN Koishikawa Building 7F Business contact: 03-5615-8206 Cost Regarding this, “NPO corporation SSI”, which is a member of SSI International, will collect the money on your behalf. * Alcohol has been around since I was 20 years old. Sake is delicious and appropriate. Never drink drunk driving. * Be careful when drinking alcohol during pregnancy or lactation, as it may affect the development of the fetal and infant. After that, recycle. Click here to purchase |
It is based on the “Kikisake-shi” (Sommelier of sake) certified by the Sake Service Institute (SSI), but based on the actual market conditions of sake in other countries, as well as cultures and customs different from Japan. Ask qualities from an international perspective.
（Distinct from the Sommelier of Sake®︎ awarded by the Sake Sommelier Association (SSA).）
| exam time | 12:30〜15:20 |
| 1st exam 12:30〜13:20 （50 minutes） | [Writing] Selection type (partially descriptive type) ※From August 1st, 2024, the exam format will be changed to multiple choice (mark sheet) ・specialized knowledge about sake ・basic knowledge about eating and drinking including alcoholic beverages |
| Second exam 13:30〜14:20 （50 minutes） | [Writing] Descriptive (partially selectable) ・ Questions related to sake service and sales promotion (including planning by seasonal flavor characteristics) |
| Third exam 14:30〜15:20 （50 minutes） | [Writing with tasting] Descriptive formula (partial selection formula) ・ Quality evaluation through tasting of sake, extraction of individuality (including classification by flavor characteristics) |
| success criteria | Correct answer rate of 70% or more for each exam |
Example(PDF)
* No correct answer is available.
* Korean and Spanish can be taken only at some affiliated schools. Please contact the affiliated school directly.
| Year | Exam day | Venue | Certification date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Wed.Mar.25 | SSI SAKE Academy Tokyo School （Tokyo） | May.01 |
| Wed.Apr.15 | Jun.01 | ||
| Sat.Apr.18 | Jun.01 | ||
| Wed.May.20 | Jul.01 | ||
| Sat.Jun.20 | Aug.01 | ||
| Wed.Jul.15 | Sep.01 | ||
| Wed.Aug.26 | Oct.01 | ||
| Sun.Aug.30 | Oct.01 | ||
| Sat.Sep.5 | ※Grand Cube Osaka (Osaka Prefectural International Convention Center) （Osaka） | Nov.01 | |
| Mon.Sep.14 | SSI SAKE Academy Tokyo School （Tokyo） | Nov.01 | |
| Wed..Oct.21 | Dec.01 | ||
| Sun.Oct.25 | Dec.01 | ||
| Sat.Nov.7 | Jan.01 | ||
| Wed.Nov.11 | Jan.01 | ||
| Wed.Dec.16 | Feb.01 | ||
| Sat.Dec.19 | Feb.01 | ||
| 2027 | Wed.Jan.27 | SSI SAKE Academy Tokyo School （Tokyo） | Mar.01 |
| Sat.Jan.30 | Mar.01 | ||
| Sun.Feb.28 | Apr.01 | ||
| Sat.Mar.27 | May.01 |
| venue | |
| venue | |
| venue | |
| Examination fee | Without Official Textbook【Ver. English】Without Official Textbook【Ver. Chinese】 Ver. English General: 58,300 JPY (reference price including tax) *Excluding tax: 53,000 JPY SSI certified member: 16,500 JPY (reference price including tax) *Excluding tax: 15,000 JPY
Ver. Chinese General: 58,300 JPY (reference price including tax) *Excluding tax: 53,000 JPY SSI certified member: 16,500 JPY (reference price including tax) *Excluding tax: 15,000 JPY |
|---|---|
| Retake fee | If you fail or are absent, you can take the exam by paying the re-examination fee. In this case, you are allowed to retake only the sections of the exam that you did not pass (e.g., only the first stage, only the third stage, etc.) within the examination period. If you meet the passing criteria, the results will be considered valid. ※ The applicable period is calculated as within one year from the date the examination application is accepted. Example: If the application is submitted on January 1, 2025, the retake must be completed within January 2026. General: 14,300 JPY (reference price including tax) *Excluding tax: 13,000 JPY SSI certified member: 7,700 JPY (reference price including tax) *Excluding tax: 7,000 JPY |
Please be sure to review the following before applying.
■ Please check our Terms of Use, including the cancellation policy, before submitting your application.
Applications are accepted through the website operated by the Sake Service Institute (SSI).
Before applying
1. When applying from Japan
Registration of the SSI official site (Japanese site only) is required.
To apply, please use the official site (Japanese site only) of the NPO corporation SSI to which this association belongs. Please log in or register as a user first. Applications under the age of 20 will be refused in accordance with the law.
2. When applying from overseas
Payment will be by credit card or paypal.
If the designated destination for sending the teaching materials is overseas, the following additional costs (communication costs) will be charged.
Additional costs will be billed after applying for the applicable product (and official / certified qualifications) (formal application will be made once payment of the additional costs is completed). * Only those who have reached the age of drinking alcohol can apply at the time of application for the course.
