[Hiroshima ]A must-see for sake lovers! Sake tasting and enjoyment! 4 sake breweries open for tours
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2022-03-22 Management office
Hiroshima's "Saijo "is one of the three major sake breweries in Japan, along with Kyoto's "Fushimi "and Hyogo's "Nada ". Hiroshima Prefecture has long been famous for its sake, and there are sake breweries not only in Saijo but throughout the prefecture. Many people from inside and outside the prefecture visit sake breweries in search of delicious sake. We will now introduce four sake breweries in Hiroshima that you can visit and that brew delicious sake!
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Kamotsuru Sake Brewery
Saijo's leading sake brewery
"Kamotsuru Sake Brewery "is one of the oldest sake breweries in Saijo, the capital of sake. Originally, Saijo was an area with soft water that was not suitable for sake production. However, during the Meiji era (1868-1912), a technique was discovered to produce mellow sake, and Saijo became famous as a sake brewery.
Kamotsuru Sake Brewery is a leader in Saijo and "Daiginjo Tokusai Gold Kamotsuru "is the sake that former President Obama drank with Prime Minister Abe when he visited Japan. Many of you may have learned about "Daiginjo Tokusai Gold Kamotsuru "because of that scene.
Well-equipped tour facilities
Visitors can tour the brewery at Kamotsuru Sake Brewery. The No. 1 brewery, built in the early Meiji period and designated as a registered tangible cultural property (building), has been reconstructed as a tour space. After learning about brewing through an explanatory movie about sake brewing, visitors can learn about the tools needed to make sake and the brewing process. Subtitled versions in English, Chinese, and French are also available, so visitors from overseas can also enjoy the tour.
Free tastings are available, but those who want to drink more are encouraged to try the paid tastings. You can also buy sake and sweets made with sake.
Reservations are not required for visits of 10 people or less, so feel free to drop by.
Sake Dining
The Kamotsuru Sake Brewery operates the restaurant "Francophile "where you can enjoy pairing Kamotsuru's sake with dishes. In addition to Kamotsuru sake, the restaurant's cuisine is popular for its use of seasonal ingredients from the Seto Inland Sea. The sake hot pot, which originated with Kamotsuru, is an exquisite dish. The food and sake will sink deeply into your body after a tiring tour of the sake brewery. The attention to detail in the temperature of cold or heated sake and the sake containers shows the attention to detail that comes with being a company that manufactures sake. Of course, there are also dishes that do not contain sake, so even those who do not like sake and children can enjoy themselves.
"Facility Information "
Facility Name: Kamotsuru Sake Brewery
Address: 9-7 Saijo Honmachi, Higashihiroshima City, Hiroshima Prefecture
Phone number: 0120-422-212
Hours of operation: 9:00-16:30
Closed: Obon, Year-end and New Year holidays, and occasional holidays
Activities：Movie showings, exhibition corner tours, shopping, free tastings (approx. 5 kinds), paid tastings (from 200 yen)
Fee: Free of charge
Foreign languages: Available
Parking: Yes
URL：https://www.kamotsuru.jp/
SAKURAO
Focus on gin and whiskey
This sake brewery is located just across the shore from the World Heritage Site of Miyajima, and has been carrying on the high distillation technology for more than 100 years since it started in 1918.
In 2018, the 100th anniversary of its founding, the company also started brewing a purely domestic gin using ingredients from Hiroshima Prefecture. Its name is "SAKURAO GIN ". With its uniquely Japanese name, it appeals not only to the domestic market but also to the international market. Citrus fruits, the raw material for gin, and juniper berries, the source of gin's aroma, grow in clusters in Hiroshima. Using these, a new challenge has begun, from Hiroshima to the world. It was not an easy task, but after many trips to overseas distilleries to learn gin and whiskey techniques, the single malt whiskey "sakurao ""tokouchi "was born. The result is a drink that can be said to be the fruit of the efforts of its producers.
Whiskey Taste
A dark amber-colored whiskey, "Sakurao "is a whiskey with vanilla sweetness, a smoky aroma, and a moderate astringency, with a long, rich sweet aftertaste that makes it easy to drink.
The golden-colored whiskey, "Togouchi ", has a fruity aroma of apples, marmalade and apricots. It has a soft sweetness and smooth mouthfeel with a gentle lingering finish.
Tour of the distillery
Visitors can tour a distillery that makes purely domestic craft gin using ingredients from Hiroshima Prefecture and single-moist whiskey. Unlike other liquors, gin is characterized by the use of spices and citrus fruits to design its aroma.
The tour of this distillery is divided into four zones. In Zone 1, visitors can see the distiller of craft gin, which is made from citrus fruits such as lemon, oyster shells (a Hiroshima specialty), and botanicals such as cypress and cherry. Visitors can also see the distiller of malt whiskey, which is made from malted barley. In Zone 2, visitors can observe the process of crushing and saccharifying the raw materials for grain whiskey. After saccharification, the whiskey is fermented slowly over a period of three days. In Zone 3, you can see the distilled whiskey being casked, and in Zone 4, you can see the casked whiskey being aged. The maturing process takes at least three years.
Free tours are available, but a paid tour with tasting at the end of the tour is recommended. The tour takes about one hour and costs 2,000 yen per person. In addition to the tasting, you can touch the botanicals actually used and purchase original goods. There is also a touch panel guide available in Japanese and English, which is popular among foreign visitors.
