Sake X Ghibli Jazz is back in Melbourne for its 11th instalment, and this one promises to be a cracker.
Combining the art of Japanese sake with a carefully curated onigiri teishoku set and live jazz arrangements of beloved Studio Ghibli classics, it’s the kind of Melbourne evening that hits all the senses at once.
Sake X Ghibli Jazz Vol.11 brings together two Melbourne-based acts whose combined résumé spans continents. Jazz players, vocalist and trumpeter Nana Koizumi and pianist Max Peace, will be performing on the night, with sake sommelier Kana Aoyama guiding guests through a tasting journey that pairs beautifully with the food and music on offer.
Sake X Ghibli Jazz Vol.11
- When: 24 April 2026
- Where: Tetsujin, Emporium Melbourne Level 4
- Two sessions available
- Tickets: here
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Nana Koizumi is no ordinary jazz musician. A self-described singing trumpeter, she’s built a reputation for fusing instrumental mastery with emotive vocals across stages in New York, Los Angeles, Thailand, Korea, Canada, and beyond.
Since relocating to Melbourne in November 2022, she’s thrown herself into Australia’s jazz scene with serious momentum, performing at the Australian Sake Festival in Sydney and Melbourne, the Japan Festival in Melbourne, and the SydFest Independent Film Festival opening ceremony.
She’s shared the stage with Sampa the Great at Fed Square and, more recently, she’s taken her music to South Korea and China, selling out a show at Seoul jazz club Flat Nine and performing at Jazz at Lincoln Center Shanghai.
Alongside Nana, Melbourne-based composer and multi-instrumentalist Max Peace brings a distinctive musical sensibility. Known for his work as a video game composer and sound designer, Max brings a playful, textural approach to the piano that works brilliantly in the context of Ghibli’s sweeping, imaginative soundscapes.
Completing the trio is Kana Aoyama, a certified sake educator with the Sake Sommelier Association and over a decade of hospitality experience. Based in Melbourne, Kana runs a series of workshops, private tastings, and seminars from Tetsujin, designed to make sake genuinely accessible and interesting for everyone.
On the night, she’ll be walking guests through a curated sake selection, from crisp and floral junmai daiginjo styles through to richer, umami-forward expressions, showing just how versatile sake can be when paired thoughtfully with food.
The venue itself is worth a look. Tetsujin sits on level 4 of Emporium Melbourne, a Tokyo-inspired space designed by EAT Architecture that pulls together a sushi train running market-fresh fish, a Japanese BBQ section where a dedicated attendant tends to premium cuts of meat and seafood tableside, and an izakaya menu for when you want to graze a little wider.
The drinks list covers all the bases too; beers, wines, cocktails, mocktails, Japanese whisky, and of course, sake.
It’s a night that genuinely offers something different; intimate, immersive, and steeped in Japanese culture, brought to life by a team that clearly loves what they do.
For more information, head here.
This article was made in partnership with Tetsujin.
