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Every KAMPAI Tells a Story — From Documentary to a New Beginning

Featured · Editor's pick

Featured · March 1, 2026

Every KAMPAI Tells a Story — From Documentary to a New Beginning

What I needed to become a sake fan wasn't knowledge or training—it was the experience of being thrown straight into the heart of it all. From making award-winning sake documentaries to launching KAMPAI, filmmaker Mirai Konishi shares how a chance encounter in Little Tokyo transformed his life and inspired a mission to connect the world with sake culture.

Series · Ongoing columns

Sake Without Borders

In New York, I Met Again the Sake I First Brought Here

May 29, 2026 Vol.07

In Chicago, Sake Was Moving Without the Japanese

May 22, 2026 Vol.06

In Boston, There Was a Long Line for Japanese Food

May 15, 2026 Vol.05

In Champagne, I Become the One Taking Notes

May 8, 2026 Vol.04

The Night I Paired Sake with Burgers in Chile

May 1, 2026 Vol.03

The Night I Became Waldo in Los Angeles

April 24, 2026 Vol.02

Taking Root on the Other Side of the World

April 17, 2026 Vol.01

The Night I Poured Sake at a Holocaust Museum in Texas

Editor's Pick · Spotlights

Sake Bar Moto TOKYO: Standing Bar Meets Kappo, Right Inside Tokyo Station

Spotlight · May 15, 2026

Sake Bar Moto TOKYO: Standing Bar Meets Kappo, Right Inside Tokyo Station

Washoku Onodera in Kagurazaka: One Omakase Course, Eight Seasonal Dishes

Spotlight · May 13, 2026

Washoku Onodera in Kagurazaka: One Omakase Course, Eight Seasonal Dishes

Nihonshu Stand Moto Kayabacho: Standing Bar Sake From ¥390 a Pour

Spotlight · May 10, 2026

Nihonshu Stand Moto Kayabacho: Standing Bar Sake From ¥390 a Pour

Sake and Spaghetti Napolitan? Inside Kayabacho's "Shokudo"

Spotlight · May 7, 2026

Sake and Spaghetti Napolitan? Inside Kayabacho's "Shokudo"

All64 News27 Event23 Column8 Spotlight4 Featured1 Brewery Story1

All articles

In New York, I Met Again the Sake I First Brought Here

In New York, I Met Again the Sake I First Brought Here

Chiba's Miyazaki Shuzoten Wins Top Honor at Kura Master 2026

Chiba's Miyazaki Shuzoten Wins Top Honor at Kura Master 2026

Hiroshima's IWC 2026 Sake Entries Come to Tokyo for a Three-Day Tasting

Hiroshima's IWC 2026 Sake Entries Come to Tokyo for a Three-Day Tasting

Ex-Trading House Exec, 27, Takes Gold at IWC 2026 on First Entry

Ex-Trading House Exec, 27, Takes Gold at IWC 2026 on First Entry

SAKE HUNDRED Wins Two Trophies at IWC 2026 in Hiroshima

SAKE HUNDRED Wins Two Trophies at IWC 2026 in Hiroshima

In Chicago, Sake Was Moving Without the Japanese

In Chicago, Sake Was Moving Without the Japanese

Sake Bar Moto TOKYO: Standing Bar Meets Kappo, Right Inside Tokyo Station

Sake Bar Moto TOKYO: Standing Bar Meets Kappo, Right Inside Tokyo Station

In Boston, There Was a Long Line for Japanese Food

In Boston, There Was a Long Line for Japanese Food

Washoku Onodera in Kagurazaka: One Omakase Course, Eight Seasonal Dishes

Washoku Onodera in Kagurazaka: One Omakase Course, Eight Seasonal Dishes

Nihonshu Stand Moto Kayabacho: Standing Bar Sake From ¥390 a Pour

Nihonshu Stand Moto Kayabacho: Standing Bar Sake From ¥390 a Pour

In Champagne, I Become the One Taking Notes

In Champagne, I Become the One Taking Notes

Sake and Spaghetti Napolitan? Inside Kayabacho's "Shokudo"

Sake and Spaghetti Napolitan? Inside Kayabacho's "Shokudo"

The Night I Paired Sake with Burgers in Chile

The Night I Paired Sake with Burgers in Chile

The Night I Became Waldo in Los Angeles

The Night I Became Waldo in Los Angeles

Taking Root on the Other Side of the World

Taking Root on the Other Side of the World

The Night I Poured Sake at a Holocaust Museum in Texas

The Night I Poured Sake at a Holocaust Museum in Texas

Niigata Gastronomy Award 2026 Winners Announced — 168 Restaurants and 21 Producers Honored

Niigata Gastronomy Award 2026 Winners Announced — 168 Restaurants and 21 Producers Honored

