Hideo Kojima teams up with Japanese brewery to launch official Kojima Productions sake
A new collaboration has been announced between Hideo Kojima’s acclaimed video game studio Kojima Productions and the sake brand “ZAKU,” which is produced by the Shimizu Seizaburo Shoten brewery in Suzuka, Mie Prefecture.
The new product line features two different, special-edition bottles of Japanese sake, each of which incorporates a different traditional craft from the Mie Prefecture into its design.
The collaboration is a fusion of the modern pop culture of the video game studio with the long and storied history of Japanese craftsmanship, and both of the new products feature the studio’s iconic mascot, “LUDENS.”
The two different sake bottles in the collection are as follows:
- ZAKU LUDENS – Junmai Ginjo
This sake is described as having a fresh, apple-like aroma and a sharp acidity.
The design of its bottle features the Kojima Productions logo rendered in the style of “Ise-katagami,” a traditional craft of paper stencil dyeing that has its origins in the Muromachi period.
- ZAKU LUDENS – Hideo Kojima Signature – Junmai Daiginjo
This is a premium “junmai daiginjo” sake, made from 35% polished Yamada Nishiki rice grown in Mie Prefecture.
The bottle for this edition features a new, original piece of artwork that was created by the legendary Kojima Productions Art Director, Yoji Shinkawa.
The artwork was created using “Suzuka-sumi,” a traditional, high-quality ink that is also a specialty of the Mie Prefecture.
This new collection offers a unique and high-end tribute to both the art of video games and the history of traditional Japanese crafts.
The “ZAKU LUDENS Junmai Ginjo” is priced at ¥4,400 (approx. $27 USD/£20 GBP).
The premium “ZAKU LUDENS – Hideo Kojima Signature – Junmai Daiginjo” is priced at ¥22,000 (approx. $148 USD/£110 GBP).
The new collaboration sake is being sold at the Motohashi Saketen liquor store in Itabashi, Tokyo, and on their official online store.
Both of the new sake products went on sale starting from Tuesday, the 23rd of September, 2025.
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