Event development & tastings
For corporate receptions, conferences and hotel programs. We design the format, select the beverages and plan service. Large-format sake tastings start at 50 guests.
Plan a group event
Event development & tastings in Japan
Bring people together over a good pour.
We design and host beverage experiences in Japan, from corporate tastings for 50+ guests to intimate private dinners.
Plan an event50+ guestsLarge-format sake tastings
500 guestsLargest event delivered
Intimate by designLuxury private dinners
01 / Events & Tastings
An event shaped around your guests.
We start with your guest count, budget, venue and purpose. Make it a Japanese cultural experience with sake as one part, or put the drinks at the center and build the cultural elements around them.
Luxury private dinners
An intimate format for a special dinner. We build the drink selection and guided experience around the menu, the room and the pace of the evening.
Discuss a private dinnerTasting support team
Already have a tasting plan? Our support team can help you run it. The team and its role are scoped to the venue and format.
Ask about supportSake expertise, a wider drinks table. Nihonshu, craft beer, cider, rum and other beverages of Japan and beyond can all be part of the brief.
Two ways to build an experience
Culture first or drinks first.
Introduce guests to Japan through food and the stories behind the drinks, or build the program around a guided comparison. Tell us what you want guests to take away, and we’ll shape the event around it.
Talk through your briefWhat clients say
Several years, many events.
“The presentations by the Craft Instinct Japan team are just like the sake selections they chose: widely appealing, with a fascinating story, superbly enjoyable, and perfectly tailored to the palate of the recipient. We’ve worked with their team on a number of events over several years, and our clients have always been highly satisfied.”
James Kent, General Manager, The JTeam (destination management company)
02 / For makers & brands
Build the next product. Improve how you sell it.
Practical advice, on-site support and commissioned development for beverage and food businesses in Japan and overseas.
Product advisory for makers
Help international customers find your drinks. We look at your products the way a foreign customer does, so we know what makes them appeal to overseas buyers and visitors.
- Engagement: tastings, events and experiences that put your drinks in front of international customers
- Research: what overseas buyers and visitors look for, and where your products fit
- Portfolio development: which products to lead with, and how to present them in English and Japanese
- Sales process and website reviews, plus on-site selling with tools such as Stripe or Square
Product development
We work directly with a maker to develop a product for a client in Japan or overseas, whether it’s for an event or a limited release.
- Brief, maker selection, sampling, refinement and production coordination
- Nihonshu, cider, beer and rum, with wine considered selectively
- Past work includes the Anne sake release with Chiyonokame of Ehime and special releases for customer events
- Production seasons and minimum lots shape every plan
Japan market & import advisory
For overseas brands getting into Japan. We help you assess the market and establish a foothold.
- Market fit, positioning and routes to market
- Import and distribution partner planning
- Establishing a foothold: trade shows, events and tastings, with our team on hand
03 / Explore
Explore Japan through its makers.
Free guides to where to buy Japanese drinks and which makers you can visit.
Where to buy nihonshu [Japanese sake] in Tokyo
A map of 45 Tokyo shops that sell bottles of nihonshu to take home: station shops, department stores, prefectural shops and sake specialists, with directions and floor notes.
Open the mapTouring
Considering a maker visit or a drinks-focused itinerary? Tell us the region, group and interests you have in mind. Touring is in development.
Ask about touringVisit a nihonshu brewery
A map of independent sake breweries across Japan that welcome visitors for tours and tastings. Go from region to prefecture to brewery, with English information where it exists.
Open the brewery mapGet in touch
Tell us what you have in mind.
For an event, share your date, venue or city, guest count, budget range and what you want guests to experience.
Loading…