Every KAMPAI Tells a Story — From Documentary to a New Beginning

Every KAMPAI Tells a Story — From Documentary to a New Beginning

Kanagawa Sake in a Can: A Station-Building Operator Bottles Three Historic Breweries

Kanagawa Sake in a Can: A Station-Building Operator Bottles Three Historic Breweries

Japan's "Best Sake You Can Actually Buy" Competition Heads to TV This Autumn, with Winners Shown in Los Angeles

Japan's "Best Sake You Can Actually Buy" Competition Heads to TV This Autumn, with Winners Shown in Los Angeles

KIGEN Japanese Sake Fest Debuts in Nara: 56 Brewers Across 3 Days, May 29–31

KIGEN Japanese Sake Fest Debuts in Nara: 56 Brewers Across 3 Days, May 29–31

IWC Hiroshima: The Full Program Is Taking Shape

IWC Hiroshima: The Full Program Is Taking Shape

Michisakari's Sake Lees Become Skincare: "HADAYOI" Joins Japan's Growing Sake-Beauty Market

Michisakari's Sake Lees Become Skincare: "HADAYOI" Joins Japan's Growing Sake-Beauty Market

Madeira Wine Meets Aged Sake at the Portuguese Embassy

Madeira Wine Meets Aged Sake at the Portuguese Embassy

Miss SAKE Hosts a Health Day — at a Shrine

Miss SAKE Hosts a Health Day — at a Shrine

40% of Japanese People Drink Sake — But Over 50% Want To

40% of Japanese People Drink Sake — But Over 50% Want To

Sake by Gacha: Kurand's "Sake Gacha" Passes 550,000 Rolls

Sake by Gacha: Kurand's "Sake Gacha" Passes 550,000 Rolls

National Sake Fair 2026 Announces Dates: June 19–20 in Ikebukuro

National Sake Fair 2026 Announces Dates: June 19–20 in Ikebukuro

The Organizers of "Wakate no Yoake" Open a Sake Shop in Takanawa, Stocking 90+ Breweries

The Organizers of "Wakate no Yoake" Open a Sake Shop in Takanawa, Stocking 90+ Breweries

Nihonbashi Turns Into a Citywide Sake Walk for the 10th Year on April 25

Nihonbashi Turns Into a Citywide Sake Walk for the 10th Year on April 25

Juyondai, Aramasa, Jikon: A Spring Sake Fair Where You Can Taste Them All, Through March

Juyondai, Aramasa, Jikon: A Spring Sake Fair Where You Can Taste Them All, Through March

KIGEN Japanese Sake Fest 2026: 57 Breweries Gather in Nara, the Birthplace of Sake

KIGEN Japanese Sake Fest 2026: 57 Breweries Gather in Nara, the Birthplace of Sake

A Sake Brewery Just Placed 2nd at Japan's Biggest Business Conference

A Sake Brewery Just Placed 2nd at Japan's Biggest Business Conference

19 Breweries, DJ Sets, and Sake Cocktails: "SAKE MODE" Targets the Under-40 Crowd in Shibuya

19 Breweries, DJ Sets, and Sake Cocktails: "SAKE MODE" Targets the Under-40 Crowd in Shibuya

Yokohama Sake Square 2026: 20 Breweries from the Greater Tokyo Area, One Waterfront Weekend

Yokohama Sake Square 2026: 20 Breweries from the Greater Tokyo Area, One Waterfront Weekend

40 Sake Breweries Across Ebisu and Daikanyama: "Oishii SAKE Walk 2026" on May 23

40 Sake Breweries Across Ebisu and Daikanyama: "Oishii SAKE Walk 2026" on May 23

What Inbound Visitors Actually Want: A Shibuya Sake Bar Tests Four Minamiaizu Breweries

What Inbound Visitors Actually Want: A Shibuya Sake Bar Tests Four Minamiaizu Breweries

Asia's 50 Best Restaurants 2026: 10 Japanese Restaurants Make the 51–100 List, With Kanazawa and Yamagata Debuts

Asia's 50 Best Restaurants 2026: 10 Japanese Restaurants Make the 51–100 List, With Kanazawa and Yamagata Debuts

35-Year-Old Sake Turned Into Ice Cream: A Golden Week Pop-Up in Tokyo

35-Year-Old Sake Turned Into Ice Cream: A Golden Week Pop-Up in Tokyo

Wakate no Yoake 2026: Japan's Next-Generation Brewers Gather in Otemachi for Five Days

Wakate no Yoake 2026: Japan's Next-Generation Brewers Gather in Otemachi for Five Days

"Kaku-uchi" Goes to Stockholm: IMADEYA and ANA Launch a Sake Culture Project in Sweden

"Kaku-uchi" Goes to Stockholm: IMADEYA and ANA Launch a Sake Culture Project in Sweden

