AI Sake Sommelier Arrives at Chubu Centrair Airport: Tell It Your Mood, It Picks the Bottle
KAMPAI Editorial
An AI-powered sake and wine recommendation system called "KAORIUM for Sake & Wine" has been installed at duty-free and liquor shops inside Chubu Centrair International Airport. It went live on March 11, announced by SCENTMATIC Inc. via PR TIMES.
Here's how it works. You type in a mood or flavor preference — "feeling adventurous," "something fruity" — and the AI matches it against flavor data for the sake and wine actually on the shelves. It then recommends bottles and shows a shelf number so you can find them right away.
The system supports four languages: Japanese, English, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese. You don't need to know anything about sake, and you don't need to speak Japanese.
Four Locations Inside the Airport
| Shop | Location |
|---|---|
| Centrair Duty Free, Terminal 2 | International departure restricted area, 3F |
| Kū no Sakagura, Terminal 1 | International departure restricted area, 3F |
| Sake & Tobacco Shop, Terminal 1 | International departure restricted area, 3F |
| Centrair Meihin-kan, Terminal 1 | Departure lobby, 3F (non-restricted) |
Three of the four locations are inside the restricted area after passport control, so you can use them on the way to your gate. Centrair Meihin-kan is outside the restricted area, accessible to anyone.
For many international visitors, the airport liquor shop is the last chance to buy Japanese sake before leaving the country. Standing in front of a wall of sake bottles with no idea what to pick is a real situation. Having an AI bridge that gap makes sense.