Sakazuki is a modern Japanese pub one would attend on the way to the train station or to a baseball game in Tokyo. A little silly, and sure to make you smile, the colors are vibrant, sometimes even fluorescent like a neon sign in a Tokyo alley.
Creative Direction
Visually, we leaned into flash photography, saturated color, neon reflections, motion blur, imperfect crops, tilted compositions, fisheye/wide-angle moments, and close-ups that feel almost too close.
Food photography and video is playful rather than precious: a Wagyu dog held toward the camera, hands reaching for handrolls, condensation running down an Asahi glass, sake being poured mid-motion.
Creative Direction, Copywriting and Social Strategy by Sarah DiMichele
Photography by Hayden Stinebaugh
sʜᴜғғʟᴇ ᴛʜʀᴏᴜɢʜ ᴏᴜʀ sᴀᴋᴇ ʜɪᴛs ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇ sɪɴɢʟᴇ ᴄʜᴏɪᴄᴇ ᴏғ ғᴜɴ- ʜᴇʀᴇ ᴛɪʟ ᴍɪᴅɴɪᴛᴇ! #sᴀᴋᴀᴢᴜᴋɪ
ʟᴇᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ɢᴏᴏᴅ ᴛɪᴍᴇs ʀᴏʟʟ — ʜᴇʀᴇ ᴛɪʟ 11ᴘᴍ #sᴀᴋᴀᴢᴜᴋɪ
ʀᴏʟʟ ᴜᴘ! ᴡᴇ’ʀᴇ sᴇʀᴠɪɴɢ ʜᴀɴᴅ ʀᴏʟʟs! ᴏᴜʀ ɴᴇᴡ ʜᴀɴᴅ ʀᴏʟʟ sᴛᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ɪs ɴᴏᴡ ᴏᴘᴇɴ! ᴇɴᴊᴏʏ ᴍᴀᴅᴇ-ᴛᴏ-ᴏʀᴅᴇʀ ʜᴀɴᴅ ʀᴏʟʟs ᴇxᴀᴄᴛʟʏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴀʏ ʏᴏᴜ ʟɪᴋᴇ! #sᴀᴋᴀᴢᴜᴋɪ
ᴅʀɪɴᴋ ᴜᴘ! ᴘᴀʀᴛʏ sᴛᴀʀᴛs ɴᴏᴡ. ᴋᴀʀᴀᴏᴋᴇ 8-11ᴘᴍ. sᴇᴇ ᴜ sᴏᴏɴ!
ɴᴏᴛ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴀᴠᴇʀᴀɢᴇ ᴅᴏɢ — ᴇɴᴊᴏʏ ᴡᴀɢʏᴜ ᴅᴏɢ, ʜᴏᴛ ʜᴇʀᴇ @ #sᴀᴋᴀᴢᴜᴋɪ ᴛɪʟ ᴍɪᴅɴɪɢʜᴛ!
ᴘᴇʀғᴇᴄᴛ ʙɪᴛᴇ...ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴛɪᴍᴇ. ɢᴏɪɴ ɪɴ ғᴏʀ ᴀɴᴏᴛʜᴇʀ! 𓐐 ᴄᴀᴛᴄʜ ᴏᴜʀ ʏᴀᴋɪ sᴏʙᴀ ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴀᴘᴘʏ ʜᴏᴜʀ ᴍᴇɴᴜ 4-6ᴘᴍ. sᴇᴇ ᴜ sᴏᴏɴ #sᴀᴋᴀᴢᴜᴋɪ
Moodboard
Social Strategy
Pillar 1: Food & Drink:
Purpose: Food storytelling + frequency
Make the food and beverage program the immediate hook. The imagery should feel bold, saturated, glossy, and almost tactile—close-ups of sandos, handrolls, ramen, wagyu dogs, sake pours, highballs, and colorful cocktails like the Sailor Moon and Hello, Kat.
Think flash photography, extreme food close-ups, hands reaching into frame, sake being poured, drinks mid-cheers, condensation, and messy-in-a-good-way table moments. This pillar also carries Happy Hour, specials, menu features, and playful food/drink graphics.
Pillar 2: People & Culture
Purpose: Community
Use UGC, creators, staff, and aspirational lifestyle photography to sell the experience of being there. Sakazuki already has built-in social moments like Wednesday karaoke and its nightlife-inspired atmosphere.
Prioritizes groups squeezing around a table, karaoke, late-night drinks, friends cheers-ing, someone holding a cocktail against the neon interior, bartender interactions, and candid flash photography.
Pillar 3: The world of Sakazuki
Purpose: Brand building + culture
Let the interiors, graphic identity, and Japanese pop-culture references build a recognizable visual universe. The restaurant itself was designed around Japanese nightlife, pop culture, and anime, including custom Japanese ceramic tile work.
Mix architectural shots with signage, typography, tiles, objects, packaging, illustrations, animated graphics, Japanese ephemera-inspired layouts, and playful text posts. Rather than polished empty-interior shots exclusively, photograph the space as fragments: a glowing sign, tiled wall behind a drink, reflections, a half-seen guest, a tabletop after dinner. Graphics lean into the slightly chaotic, colorful energy of Tokyo signage and nightlife.
⋆｡°✩⩇⩇: ⩇⩇˚☽˚｡⋆
when the door opens, adventure begins.