Yukino Ochiai: Five places that changed my life

JAPAN

I was born in Nagoya city in Japan and I lived in Japan until our family moved to Sydney 30 years ago. This is a place that has greatly influenced who I am today. I never imagined that I would live overseas while I was growing up, because I love Japan and I am proud of being Japanese. Now I have a great opportunity to promote my mother country through sake.

AUSTRALIA

When my parents decided to move to Sydney, I did not want to come. I was young at the time and all my friends lived in Japan. Now I thank my parents for giving me the experience and opportunity of living in Australia. I have lived in Sydney longer than my life in Japan. It hasn't always been easy, but I now call Australia home. I live the Australian way with Japanese values, so I can get the best from both countries.

CANADA

Canada was my first overseas trip. I was 17 years old when I travelled to Edmonton with the Lions Club youth exchange. At the time I had barely flown locally, let alone overseas. I remember the excitement of packing my big bag with my parents with lots of gifts to give to my homestay families. Everything in Canada was very different from the world I knew. It showed me how big the world is. There are so many different people and cultures out there, which makes the world a very interesting place.

SOUTH KOREA

I went to South Korea for the first time in 1999 for my work with Rosemount Estate to look after the Asia market. We were looking to open up the market for the brand. I was concerned about the historical relationship between Korea and Japan, and had no idea how Korea would react to a Japanese female export manager representing the Australian wine brand. It turned out it was business as usual. Korean people are very nice and I learned a lot about business practice through the Korean companies we dealt with. I like the culture, food and craft of Korea. Every time I go, I look forward to a traditional Korean breakfast in the morning.

SPAIN

I've travelled to Spain a few times and I love it. My husband is a co-owner of Deja vu Wine Co., so I'm very lucky to travel with him to visit wineries in many different parts of the world. My background is in the Australian wine industry, and wine is a big interest of mine. Visiting Spain was a big surprise. The quality of wine is really high, and they offer so much value for money. Spanish people are very warm, and we have met many interesting personalities. I like the concept of "siesta", but I'm not sure how the people can have dinner so late and start so early the next day. It's fascinating, although very mysterious.

Yukino Ochiai was recently awarded the title of Sake Samura by the Japanese Sake Brewers Association, one of the highest in the industry. She is only the third Australian to receive Samurai distinction. See dejavusake.com.au