* Import duties and taxes related to the shipment of teaching materials and products overseas will be borne by the applicant.
* It is not legally possible to ship teaching materials liquor overseas. Please be aware of this before applying.
* Additional costs (additional shipping charges) may differ due to the price revision of the designated delivery method (EMS).
■ Additional Fees for Official Certification Application (International Kikisake-shi / International Shochu Kikisake-shi)
・Remote Learning & Examination Course (including materials):
Shipping and handling fee: JPY 9,900 (tax included)
※ All materials will be sent after payment of the additional fee (shipping and handling).
■ Additional Fees for Official Certification Application (International Sake Lecturer)
・Self-study (Examination) Course (including materials):
Shipping and handling fee: JPY 9,900 (tax included)
※ All materials will be sent after payment of the additional fee (shipping and handling).
3. Cancellation
Based on the scheduled date of the applied qualification courses (for correspondence courses, the 1st day of the start month is considered the course date), cancellation fees will be charged according to the following standards:
14 days before the scheduled date: 30% of the payment amount
3 days before the scheduled date or on the day itself: 100% of the payment amount
■ Cancellation Handling Fee
In addition to the cancellation fee, a handling fee of 3,300 yen (including tax) will be charged.
■ Other Costs to Bear
When canceling, you will be responsible for the costs of any materials already sent and other related expenses.
For detailed information, please refer to this section.
■ Refund Method
We will refund the amount paid after deducting the cancellation fee, handling fee, and costs related to materials.
Additionally, if you request a refund to a specified bank account, it must be with a domestic standard financial institution.
For refunds to non-domestic standard financial institutions, the actual remittance handling fee will be charged separately.
4. Confirmation of application terms Please
Please be sure to read and agree to the application terms before applying.
The application rules for the Examination Terms (hereinafter referred to as "Terms") are based on the permission of SSI International (hereinafter referred to as "SSI") on the SSI International Official Site (hereinafter referred to as the "Official Site"). Applicants who wish to take a specific qualification acquisition course (hereinafter referred to as "this course") posted on Flyer and others (hereinafter referred to as "WEB, etc.") apply for the course and take this course provided by SSI. The terms and conditions of the contract with SSI are stipulated.
Article 1 Application for taking the course This course
Applicants who wish to take the course apply for the course (or participation) in accordance with the procedures specified by SSI on the website, etc., and regarding the name, address, telephone number and other matters separately determined by SSI. Accurate and up-to-date information (hereinafter referred to as "registration information") shall be provided by sending it on the application form or by filling in the application form, etc. In addition, when the application is completed on the official site, this application agreement It is considered that you have agreed to.
* At the time of application, only those who have reached the drinking age according to the law of the examination venue can apply.
Article 2 Acceptance of application for taking this course
(1) When we receive an application for taking an examination from a person who wants to take an examination via WEB etc., we will permit the applicant to take this course etc. We will notify you of the payment method of the examination fee by e-mail or other means.
(2) The contract related to the provision of this course, etc. between SSI and those who wish to take the examination (hereinafter referred to as "this contract") is the payment of the full amount of the examination fee. It will be established when the above is confirmed, and those who wish to take the examination will acquire the examination qualification in accordance with the provisions of this agreement.
Article 3 Payment of the Examination Fee
If you wish to take the examination, please pay the examination fee notified by SSI by e-mail or other means using the same payment method.
* If you are an SSI certified member at the time of application, you must continue to be an SSI certified member from the application for this course to the completion of certification registration.
Article 4 Cancellation
If the delivered product is "different from the ordered item" or "has damage or stains," we will accept exchanges or returns with shipping costs covered by our company.
However, for certain items (listed below), exchanges or returns for reasons other than the above will not be accepted.
Please note that the return shipping cost will be borne by the customer.
＜Items Not Eligible for Exchange or Return＞
Products that have been used
Made-to-order products (items with customizations such as names or other special orders)
Products marked as non-returnable
Cases where the product condition differs from the state at the time of shipment (including accessories, boxes, bags, etc.)
■ Cancellation Fee
For cancellations, a fee of 3% of the payment amount (rounded up to the nearest whole number) plus 660 yen will be charged.
■ Refund Process
The refund will be processed in accordance with the original payment method after deducting the cancellation fee from the amount paid.
If the refund is to be transferred to a designated financial institution account, it will only apply to domestic standard financial institutions.
For refunds to non-domestic standard financial institutions, additional remittance fees will be charged.
Article 5 Notification of change in registered contents
(1) If there is a change in the registered contents of SSI such as an address change, the examinees who attend this course will promptly notify the change by the method prescribed by SSI such as telephone or email.
(2) Even if the examinee suffers a disadvantage due to the failure to submit the notification in the preceding paragraph, SSI will not be held responsible for it.
