by Cornelia Reiher

After our first onsite interview in English at Sake Kontor, our course visited a ramen restaurant in Berlin a week later. We had an appointment with Ribeka Sakamoto, the manager of Niko Niko Ramen, to conduct an interview in Japanese. Since not all course participants speak Japanese, those who were not asking questions were assigned to observe the interview situation and write fieldnotes about the atmosphere and the interactions in the restaurant.

When we arrived at the restaurant, it was noon and the weather was warm and sunny. Customers were sitting outside, enjoying their bowl of ramen for lunch. We stepped inside and were seated in the guestroom. The rustic interior, decorated with anime motifs and Japanese pop culture references, created an inviting and relaxed atmosphere, helping students feel comfortable right away. Following the customary exchange of business cards and thank you gifts, students started to ask the questions they had prepared in advance.

Topics included Ribeka’s migration story, her personal favorite Japanese dishes, the history and concept of the restaurant, and customer preferences in Berlin compared to those in Japan. Being multilingual herself, Ribeka tries to hire staff who speak English, German and ideally Japanese because of the international customers the restaurant attracts. More important than language skills, however, is that the staff are passionate and do their job well. Ribeka also shared interesting observations about the preferences of the restaurants’ European customers who do not seem to like katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) and fish in general as much as the few Asian customers frequenting the restaurant. However, most of the customers are familiar with ramen when they come to Niko Niko Ramen and the most frequently asked questions about the dishes are whether the noodles are gluten-free— a sign of dietary awareness and food preferences in Berlin.

After the interview, everyone ordered a bowl of their preferred ramen. Thanks to the restaurant’s inclusive menu, which has offered vegetarian and vegan options from the very beginning, everyone found something they could enjoy. Several students who had previously traveled to Japan commented that the flavors at Niko Niko Ramen were just as authentic as those they remembered from their time abroad.

This visit offered students not only a chance to practice fieldwork and language skills in a real-world setting, but also valuable insights into the cultural translation of food and hospitality. Interviews like this one highlight how culinary spaces serve as contact zones—where global migration, local taste, and tradition intersect in the everyday ritual of sharing a meal. Thank you so much, Ribeka Sakamoto for your time!

by Cornelia Reiher

On June 13, 2025, our social science methods class embarked on a unique excursion: a field visit and live interview at Sake Kontor, a specialized sake shop in Berlin. That day, the shop itself was calm and Anselm, the sales manager, had enough time to answer our questions with a mix of humor and candor. The students had prepared questions in English in advance and took turns asking Anselm about his job, the sake world and the store.

Anselm shared educational materials and guided us through the essentials of sake. We also discussed the shop’s customer base. According to Anselm, most people who enter the shop already know what sake is. However, when he represents the shop at department stores in Germany, he often meets people unfamiliar with the drink.

We learned that, in addition to retail, Sake Kontor supplies restaurants—including many Vietnamese-owned establishments—and sells products through an online shop. Despite having a small team, they remain active in the food and beverage industry by attending trade shows and various events, visiting restaurants across Germany, and organizing tastings.

Amidst the current sake boom in Berlin, social media plays a role in the company’s visibility. However, their strength lies in long-standing relationships with sake breweries in Japan and word of mouth. Many customers have traveled to Japan and appreciate that their favorite Japanese drink is available in Berlin, too. The shop’s busiest season is Christmas, when sake becomes a popular gift item.

Toward the end of our visit, Anselm treated us to two sake tastings. The first sake was fruity, while the second was less so, offering an interesting contrast. Both samples gave us a hands-on understanding of the cultural and economic value of premium sake. Some students who did not study Japan had sake for the first time, and the tasting and interview made a strong impression on them. Students learned that on-site interviews offer many opportunities to ask questions that researchers might not consider in different settings, such as online interviews.

We left Sake Kontor with new perspectives on sake and on how businesses like Sake Kontor navigate changing consumer tastes, global logistics, and cultural education. For the students, it was an exciting, hands-on, on-site interview experience and a reminder of how much can be learned when theory meets the real world—over a cup of sake. I am grateful to Anselm for his time and for inviting us to Sake Kontor. Thank you!