[Katagami City, Akita Prefecture] Popular Professional Mahjong Player Rio Tojo x Long-established Brewery Kodama Brewing Announce First Collaboration: Limited Edition Label of Junmai Ginjo "Chogetsu" Appears on Furusato Nozei

Katagami City, Akita Prefecture (Mayor: Yudai Suzuki) announces a collaborative project between popular professional mahjong player Rio Tojo, who is from the city and also serves as a "Katagami City Hometown Support Ambassador," and the long-established brewery "Kodama Brewing Co., Ltd.," founded in 1879. Rio Tojo personally visited the brewery and selected the Junmai Ginjo "Chogetsu," which will be offered with a special design inspired by the mahjong tile "Ipin". Limited pre-orders will begin on Saturday, March 28, 2026, as a Furusato Nozei return gift.

1. Background of the Project

Collaboration Realized from a Desire for Hometown Iidagawa, Katagami City

This project began with the strong desire of Rio Tojo, a Katagami City native and "Katagami City Hometown Support Ambassador," to "share the charm of my beloved hometown with people across the country through my activities."

Kodama Brewing, also located in Iidagawa, Katagami City, resonated with this sentiment, leading to a collaboration.

Rio Tojo actually visited the brewery, observed the sake brewing process, interacted with the brewers, and tasted the sake, personally selecting the Japanese sake to be used for this collaboration product.

The special label, imbued with Rio Tojo's passion, will be applied to sake brewed in her hometown and delivered to fans nationwide.

2. Design Details

A Must-See for Mahjong Fans: Special Label Inspired by "Ipin"

The theme of the limited edition label is "Mahjong," which is Rio Tojo's identity.

With Rio Tojo's own idea, the mahjong tile "Ipin" is boldly placed. It has been finished with an unprecedented stylish design that incorporates her identity as a professional mahjong player.

This is a special edition that fuses Rio Tojo's glamorous image with the traditional charm of Japanese sake, and Rio Tojo's signature is also printed on the bottle.

It is a product that is attracting attention from both mahjong and sake fans as a highly collectible item.

3. Product Details

Junmai Ginjo "Chogetsu" Chosen by Rio Tojo for its "Aroma"

The selected collaboration product is Kodama Brewing's proud Junmai Ginjo "Chogetsu."

This is a popular sake from Kodama Brewing, made with 100% "Akita Komachi," a sake rice suitable for brewing, from the local region.

Using the secret "Akita-style Kimoto" brewing method, it brings out a fruity aroma and a core umami. Furthermore, by utilizing the cold of the snowy region and brewing slowly at extremely low temperatures, it creates a gorgeous ginjo aroma.

This is a highly-rated sake that has received high praise in domestic and international competitions, including:
・IWC 2019 Gold Medal
・KURA MASTER 2022 Platinum Award
・2022 U.S. National Sake Appraisal Gold Award