"Facility Information "
Facility name: SAKURAO
Address: 1-12-1 Sakurao, Hatsukaichi City, Hiroshima Prefecture
Phone number: 0829-32-2111
Business hours: 10:00-17:00
Closed: Sundays, Obon, Year-end and New Year holidays
Activities: Distillery tour, shopping, tasting
Material fee：2000yen/person
Foreign languages: Available
Parking: Yes
URL：https://www.kamotsuru.jp/
Fujii Sakezo
One of the three Takehara brands
"Fujii Shuzo "is located in Takehara City, Hiroshima Prefecture, the same city as "Takehara Shuzo ", made famous by the NHK TV series "Masan ", and is one of the three famous Takehara breweries.
About 80% of sake is water, and the quality of water greatly affects the quality of sake. The water used in Takehara's brewery is clean water drawn from 126 meters underground. The water used in Takehara's brewery is clean water drawn from 126 meters underground. It contains high chloride ions, which give sake a richer, more mellow flavor.
Japan's number one sake
"Fujii Shuzo "is most famous for "Ryusei ", which once won the top prize in Japan. It is made from Omachi rice, a fantastic sake rice from Okayama Prefecture, and is characterized by its dark yeast and yet crisp acidity. It has a mild aftertaste and goes well with food.
Sake brewery tours with tastings
"Fujii Sake Brewery Exchange Center "is a partially remodeled sake brewery built in the late Edo period. The Honmachi Street where the museum is located is called "the little Kyoto of Aki ", and the area with its calm atmosphere has been selected as a national Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings (Takehara Machinami Preservation District). Inside the brewery is an antenna store where visitors can enjoy tastings and a bar counter. It is also a great place to buy souvenirs, as there are many Fujii Sake Brewery's sake products available.
"Fujii Shuzo "offers sake brewery tours. The tour takes about one hour and costs 8,000 yen per person, which may seem a bit expensive, but you can enjoy tasting five different brands of sake while listening to the brewery staff talk about the brewery and its specialties. Souvenirs are also available, which is very popular among sake lovers.
"Facility Information "
Facility name: Fujii Sake Brewery -Sake Brewery Exchange Center
Address: 3-4-14 Honmachi, Takehara City, Hiroshima Prefecture (on the side of the townscape preservation district)
Phone number: 0846-22-5158
Business hours: 11:00-16:00
Closed: Mondays (or the following day if Monday is a national holiday), New Year's Day
Activities: Distillery tours, shopping, tasting, concerts and events (irregular)
Fee: Free of charge
Parking: Yes
URL：https://www.fujiishuzou.com/
Fumei Wine Manufacturing
The tallest chimney in Saijo
"Fukubito Sake Brewery "is located in Saijo Town, Higashi-Hiroshima City, one of the three most famous sake breweries in Japan. It is the tallest of the 15 chimneys on the sake brewery street, standing 27 meters high. The brewery was founded in 1917 by a group of sake brewers and other volunteers from all over Japan. It is used not only for sake brewing, but also as a place for training sake brewing technicians, and toji (master brewers) who learned sake brewing here are now active throughout the country.
Easy-drinking sake
"The name "Fukubijin "" comes from the two meanings of the name of the place at that time: ""Fukujin" "and ""Like a beautiful woman, it tastes plump, gentle and mild ". As the name suggests, it has a sweet, mouthwatering, plump flavor. It has a sweet and sour fruit aroma and is so refreshing that it is easy to drink too much of it. The alcohol content is 14%, which is low for sake, so it is recommended for women and those who do not usually drink sake.
Sake brewery that can be easily toured
"Fukubito Sake Brewery "has two sake cellars, Ebisu and Daikoku, and the Ebisu cellar is open for tours. The Ebisu warehouse is open for tours and offers a large selection of sake, making it easy to get lost in the selection of souvenirs. In addition to sake, gelato containing daiginjo-shu and soap made from sake lees are also popular.
Also on display are the barrels from the barrel fundraiser that supported the financial difficulties of the Hiroshima Toyo Carp. You can clearly see that they have been familiar with and supported Hiroshima for a long time.
There is a well for brewing in the brewery. The water is drawn from underground in the Saijo Basin, and you can come and fetch it when it is open.
"Facility Information "
Facility name: Fukumei Sake Manufacturing
Address: 6-21 Saijo Honmachi, Higashihiroshima City, Hiroshima Prefecture
Phone number: 082-423-3148
Business hours: 9:00-16:00
Closed: Unscheduled holidays
Activities: Sake brewery tour, shopping, tasting
Fee: Free of charge
Parking: Yes
URL：https://www.fukubijin.co.jp/
summary
We have introduced four sake breweries in Hiroshima. There are a number of famous sake breweries in Hiroshima Prefecture, including Saijo Town in Higashihiroshima City, which is famous as one of the three major sake brewing areas in Japan. Hiroshima Prefecture, which is both an urban area and a rich natural environment, is able to procure delicious water and high quality raw materials from the warm climate of the Seto Inland Sea, which allows for the continued production of delicious sake.
At the breweries introduced here, you can taste sake made by preserving, continuing, and further evolving the traditional methods of sake production. You can also visit the breweries for tastings and tours.
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