Sommelier of Shochu (International Shochu kikisake-shi) is a “specialist of shochu” that provides customers with shochu in a foreign language in an appropriate and accurate manner.
・蒸馏酒烧酒的历史及其特
・与烧酒有关的法规法
・烧酒的制法
・从消费者的角度看待烧酒的分类
・烧酒品鉴
・烧酒侍酒
・烧酒的销售推广
This is a course where you can take the test 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 test site at the time of application |
| Language | Examination in Japan Chinese (* Traditional Chinese ver.) |
| Examination at affiliated schools Chinese List of affiliated schools |
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| Examination deadline | Within one year from the month following the application date * (* The application date refers to the date 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『SHOCHU NO MOTOI』 Click here for details |
| Exam time | 12:30〜15:20 |
| 1st exam 12:30〜13:20 （50 minutes） |
[Writing] Multiple choice (mark sheet） ・Basic knowledge about eating and drinking including alcoholic beverages |
| Second exam 13:30〜14:20 （50 minutes） |
[Writing] ・Questions about descriptive , shochu service, and sales promotion |
| Third exam 14:30〜15:20 （50 minutes） |
[Writing with tasting] Descriptive formula (partial selection formula) ・ Quality evaluation and individuality extraction through tasting of shochu (including classification by flavor characteristics) (including planning by seasonal flavor characteristics) |
* Pass criteria: 70% or more correct answer rate for each exam
※Not allowed to take the 「INTERNATIONAL SAKE LECTURER」 examination.
※INTERNATIONAL SAKE LECTURER will be certified the following month.
Examination will be available 3 times a month which will be arranged on weekday, Saturday and Sunday.
| Year | Exam day | Venue | Certification date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Wed.Nov.19 | SSI SAKE Academy Tokyo Schoo （Tokyo） |
Jan.01 | |
| Sat.Dec.20 | Feb.01 | |||
| 2026 | Wed.Jan.28 | SSI SAKE Academy Tokyo School （Tokyo） |
Mar.01 | |
| Sat.Feb.28 | Apr.01 | |||
| Sat.Mar.7 | ※Grand Cube Osaka (Osaka Prefectural International Convention Center) （Osaka） |
May.01 | ||
| 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 | |||
| Mon.Sep.14 | Nov.01 |
| venue | |
|
Tokyo Venue: SSI SAKE Academy Tokyo School (1-15-17 Koishikawa, Bunkyo-ku, TN Koishikawa Building 7F) |
Osaka venue
| venue | |
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Osaka Venue: Grand Cube Osaka (Osaka Prefectural International Convention Center) |
| venue | |
|
Osaka Venue: Reference Osaka Ekimae Dai-Yon Bldg. Meeting Room Rental |
| Examination fee |
Official text With【Ver. Chinese】 Ver. Chinese General：37,400JPY(reference price including tax) *Excluding tax:34,000JPY ※ Price revision effective January 1, 2026 General: 58,300 JPY (reference price including tax) *Excluding tax:53,000JPY(Official textbook not included) SSI certified member：20,900JPY (reference price including tax) *Excluding tax:19,000JPY ※ Price revision effective January 1, 2026 SSI certified member: 16,500 JPY (reference price including tax) *Excluding tax:15,000 JPY(Official textbook not included) * Includes certification fee. Overseas shipping and handling fee: JPY 9,900 (tax included) All materials will be sent after payment of the additional fee (shipping and handling). ※ Starting January 1, 2026, communication fees will no longer be charged. |
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| Retake fee |
If you fail or are absent, you can take the exam by paying the re-examination fee. General：14,000JPY(reference price including tax) *Excluding tax:12,727JPY |
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[Regarding International Postal Delivery to the United States – Please Read Carefully]
Due to the temporary suspension of postal services to the United States, we are unable to ship any materials, certificates, or badges related to all of our certifications, as well as any orders from our online shop, to U.S. addresses.
If an application is mistakenly submitted with a U.S. delivery address, you will be asked to either provide an alternative shipping address outside of the United States, or to cancel the order. In the case of cancellation, a handling fee of JPY 3,300 per order (or the full amount if the fee is less than this) will be charged, regardless of the Terms of Use.
For further details, please refer to the official Japan Post website:
👉 Japan Post Announcement (in Japanese)
[Regarding International Mail to Canada] Due to the suspension of postal services to Canada, we are currently unable to ship any materials, certificates, or badges related to all our certifications, as well as any items purchased from our online shop, to addresses in Canada. If you have already submitted an order or application in error, please provide an alternative shipping address outside of Canada, or note that a cancellation fee of JPY 3,300 per case (or the full amount if the total is less than this) will be charged, regardless of the general terms and conditions. For more details, please refer to the Japan Post website: 🔗 Japan Post Announcement (in Japanese)
About retakeIf you fail or are absent, you will have to apply for the exam again. (There is no re-examination fee set.)
However, only the exam results that meet the passing criteria are valid and the exams that fail (eg, 1st only, 3rd only, etc.) are valid only within the examination deadline. You will take the exam.
* Please scroll and check until the end.