On July 1st, the Vienna Opera Summer celebrates its premiere. In a spectacular arena at Heumarkt, musician and artistic director Joji Hattori—known to gourmets as the top restaurateur behind Shiki—presents La Traviata. The culinary connoisseur and his wife Sabine in conversation.

He is the undisputed king of Japanese delicacies – at his Michelin-starred restaurant Shiki, and now also at the Shiki Boutique & Sakethek on Vienna’s Krugerstraße, where stars and artists regularly come and go. And since Joji Hattori (56) is not only a brilliant culinary artist but also has had a celebrated career as a violinist and conductor (including with the Vienna Chamber Orchestra), he now ensures acoustic pleasures as well.

Since last year, the charming father of a seven-year-old son has served as the artistic director of the Vienna Opera Summer, which he himself initiated. This year, Hattori invites the public to a specially constructed arena at Heumarkt, where from July 1st to 19th, around 24,000 people will be treated to a fabulous production of La Traviata.

A special highlight: Oscar-winning actor Karl Markovics guides the audience through the masterpiece in the role of narrator as Giuseppe Verdi. (More information and tickets: opernsommer.at)

Just before the premiere, MADONNA visited Joji Hattori and his wife, physician Sabine Hattori, at their beautiful home in Döbling to talk with them about their love for each other, fine cuisine, and music.

It’s the day of the opening, and Jōji Hattori stands, wearing white gloves, beside a Japanese guest in front of a shelf. The guest is “a Japanese luminary” – and an exception: as a representative of the renowned lacquerware house Nosaku, he not only knows Vienna well but is also quite open to the exchange of goods – something that doesn’t apply to all Japanese producers.

In fact, Jōji Hattori explains, there was a great deal of skepticism when he traveled through his homeland in recent years to source products for his latest project. For example, the porcelain manufacturer Fukagawa exported more than half of its porcelain abroad during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when Japonism was fashionable in Europe. But when Hattori approached them a few years ago, he was told: “We don’t export.”
“Why?” he asked.
“We don’t have any staff who speak English,” was the reply.

“Japan is a major export nation, but since World War II, the country’s export history has focused exclusively on Western-style products like cars and televisions,” notes Hattori, himself a great-grandson of Seiko founder Kintarō Hattori. “The idea of selling our own cultural goods abroad has been completely forgotten.”

Fine Lacquerware

Hattori wants to change that – at least on a small scale. His new Shiki Boutique is a blend of sake day bar and shop for Japanese craftsmanship, located just a few doors down from Shiki, Hattori’s fine dining flagship in Vienna’s Krugerstraße.

Here you’ll find wooden sake vessels and small boxes with hand-painted inlays that almost appear to be made of black plastic – so smooth are they. The wood, says Hattori, is painted 30 times over the course of a month, “until the lacquer is so durable that you can even eat miso soup from it.”

“SHIKI Opens Boutique with Sakethek”

With the new SHIKI Boutique | Sakethek in Vienna’s First District, Joji Hattori makes a bold statement. The internationally active conductor and restaurateur is expanding his award-winning restaurant SHIKI with a curated space designed to make Japanese culture deeply tangible – visually, tactilely, and through taste. Showcased are exclusive Japanese artisanal crafts and a selection of premium sake, which can be tasted and purchased on-site.

The boutique impresses with understated design and a clear aesthetic language. Handpicked individual pieces are displayed in custom-made furniture: lacquerware, tin works, porcelain, textiles, and knives from Japanese ateliers – many of them available in Europe for the first time.

At the heart of the boutique is the specially designed Sakethek: tasting sets and personal consultations with sake expert Yuri Iwata provide insight into the diversity of Japanese brewing artistry. Her network includes over 100 sake breweries, with whom she works closely.

“Where Japanese Aesthetics Meet European Elegance”

Minimalist elegance, masterful craftsmanship, and the finest sake – in the heart of Vienna, a place has opened that unites all of this in a truly unique way: the new SHIKI Boutique | Sakethek by Joji Hattori.

