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Beverage and cigarette manufacturing workers

How to become a Sake Brewer

Also called: Sake production worker, Toji (master sake brewer)

Makes sake (Japanese rice wine) in a sake brewery.

Main tasks

Workers in this job say university or high school is common. From job tag's survey of people in each job, who could give several answers. It shows what workers see as common, not how many workers hold each level.

How to become one

No particular education or qualifications are needed to start. Many toji (master brewers) and brewery workers come from particular regions, so people often join a brewing team through personal connections. New starters first help in sections such as rice steaming or the yeast starter, and after some experience they take charge of a section. Above them are three senior roles (mash chief, koji chief and yeast starter chief), who support the toji by directing and managing the daily work. The toji is in overall charge, and larger breweries may also have an assistant toji. Much of the work, such as judging whether the steamed rice, koji, yeast starter and mash are right, depends on instinct and experience, so judgement, observation and insight built on experience and skill are needed. A related qualification is the sake brewing exam in the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's ginou kentei (national trade skills test). In sake brewing, workers usually live and eat together for several months and cooperate across many stages, so teamwork and a willingness to take the initiative are also needed. As well as joining a brewing team, you can also be employed directly by a sake company.

Ways in

Pay · Job openings · AI and this job

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Questions people ask

How do I become a Sake Brewer?

No particular education or qualifications are needed to start. Many toji (master brewers) and brewery workers come from particular regions, so people often join a brewing team through personal connections. New starters first help in sections such as rice steaming or the yeast starter, and after some experience they take charge of a section. Above them are three senior roles (mash chief, koji chief and yeast starter chief), who support the toji by directing and managing the daily work. The toji is in overall charge, and larger breweries may also have an assistant toji. Much of the work, such as judging whether the steamed rice, koji, yeast starter and mash are right, depends on instinct and experience, so judgement, observation and insight built on experience and skill are needed. A related qualification is the sake brewing exam in the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's ginou kentei (national trade skills test). In sake brewing, workers usually live and eat together for several months and cooperate across many stages, so teamwork and a willingness to take the initiative are also needed. As well as joining a brewing team, you can also be employed directly by a sake company.

How much does a Sake Brewer earn in Japan?

Average annual income in the private sector, bonus included, is ¥3,967,400 (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare). The figure is for the wage survey group Food, beverage and tobacco production workers, which covers several jobs.

Do you need a degree to become a Sake Brewer?

Usually not. In this job's census occupation group, only 22% of workers are university graduates. Ways in include: National trade skills test (技能検定).

Will AI change the work of a Sake Brewer?

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

独立行政法人労働政策研究・研修機構（JILPT）作成 職業情報データベース 解説系ダウンロードデータ（IPD_DL_description_7_01.xlsx）ver.7.01 職業情報提供サイト（job tag）より2026年10月4日にダウンロード（https://shigoto.mhlw.go.jp/User/download）を加工して作成

独立行政法人労働政策研究・研修機構（JILPT）作成 職業情報データベース 簡易版数値系ダウンロードデータ（IPD_DL_numeric_7_00.xlsx）ver.7.00 職業情報提供サイト（job tag）より2026年10月4日にダウンロード（https://shigoto.mhlw.go.jp/User/download）を加工して作成

Sources: JILPT Occupational Information Database download data via job tag (解説系 ver.7.01 and 簡易版数値系 ver.7.00, downloaded 4 October 2026), processed by Peernovo; MHLW, Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025; Statistics Bureau of Japan, 2020 Population Census; MEXT, School Basic Survey 2025; MHLW, Employment Referrals for General Workers (Hello Work statistics). Figures processed by Peernovo. English job names, translations and the matching of jobs to statistical groups, schools and degree fields by Peernovo.

Updated 4 October 2026