India, June 30 -- How did you end up living in Yamaguchi?

It was all just an accident, really. I was living and studying in Germany before I came here. Just as I was coming to the end of my time there and wondering where to go next, a friend from university emailed out of the blue. She said she was working at an English school in Yamaguchi that was looking for a teacher; was I interested? And I thought, "Why not give it a try?" I'm glad I did it, because here I am, 20 years later, and happy as can be.

What got you interested in sake and writing about the Yamaguchi breweries?

The first thing was just enjoying the drink. I came here in 2004, and Yamaguchi was right at the start of a big jump in sake quality and recognition. So, the peopl...