Sip Sake Among the Fish: Sendai's "Sake Night Aquarium" Returns August 29

Sip Sake Among the Fish: Sendai's "Sake Night Aquarium" Returns August 29

CRAFT SAKE WEEK Turns 10: 130 Breweries, 13 Days at Roppongi Hills

CRAFT SAKE WEEK Turns 10: 130 Breweries, 13 Days at Roppongi Hills

The Aged Sake That Was Called "Like Sherry" in Barcelona — Available This Weekend in Tokyo

The Aged Sake That Was Called "Like Sherry" in Barcelona — Available This Weekend in Tokyo

SAKE COMPETITION 2026 to Be Held at Takanawa Gateway, with Special Awamori Category

SAKE COMPETITION 2026 to Be Held at Takanawa Gateway, with Special Awamori Category

April Sake Event Roundup: Akita, Tochigi, Gunma, Greater Tokyo — Plus a National Festival in June

April Sake Event Roundup: Akita, Tochigi, Gunma, Greater Tokyo — Plus a National Festival in June

IWC's SAKE Division Heads to Higashi-Hiroshima, the Birthplace of Ginjo

IWC's SAKE Division Heads to Higashi-Hiroshima, the Birthplace of Ginjo

CRAFT SAKE WEEK 2026 Unveils Full Restaurant Lineup: From Three-Star Fine Dining to Ramen

CRAFT SAKE WEEK 2026 Unveils Full Restaurant Lineup: From Three-Star Fine Dining to Ramen

KAORIUM Expands into Convenience Stores: AI Is Recommending Drinks in More and More Places

KAORIUM Expands into Convenience Stores: AI Is Recommending Drinks in More and More Places

12 Spring Sakes for ¥200–300 a Glass at Tokyo's Sake Information Center

12 Spring Sakes for ¥200–300 a Glass at Tokyo's Sake Information Center

Five Noto Breweries Hit the Road — 1,000 Bottles Across Nine Department Stores

Five Noto Breweries Hit the Road — 1,000 Bottles Across Nine Department Stores

Nagoya's First "Shin SAKE SQUARE" Draws 6,000 Over Three Days

Nagoya's First "Shin SAKE SQUARE" Draws 6,000 Over Three Days

IWC 2026 SAKE Category Lands in Higashihiroshima — and You Can Drink the Entries

IWC 2026 SAKE Category Lands in Higashihiroshima — and You Can Drink the Entries

"Aizu Yoppara Sake Matsuri" at Hoshino Resorts Bandaisan: Tasting Fukushima's Award-Winning Sake

"Aizu Yoppara Sake Matsuri" at Hoshino Resorts Bandaisan: Tasting Fukushima's Award-Winning Sake

Nanbu Bijin Brewery Tour: Become a Kurabito in a Wooden Kura Built in 1902

Nanbu Bijin Brewery Tour: Become a Kurabito in a Wooden Kura Built in 1902

December 14, 2025

AI Sake Sommelier Arrives at Chubu Centrair Airport: Tell It Your Mood, It Picks the Bottle

AI Sake Sommelier Arrives at Chubu Centrair Airport: Tell It Your Mood, It Picks the Bottle

Make Your Own Mini Komadaru: A 60-Minute Sake Experience in Asakusa

Make Your Own Mini Komadaru: A 60-Minute Sake Experience in Asakusa

SAKE COMPETITION 2026: The Night 1,190 Bottles Have a Champion — June 10 in Tokyo

SAKE COMPETITION 2026: The Night 1,190 Bottles Have a Champion — June 10 in Tokyo

178 New Sakes From 60 Breweries Across Aichi, Gifu, and Mie: "Shin SAKE SQUARE" Hits Nagoya March 20–22

178 New Sakes From 60 Breweries Across Aichi, Gifu, and Mie: "Shin SAKE SQUARE" Hits Nagoya March 20–22

Miss SAKE 2026: Okinawa Representative Riko Kametani to Compete in June Final

Miss SAKE 2026: Okinawa Representative Riko Kametani to Compete in June Final

What Is a "Shirt for Drinking Days"? The IMADEYA × UNITED ARROWS Sake Art Tee

What Is a "Shirt for Drinking Days"? The IMADEYA × UNITED ARROWS Sake Art Tee

A New "Miss Amazake": Japan's Sake Pageant Group Turns Its Lens on a Centuries-Old Drink

A New "Miss Amazake": Japan's Sake Pageant Group Turns Its Lens on a Centuries-Old Drink

Japan's Alcohol Exports Hit Record ¥149.5 Billion in 2025

Japan's Alcohol Exports Hit Record ¥149.5 Billion in 2025

100 Breweries, 5 Days: Konzai 2026 Returns to Tokyo's Takanawa Gateway

100 Breweries, 5 Days: Konzai 2026 Returns to Tokyo's Takanawa Gateway