Article 6 Use of Registration Information In
accordance with the privacy policy posted on SSI's website, etc., registration information and information that SSI has learned in the process of taking this course (hereinafter referred to as "Student Information"). Will be used only within the scope of the purpose of implementing and managing this course (creating a list of examinees, collecting and analyzing questionnaires) and providing information from SSI, and will not be used for any other purpose. However, this does not apply to any of the following.
(1) When the consent of the person is obtained.
(2) When based on the provisions of laws and regulations.
(3) When it is deemed urgent and unavoidable to protect the life, health, livelihood or property of a person. In addition, we will disclose, add, change, or delete the information of the examinees according to their request.
Article 7 Suspension / Cancellation of Candidate Qualifications
(1) If an examinee falls under any of the following items, SSI will immediately cancel this contract without prior notice, and the examinee will take the course. The qualification can be suspended or revoked in the future.
1. If it is found that a false declaration has been made in the application for the course examination
2. If this agreement is violated
3. Others, as a candidate for the course When we judge it to be appropriate
Article 8 Cancellation / suspension and change of the course
(1) If it is unavoidable for the operation of this course, SSI may suspend / suspend the operation of this course without the prior consent of the examinees.
(2) In the case of the preceding paragraph, SSI will refund the examination fee for the course within one month after the cancellation or interruption of this course. However, the responsibility of SSI shall be limited to the refund of the paid examination fee. We do not take any other responsibility.
Article 9 Rights to Lecture Contents
(1) Candidates must not distribute, sell, transfer, lend, modify, license, etc. the lecture / examination contents of this course to a third party in any way. (2) Candidates must not
shoot, record, or record the contents of this course without permission.
Article 10 Copyright, etc.
(1) All content, characters, graphics, logos, button icons, images contained in copyrighted works such as texts received during the course and the official websites of SSI and its affiliated affiliates. Jacket photos, resources, audio clips, downloaded in digital format, edited data, software, etc. (hereinafter referred to as "this work, etc.") are the property and copyright of SSI or the content provider. Protected by rights.
(2) Candidates are prohibited from performing the acts specified in the following
items that infringe these without the prior consent of SSI and its affiliated member organizations. Or the act of sending to the public through the Internet, such as posting on the WEB in the name of a third party
2. The act of posting the content of this work, etc. in the work of oneself or a third party beyond the scope of citation
3. Acts of copying or modifying this work, etc. and distributing it to a third party beyond the scope of private use
4. Other acts of infringing the copyright and intellectual property rights of this work, etc.
Article 11 Confidentiality
(1) When taking this course, the examinees may obtain information on the technical, business, and other businesses of the Association and its affiliated affiliates disclosed by the Association and its affiliated affiliates (book). (Including but not limited to know-how in the course) and the privacy-related information disclosed by other examinees must be treated as confidential.
(2) The above information is used or is used. Disclosure to third parties is prohibited.
Article 12 Compensation for Damages
(1) If the examinee causes damage to SSI and its affiliated organizations due to or in connection with this course or by violating the provisions of this agreement and laws and regulations, the course will be taken. Candidates must compensate for any damages.
(2) Candidates and other test takers, due to or in connection with this course, or for violating the provisions of this agreement and laws and regulations. In the event of a dispute with another third party, the examinee must resolve the dispute at his own expense and responsibility and compensate for any damages incurred by SSI and its affiliated affiliates. not.
Article 13 Changes to the Terms
(1) The Society may change all or part of the Terms and the rules attached to the Terms.
(2) The Terms changed by SSI shall be published in a revised version. It will take effect from the date of, and the changed Terms will be applied to the examinees.
Article 14 Invalidity of provisions, etc.
Even if any of the provisions of this agreement is found to be illegal or invalid by the court having jurisdiction, the effect of this agreement other than that provision will not be affected. will do.
Article 15 Jurisdiction Court
For all disputes related to this agreement or this course, the Tokyo District Court or the Tokyo Summary Court shall be the exclusive jurisdiction court of the first instance.
Article 16 Matters
It is discussed if there is any doubt about the interpretation of this agreement or if there is no stipulation, we will discuss it in accordance with the principle of good faith and seek a smooth resolution.
Article 17 Disclaimer
(1) The Society shall take necessary measures such as changing the instructor in charge or changing the delivery schedule if it is determined that the instructor has sudden illness, condolences, natural disasters, or other force majeure.
(2) In the above cases, SSI will not be liable to the examinees.
(3) The Society will not be liable for any loss of the corrected answer due to a postal accident.
(4) We are not responsible for any damage caused by the infringement of this agreement by the examinees.
(5) Movement to or from the venue when participating in this course We are not responsible for any injuries or accidents that occur during this course, during this course, or on the premises of the venue.
(6) The Society is not responsible for all risks related to participation in this course (including falls, troubles with other participants, disasters, effects of weather, traffic, road surface conditions, etc.).
(7) When participating in this course, valuables and personal belongings will be managed by the participants themselves. We are not responsible for any risks such as mistaking, theft, damage, or stains on your belongings.
Article 18 Effectiveness of the Terms
This Terms shall be effective from April 1, 2022.
This regulation revision will be implemented starting April 1, 2025.