Kameizumi ─ The Pineapple Sake Pioneer

Audio Guide

Kameizumi — One Minute of Stillness

A wild yeast that smells of pineapple

0:00−:−−

Cool to 8°C. Pour into a wine glass. Smell first.

Soul of the Kura

Kochi prefecture is famous for two things:
katsuo bonito, and dry sake.

One small Tosa kura quietly broke the rules.
In 1996, Kameizumi started using CEL-24 —
a wild yeast that produces astonishing pineapple aromas.

The bottle that came out tasted nothing like Tosa.
It tasted like the tropics.
Within a decade it was on every Tokyo wine bar's list.

Characteristics

Founded 1897 in Tosa City, Kochi.
Pioneer of CEL-24 yeast — a Kochi-developed wild yeast
famous for producing tropical-fruit aromas (pineapple, melon, lychee).
The brewery's "Junmai Ginjo CEL-24" was one of the first sakes
to introduce sweetness as a virtue rather than a flaw.
Cult favourite at Tokyo wine bars and Michelin-tier sushi counters.

Reasons to Visit

壱
Drink sake that smells of pineapple
CEL-24 is a wild yeast that produces astonishing tropical aromas — Kameizumi pioneered it.
弐
Visit during katsuo (bonito) season
Spring and autumn — Tosa Bay's signature catch is the local year-round food obsession.
参
Walk Tosa City's coastal landscape
Quiet Pacific port town, fifteen minutes from Kochi airport.
四
Pair with Tosa Jinja
Tosa's first-rank shrine in northern Kochi City — a cedar-grove sanctuary.
五
Eat Hirome Market sashimi
Kochi's famous casual food court — bring a bottle and pair freely.

Tasting Etiquette

Cool to 8°C, in a wine glass.
CEL-24's pineapple aroma fades above 12°C.
Smell three times before sipping.
The aroma is the work; honour it.
Pair with white-flesh sashimi or fruit.
Bonito tataki, hamo, or chilled mango all work.
Drink within days of opening.
Fresh aroma fades within 48 hours of opening.
Try alongside a Tosa karakuchi for contrast.
Same prefecture, opposite philosophy — both legitimate.

Visit & Tasting

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Address

1683 Hado, Tosa-shi, Kochi 781-1115

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Access

Kochi Airport → 30 min taxi · Tosa City

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Hours

9:00–17:00

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Closed

Saturday afternoon · Sunday

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Tasting

Paid tasting

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Reservation

Tour by reservation

🇬🇧

English

Limited

— Facilities —

🅿️ParkingYes

🚻RestroomYes

🏷️ShopYes

📅TourReserve

🗺 Directions 🌐 Official Site 📍 Open in Maps 📜 All Breweries

※ Hours, fees and contact details may change seasonally — please confirm on the brewery's official site before your visit.

Signature Labels

Complete the Sake Journey

Arrange your visit to Kameizumi — stay nearby, get there, taste with a guide, or take a bottle home.

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Kameizumi Tosa-Reishu 土佐麗酒

Junmai · classic Tosa karakuchi

A traditional dry Tosa bottle. The brewery's everyday face — sharp, clean, food-loving.

Kameizumi Junmai Daiginjo Manten 純米大吟醸満点

Junmai Daiginjo · 50% polish

A more refined sister bottle. Layered, less wild — for the most demanding sashimi service.

Recommended Pairings

◆Katsuo no tataki — straw-seared bonito with salt
◆Hamo (pike eel) with plum sauce
◆Fresh mango — the famous bartender pairing
◆Chilled tofu with yuzu salt

Pair With Pilgrimage

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Ichinomiya of Tosa Province

Tosa Jinja

土佐神社

The first-rank shrine of ancient Tosa, in northern Kochi City.
Enshrines Ajisukitakahikone-no-Mikoto, kami of agriculture and thunder.
A vast cedar grove, austere, deeply Pacific.
Visit in the morning; Kameizumi at Hirome Market by sunset.

Visit the Shrine →

Kameizumi

🏨Stay Near the Kura

🚄Getting There

🍶Sake Tours & Tastings

🍵Sake Vessels & Bottles

Tosa Jinja