051: Marie Tanaka & Tsukasa Ono | Japan's Cider Scene

051: Marie Tanaka & Tsukasa Ono | Japan's Cider Scene

Author: Ria Windcaller: Award-winning Cidermaker, Podcaster | Craft Beer Columnist October 19, 2016 Duration: 59:13

Follow this podcast on Twitter @ciderchat

Marie Tanaka is the owner of WineStyles Co., Ltd who along with Tsukasa Ono organized the largest cider fest in Japan to date called the Tokyo Cider Collection. The event was held this year on August 2nd and about 300 people attended with over 70 different types of ciders.

 

Marie says that they are already looking at a larger venue for next year's event.   

 

These two organizers chatted about the growing Japanese cider scene and the current cider drinker in Tokyo. Mr. Ono is the son of an orchardist and shares his perspective on the two apple growing regions:

 

  • Nagano Prefecture
  • Aomori Prefecture

 

Japanese cider makers use both the French spelling for cider "cidre" and use French cidermaking techniques as well.

 

Marie described 4 types of cidermakers in Japan.

  • brewery
  • cooperatives
  • winery
  • orchards

 

The Nagano Prefecture apple committee sets the standard for the ciders that get the "Geographical Indications" or GI

  • 100% apple in Nagano
  • bottle fermented
  • tank fermented
  • no water or sugar

 

Marie says that there are, "A wide range of drinkers aging around 30 and women like the cider." She continues with, "Women are interested in their beauty and taking an apple gets you healthy"

 

The Japanese cider scene is growing with the help of Marie and Mr. Ono.

 

There is even a pub that serves cider The Full Monty British Pub and Cider House

 

 

Contact info for Marie

 

田中 球絵 /Marie Tanaka

株式会社ワイン・スタイルズ

Wine Styles Co.,Ltd

1F Ohata Bldg 3-40-10 Taito

Taito-ku Tokyo 110-0016

tel&fax +81-3-3837-1313

URL:http://www.winestyles.jp

email:info@winestyles.jp

 

Contact for Tsukasa Ono

 

mailto:tcwc@jcidre.com

 

Please Help Support Cider Chat's (Ria's) trip to the International Hall of Gala Ciders. I am sure I won't have this trip paid off for a while and every little bit counts. Please donate today.

Social Media company mentioned in this chat

We Are Pr - helping small business manage social media

Donate to Cider Chat! Help keep the chat thriving!

Find this episode and all episodes at the page for Cider Chat's podcasts.

Listen also at iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher (for Android), iHeartRadio and where ever you love to listen to podcasts.

 

 


There’s a whole world in a glass of cider, and Cider Chat is your invitation to explore it. Hosted by award-winning cidermaker and writer Ria Windcaller, this podcast travels far beyond the bottle to meet the people who make the global cider culture so vibrant. Each conversation is a journey-you might find yourself in a heritage orchard learning the history of forgotten apple varieties, in a bustling taproom with an importer explaining regional traditions, or in a kitchen with a chef pairing cider with unexpected foods. The discussions get into the delightful nuances, too, whether that’s the semantics of what we even call this drink or how the concept of terroir translates from soil to sip. It’s not just about production; it’s about the community, the travel, and the stories that fermentation unlocks. This is for anyone curious about the craft, history, and sheer enjoyment of fermented apple juice in all its forms. So, pour a glass and settle in for a series that feels like a wide-ranging, informative, and genuinely good-humored chat with friends who happen to be obsessed with cider. You’ll come away with a deeper appreciation for every effervescent, tart, or sweet sip, hearing directly from the growers, makers, and enthusiasts who are shaping this drink’s exciting present and future.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 501

Cider Chat
Podcast Episodes
498: Heeman's Cellar | Somewhere Cider from Ontario [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:12:05
In this episode of Cider Chat, we visit Heeman Cellars in Ontario, where a multi-generational strawberry farm expanded into cider and mead production focused on heritage apples, terroir, and experimentation. We taste ble…
496: Liberty Ciderworks | Spokane, WA [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:28
Liberty Ciderworks in Spokane, Washington is an urban cidery focused on traditional methods. While located in the city, their cider reflects deep agricultural roots. Cider maker and founder Rick Hastings ferments with wi…
495: Cider Barrels Speak | Bâtonnage & Barrel Aging [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:24
In this archive episode of Cider Chat, we go in a barrel cellar in Prince Edward County, Ontario, with Ryan Monkman of FieldBird Cider and Lee Baker of Keint-He Winery. Listening to Fermentation What Is Bâtonnage in Cide…
494: Humboldt Cider and the Historic Orchard of Albert Etter [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:53
In this episode of Cider Chat, we hear from Tom Hart of Humboldt Cider Company, located in Eureka, California along the rugged Pacific coastline behind what locals call the Redwood Curtain. We also discusses preserving t…
493: Cider as a Sport | Sidra in Asturias (Archive Edition) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:28
What is Asturian cider? Asturian cider (sidra natural) is a traditionally fermented apple cider from Asturias, Spain, served through a high pour (escanciado) and shared socially in small servings called culines. This epi…
492: Absolem Cider Company | Maine Cider Energy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:23
This episode of Cider Chat explores the growing Maine cider scene through Absolem Cider Company in Winthrop, a farm-based cidery helping shape New England's evolving cider identity. Located on a 60-acre farm in Winthrop,…
491: Revisiting Randall Grahm | Cider Exploration Without Hesitation [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:35
An early conversation that explored possibilities cider was only beginning to consider. As Cider Chat moves toward its 500th episode, we revisit conversations from the earliest seasons, taking a long view of the moments…
490: Let Cider Lead [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 22:32
An editorial on leadership, scarcity, and why cider no longer needs to borrow authority from beer or wine. In Let Cider Lead, host Ria Windcaller steps back from interviews to offer a clear-eyed reflection on the state o…
489: Natural Cider Production Seminar | CiderCon 2025 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:10:53
Natural cider is often misunderstood as funky, volatile, or flawed. Recorded live at CiderCon 2025, this seminar reframes natural cider as a philosophy of low intervention, balance, and intentional care, not a free pass…