A Complete Experience for All the Senses

With the opening of the SHIKI Boutique | Sakethek, celebrated conductor and restaurateur Joji Hattori begins a new chapter in his love for Japanese culture. Following the success of his fine-dining restaurant SHIKI, he now brings a one-of-a-kind concept to Europe: a space where sake culture and Japanese design merge in a stylish symbiosis.

Sake, Style & Samurai Vibes in Vienna’s First Sakethek

Drinking sake while deciding whether you need a Japanese knife or a designer fan? Welcome to Joji Hattori’s new SHIKI Boutique. Kyoto vibes in Vienna’s 1st District.

From the outside, it might look like just another fancy shop in downtown Vienna. But what Joji Hattori has just opened in the heart of the 1st District is no ordinary boutique. It is – hold on tight – Europe’s first symbiotic combination of Japanese craftsmanship and premium sake. Or, to put it more simply: a place where you can feel like a style-savvy samurai – sake glass in hand.

Drink Sake. Touch Porcelain. Buy Everything.

Joji Hattori, the guy who’s been running the fine-dining restaurant SHIKI for ten years (and who, by the way, is also a conductor – talk about a multi-talent), has fulfilled a dream with the SHIKI Boutique | Sakethek. And we get an incredibly stylish new spot to chill, marvel, and sample.

The concept: You walk in, get wrapped in minimalist Zen vibes, admire handmade Japanese artworks, sample a few glasses of sake – and then treat yourself to a lacquered box, a hand-forged knife, or a fine porcelain set. All authentic and made in Japan. No Ikea, no “Made in China.”
But rather: Suzugami, Fukagawa, Tadafusa – sounds like Pokémon, but it’s real artisan craftsmanship.

Japan to Take Home: SHIKI Boutique and Sakethek Open in Vienna

Joji Hattori opens Europe’s first symbiotic stage for Japanese craftsmanship and premium sake in Vienna’s First District.

A touch of Nippon now flows through Vienna’s First District: with the opening of the SHIKI Boutique | Sakethek, Joji Hattori has created a place where Japanese culinary and design culture merge in a way never seen before. The concept is unique in Europe – a stylish fusion of high-quality premium sake and the finest Japanese craftsmanship.

A Passion Project with Depth

Following the ten-year anniversary of his multiple award-winning restaurant SHIKI, Joji Hattori is fulfilling a long-held dream. The internationally active conductor and restaurateur aims not only to introduce sake more widely in Vienna, but also to make the artistry of Japanese manufacturers visible and tangible.

“Although there’s great interest in Japanese craftsmanship in Europe, it’s still rare to find stores that present it authentically,” says Hattori.
That’s exactly what he now intends to change.

Joji Hattori Welcomed VIPs to the Opening of His Boutique and Sakethek

The artist and restaurant owner has now expanded his repertoire by presenting Japanese art and culture.

“Austria and Japan are united by a love of art and a long tradition of craftsmanship,”
said Japanese Ambassador Kiminori Iwama at the opening of Joji Hattori’s “Shiki Boutique and Sakethek” in downtown Vienna.

In addition to sake, the boutique also offers hand-forged Japanese knives, porcelain, and kimonos designed by Natascha von Abensperg und Traun.

“I think it’s wonderful that Joji Hattori is not only dedicated to Japanese culinary highlights, but is now also bringing tradition and craftsmanship to Vienna,”
said ORF Radio Director Ingrid Thurnher.

A Reunion with a “Bunny”: Tasting in Vienna’s Sakethek

The expansion of Shiki to include perfectly served sake makes the category even more accessible.

When you take a seat at the beautiful tasting table made of light wood, you might feel tempted to let out a little cheer. But you don’t – because the ambiance of Vienna’s first Sakethek signals seriousness.
Jōji Hattori has expanded his spectacular Vienna restaurant Shiki with this new addition. Someday, there may also be a small menu at the other end of Krugerstraße, but for now, sake reigns supreme.

The perfectionist spent a long time searching for the right refrigerators.

“For a brewed product like sake, the correct temperature is crucial. Minus 2 degrees is ideal – but very few cooling units can handle that.”

In the end, he found a supplier. Now, in four of their units, mainly imports from Yuri Iwata (and her Sake no Ba) await tasting.