Toshiro's Bar: Crafting cocktails with Cuzen Matcha

Toshiro's Bar: Crafting cocktails with Cuzen Matcha

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Nestled in Sansui Niseko, a Michelin Key hotel serving ski-tourists from around the world, Toshiro’s Bar is run by a husband-and-wife team in Niseko, Hokkaido in Japan. Despite the luxury and the transience of their clientele, Toshiro and Yoko Akinori have created a craft cocktail bar that feels deeply personal and relaxed, making them stand apart from other Japanese hotel bars. Toshiro Akinori is an award-winning bartender and his wife Yoko is known for her warm hospitality and ever-present smile.

We sat down with the couple for Cuzen Matcha's Japanese podcast, Go Greener, to hear the story behind the bar, how they've shaped their craft for a global clientele, and what a bartender sees in the possibilities of the Matcha Maker and matcha cocktails.

Toshiro’s Bar
Founders: Akinori Toshiro and Yoko Toshiro
Location: Niseko, Hokkaido
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Table of contents

  1. A place of ease and good company
  2. Shaped by the warmth between two people
  3. A bartender’s case for matcha cocktails
  4. From Niseko to the world: what’s next

A place of ease and good company

We opened in a popular ski destination in Northern Japan back in 2014 and now operate inside Sansui Niseko, a luxury hotel. Our place is a craft cocktail bar centered around cocktails and whisky. Because Niseko is a world-class ski resort, over 90% of our guests come from overseas alongside our local regulars.

This is a place where people choose to spend meaningful time with the people they care about. Hotel bars in Japan can feel formal with a certain dress code and a certain tension. We wanted none of that. High quality? Yes, always. But the atmosphere should feel open and easy, somewhere anyone can enjoy themselves and their company. That's the challenge we live with every day, working to make every visit feel just right.

  • The black and white logo for Toshiro's Bar with Japanese script and two lions flanking a crowned martini glass.

Shaped by the warmth between two people

We were actually middle school classmates.  We got married and then started the bar together. We think this kind of space is only possible because we're doing it together as a couple. I [Toshiro] focus on the cocktails. Yoko handles events, communications and welcoming guests. Each of us can give our full attention to what we do best, and that's what makes Toshiro’s Bar special.

It didn't start out this way. We began as a traditional Japanese bar and gradually shifted to meet our international guests. Niseko made that evolution possible. When the winter season ends, we have a stretch from spring through autumn to slow down and really think. That kind of breathing room isn't easy to find if you're running a bar in the city seven days a week.

More than anything, we've been able to keep going because we share the same goal. The desire to go beyond Niseko and even beyond Japan. This shared dream has always been there. Years of hosting guests from all over the world keeps our perspective wide. We’ve really learned that the moment you stop looking outward, you stop growing.

  • Husband-and-wife team, Toshiro and Yoko Akinori, owners of Toshiro's Bar in Hokkaido, Japan.

A bartender's case for matcha cocktails

We're ambassadors for the Niseko Distillery, and the parent company's team introduced us to Cuzen Matcha’s founder, Eijiro Tsukada.

Soon after, we came across Eijiro's interview on ReHacQ, a popular Japanese YouTube channel. We were genuinely moved by his vision. We ordered a machine to try the freshly-ground matcha, and immediately decided to buy both a Matcha Maker and Matcha Maker Pro.

As global cocktail competitions grow, matcha is becoming an increasingly sought-after ingredient for expressing Japanese identity. Brewing tea properly has always been a challenge for bartenders. That's exactly where the Cuzen Matcha Maker becomes indispensable. 

You can press a button and have freshly-ground matcha ready while you're prepping everything else. And because you can put spirits directly into the cup instead of water, the fresh aroma carries right into the drink. So far, we haven't found a spirit that it doesn't work with.

We're also noticing, especially with our international guests, that people aren't just looking for a good drink. They want to know the story behind it. Watching the leaves milled right in front of you, knowing this cup was made for you in that moment: that experience fits perfectly into what a bar is. Cuzen Matcha is a natural match for the bar environment.

  • A matcha cocktail, set on a surface at Toshiro's Bar. The Cuzen Matcha Maker Pro is in the background.

From Niseko to the world: What's next

We've been invited to guest-bartend at bars across Asia, and we are looking for an opportunity in the United States. With direct flights now running from New Chitose Airport (Hokkaido) to San Francisco and Vancouver, we're seeing more North American guests than ever. We want to be there when the moment is right.

Eventually, we’d like a spot on Asia's 50 Best Bars. Being in Niseko, a place that already belongs to the world, means we've been building toward something. We feel that.

We also believe the combination of Japanese matcha culture and cocktail craft holds real potential for the American market. It doesn't have to start big. Sometimes it starts with one matcha cocktail. And that's a fine place to begin.

  • Toshiro's bar is located in the Michelin Key hotel, Sansui Niseko, in Hokkaido, Japan.

The full interview with Toshiro’s Bar is available in Japanese on the Cuzen Matcha podcast, Go Greener, which features stories from the restaurants, bars and producers from Japan to the United States, connected through matcha. You can find episodes on Spotify and Apple Podcast.

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