Kamigata Sake World 2026Minatomachi River Place 12:00
Advance ticket ¥1,000, electronic ticket ¥1,200, same-day ticket ¥1,500
If you’re planning to eat and drink your way through spring, mark Saturday March 21 in your calendar. Part food market, part sake festival, Kamigata Sake World (or more precisely, Kamigata Nihonshu World) brings together 18 restaurants and sake breweries from across Japan for a six-hour tasting event at a riverside venue.
Each brewery will be paired with a restaurant, with the duo serving up an exclusive dish-and-sake combo created specifically for the festival. The food and drink are chosen to complement each other and served at optimal temperatures.
This year’s line-up includes Tottori’s Tomirei sake paired with washoku (traditional Japanese cuisine) restaurant Ao, Tokyo’s Aonisai collaborating with Niigata’s Abe Brewery, and Osaka’s Ritmicita joining forces with local doburoku (unfiltered sake) maker Utsutsuyo. The remaining pairings span breweries from Niigata and Shimane to Fukuoka and Saga.
The format is simple: grab your tickets, browse the vendor booths, and sample pairings at your own pace. Although, with only six hours to work through 18 pairings at Minatomachi River Place, a little planning goes a long way.
Most of the stalls offer standing service only. However, there is a premium seating ticket option (price TBC) for a more leisurely experience, with dedicated areas to sit and relax between tastings.
Tickets are now available online. Note that tickets do not include food and sake; these are sold separately on-site.