One Fire, Two Cups: An Autumn Campfire Night with TOKYO CRAFTS

The sun drops behind the trees a little earlier every week now. By five o'clock the light turns gold, by six you can see your breath, and the whole campsite starts to smell faintly of woodsmoke. This is the hour when the fire stops being a chore and becomes the centre of the evening: someone feeds it another log, someone pulls their chair closer, and someone asks the most important question of the night: "So what are we drinking?"

TOKYO CRAFTS is a Japanese outdoor brand that designs for exactly this moment. Below are four of their pieces that work together for an autumn campfire night: a fire pit light enough to carry in a backpack, a reflector that sends the warmth back to your seat, and two hand-made titanium cups for the drinks that follow.

1. The fire: MAKULITE Titanium Fire Pit

A good campfire night starts with a fire you can actually gather around. Many compact fire pits save weight by shrinking the fire bed, which means small flames and constant feeding. The MAKULITE Titanium Fire Pit takes the opposite approach: a generous, rectangular burn area that accepts larger logs, in a body made of titanium.

• Assembled: approx. 36 × 40 × 32 cm (excluding trivet), wide enough for a small group to sit around.
• Packed: approx. 21 × 40 × 2.5 cm, a slim panel that slides into a backpack.
• Weight: approx. 685 g in total (fire bed approx. 245 g, grill platform 120 g, windshield 180 g, trivet 80 g, case 60 g).
• Load capacity: 10 kg on the fire bed; the trivet holds 5 kg when set on the stand and 3 kg on the side panels.

That trivet is what turns the fire into a kitchen. Set it on the stand to bring a kettle or a skillet close to the flame; move it to the side panels when the logs have burned down to embers and you want gentle heat for grilling skewers or warming a pot of soup. The brand also notes that titanium takes on a blue heat tint the more you use it, so every trip leaves a little mark on the metal.

A practical note from the brand: don't set it up directly on grass or anywhere the ground could catch fire. A fire sheet underneath is a good habit.

2. The warmth: Bonfire Heat Reflector

On a still summer night, a fire warms everyone evenly. On a breezy autumn night, wind pulls the heat away and pushes smoke in every direction. The Bonfire Heat Reflector stands beside the fire to block the wind, steady the flame, and bounce radiant heat back toward the people sitting in front of it.

• Construction: a cotton main body on aluminium poles, with four stainless-steel panels that reflect the heat.
• Assembled: approx. W135 × D40 × H100 cm.
• Packed: W43 × D12 × H8 cm, weighing 1.2 kg without the storage case.
• In the box: main body, main and sub poles, ropes with adjusters, four pegs, four stainless panels, large and small storage cases, and instructions.

Set it on the far side of the fire from your chairs and you'll feel the difference on your face and hands within minutes. It also gives the campsite a sense of enclosure, a small "room" around the fire, which makes long evenings feel cosier.

3. The first drink: Gubi-nomi Titanium 300ml

Once the fire is steady, it's time for something cold. The Gubi-nomi Titanium 300ml takes the design of TOKYO CRAFTS' popular 60 ml sake cup and scales it up to 300 ml. That makes it a natural size for a can of beer, a highball, or a generous pour of sake shared over dinner.

• Material: titanium, hand-finished in Tsubame-Sanjo, Niigata.
• Capacity: 300 ml.
• Weight: approx. 47 g, light enough that you'll hardly notice it in your pack.
• Size: 90 mm diameter × 93 mm height.
• Made in: Japan.

According to the brand, the cup has a thin rim for a clean mouthfeel and a non-slip surface that sits comfortably in the hand. Titanium is also resistant to corrosion and doesn't easily pick up odours, so the cup that held beer at dinner can hold coffee the next morning. It comes in five gradient colours, and because each cup is finished by hand, no two look exactly alike.

4. The last drink: Titanium Sake Cup – 60 ml

Later, when the flames have settled into a bed of glowing embers and the conversation slows down, a smaller cup fits the mood. The Titanium Sake Cup – 60 ml is the original that inspired the Gubi-nomi: a guinomi-style sake cup with a gradient finish and a hammered surface, made in Niigata.

• Material: titanium.
• Capacity: 60 ml, a few sips of sake or a small measure of whisky.
• Weight: approx. 20 g.
• Size: 52 mm diameter × 55 mm height.
• Made in: Japan.

Titanium leaves the taste of your sake as it is, so a good bottle tastes like itself. At about 20 g each, they add almost nothing to your pack, and metal cups won't shatter when packed next to tent pegs. Pair one 300 ml cup and one 60 ml cup per person and you have the whole evening covered: a beer or highball with dinner, then a slow cup of sake by the embers.

Putting the night together

Here's a simple way to plan your autumn campfire night:

1. Before dark: set up the MAKULITE on a fire sheet and pitch the Heat Reflector on the windward side.
2. Dinner: cook over the trivet while the fire is lively, and pour cold drinks into the Gubi-nomi cups.
3. After dinner: move the trivet to the side panels for gentle ember heat (a perfect time to warm a pot of soup or make a last coffee).
4. The final hour: switch to the 60 ml sake cups, lean back, and let the reflector keep the warmth on your side of the fire.

The titanium pieces are also a thoughtful gift for the camper in your life. The cups in particular are small, light, hand-made in Japan, and come in colours that suit different personalities.

Bring the fire home this season

Autumn is the best time of year for campfires, and it's short. Explore the full TOKYO CRAFTS collection at Sakura Select, pick your fire pit and a pair of titanium cups, and plan your first cold-night fire before the season ends.