Sake TabiA guide to visiting Japan's sake breweries, distilleries, wineries and more
SAKE

Sake: places to visit

Visit sake breweries to learn about brewing and their history, and enjoy a tasting. Many brew only in winter; each listing explains what you can see by season.

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A cedar ball (sugidama) hanging at a sake brewery

A sugidama hung outside a sake brewery, Takayama

Photo: Celuici / CC BY-SA 3.0 ・ Photo source ・ Resized and cropped
A photo introducing this type of drink, taken at the place named in the caption. It does not represent a specific place to visit.
Exterior of the historic Kunimare Sake Brewery
Sake
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Kunimare Sake Brewery

Mashike, Hokkaido

The visitor facilities of Kunimare in Mashike, Hokkaido include a brewery tour, a stone-warehouse archive room and a free herring boat exhibit, plus a tasting corner.

Booking: Reservation recommended
The Otokoyama Sake Brewery Museum building with its rooftop sign
Sake
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Otokoyama Sake-Making Museum

Asahikawa, Hokkaido

A free-admission museum displaying sake-making tools, Otokoyama’s history and ukiyo-e prints. The tasting and shop area has moved to the newly built shop next door.

Booking: Check the official site
The snow-covered entrance of the Meiji-era Takasago Shuzo brewery
Sake
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Takasago Shuzo Meiji Sakagura Brewery Tour

Asahikawa, Hokkaido

A guided walk through the 1929 brewery with explanations of its history and sake-making process. In winter (late October to end of March), the morning tour may let you see brewers at work.

Booking: Reservation required
The Hachinohe Shuzo shop and brewery frontage
Sake
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Hachinohe Shuzo Brewery Tour (Mutsu Hassen)

Hachinohe, Aomori

A roughly 40-minute tour of the brewery's working floor and process in Taisho-era buildings designated as registered tangible cultural properties, with tasting included.

Booking: Check the official site
Exterior of the Asabiraki brewery
Sake
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Asabiraki Brewery Tour and Local Sake Shop

Morioka, Iwate

A free guided tour of the Showa Asahi-gura, which has both hand-made and modern lines, and the bottling plant. The shop offers free tastings.

Booking: Reservation required
Exterior of the Nanbu Bijin headquarters and brewery
Sake
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Nanbu Bijin Brewery Tour (Hongura)

Ninohe, Iwate

Dress as a brewer in a happi coat and towel and tour the well, rice washing and steaming, yeast starter room, brewing hall, pressing area and whisky distillery, with a photo and original-label experience.

Booking: Reservation required
The entrance and grounds of Ichinokura
Sake
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Ichinokura

Osaki, Miyagi

A free tour: watch a short video on sake making, then walk a dedicated corridor and view each work area through windows, followed by tasting.

Booking: Reservation required
Exterior of Kimura Brewery (Fukukomachi)
Sake
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Kimura Brewery (Fukukomachi)

Yuzawa, Akita

A Yuzawa brewery offering reservation-only tours of about 40 minutes. Tours stop during the brewing season.

Booking: Reservation required
Exterior of the Fukunotomo Brewery
Sake
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Fukunotomo Brewery

Daisen, Akita

A brewery three minutes on foot from Jingūji Station. The production floor isn't shown, but you can tour the buildings, taste sake and visit the gallery and shop.

Booking: Check the official site
Akita Meijo head office and factory
Sake
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Bishu Ranman (Akita Meijo)

Yuzawa, Akita

A reservation-based tour down through the five-story brewery, with a museum visit and tasting.

Booking: Reservation required
Akita Shurui Seizo head office and brewery
Sake
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Takashimizu Brewery Tour (Akita Shurui Seizo Head Brewery)

Akita, Akita

A roughly 45-minute visit combining a process video, a guided walk and tasting/shopping. The head brewery includes Senshu-gura and Sennin-gura, where traditional hands-on sake brewing is practiced.

Booking: Reservation required
Exterior of the Tenju Shuzo brewery
Sake
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Tenju Shuzo Brewery Tour

Yurihonjo, Akita

A one-hour tour of the brewing hall and bottling plant followed by tasting in the shop. Visitors receive a commemorative sake cup and a bottle of brewing water.

Booking: Reservation required
Exterior of the Dewazakura brewery
Sake
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Dewazakura Sake Brewery

Tendo, Yamagata

A sake brewery in Tendo, Yamagata, with an English-language tour and tasting of 5 cups. The price is ¥30,000 per group.

Booking: Reservation required
Exterior of the Toko Brewery sake museum
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Toko no Sakagura Sake Museum (Kojima Sohonten)

Yonezawa, Yamagata

One of the largest sake museums in Tohoku, run by Kojima Sohonten (founded 1597). Browse the brewing hall and giant tubs freely, and taste at the attached shop.

Booking: No reservation needed
Exterior of the Daishichi sake brewery
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Daishichi Brewery

Nihonmatsu, Fukushima

A small-group paid tour combining a brewery walk-through with tasting, offered in three courses.

Booking: Reservation required
Exterior of the Suehiro Shuzo brewery with white walls
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Suehiro Brewery Kaei-kura

Aizuwakamatsu, Fukushima

A roughly 30-minute tour of Kaei-kura, with up to six tours a day. Individuals need no reservation; groups must book.

Booking: No reservation needed
The storefront and brewery building of Murai Jozo
Sake
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Murai Jozo (Komei)

Sakuragawa, Ibaraki

A brewery in Makabe with registered tangible cultural property buildings. After an explanation and a walk through the brewery, visitors taste sake at the tasting corner.

Booking: Reservation required
Exterior of the Nishioka Honten brewery
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Nishioka Honten (Hananoi)

Sakuragawa, Ibaraki

A brewery in Makabe where staff guide visitors through the brewery and explain its sake-making culture and techniques.

Booking: Reservation recommended
The Watanabe Sahei Shoten brewery building in the town of Imaichi
Sake
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Watanabe Sahei Shoten (Nikko Homare)

Nikko, Tochigi

A Nikko brewery offering year-round, fully reservation-based brewery tours and sake classes with tasting. English guidance is available.

Booking: Reservation required
Exterior of the Suzuki Shuzo Sake Brewery Museum
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Suzuki Shuzo Sake Brewery Museum

Iwatsuki, Saitama, Saitama

A museum attached to a brewery founded in 1871, displaying old sake-making tools and historical materials, with a video corner, tasting corner and shop.

Booking: Check the official site
Head office and shop of Yokota Shuzo
Sake
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Yokota Shuzo

Gyoda, Saitama

A roughly 30-minute guided tour of the brewery; tasting is available on request.

Booking: Reservation required
Main building of Iinuma Honke, a traditional brewery with tiled roof and white walls
Sake
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Iinuma Honke

Shisui, Chiba

Brewery staff guide visitors through the brewing facilities and historic buildings. A shop and restaurant are also on the grounds.

Booking: Check the official site
The spring of brewing water at the Ozawa brewery
Sake
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Sawanoi (Ozawa Shuzo)

Ome, Tokyo

A brewery in Ome, Tokyo. The tour takes about 40 minutes, is by reservation and costs ¥700.

Booking: Reservation required
Gate and buildings of Toshimaya Shuzo
Sake
Secondary sources (not confirmed with the facility)

Toshimaya Shuzo

Higashimurayama, Tokyo

A booking site sells a guided tour of Toshimaya Brewery’s production areas with sake tasting. Not confirmed with the brewery.

Booking: Reservation required