Tasty bites meet excellent sake with pairings and shops by Kansai breweries

The northern region of Fukui Prefecture is where you’ll find long sought-after destinations like Eiheiji Temple, a principal temple of the Soto school of Zen Buddhism, Tojinbo Cliffs with its designated national natural monuments, and the Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum, considered one of the three great dinosaur museums in the world. Matched with these dynamic offerings, the local tradition of sake brewing here offers a taste experience unique to the local climate and culture of this nature escape.

Kokuryu is the iconic sake brand that’s synonymous for its home prefecture of Fukui, garnering worldwide attention from Japan and abroad. The parent company behind KOKURYU Sake brewery, Ishidaya Niemon, opened ESHIKOTO in June 2022 as a new destination that celebrates the best of Fukui and the greater Hokuriku gastronomy to domestic and world audiences. Admission is restricted to individuals over 20 years old, making it a full-fledged experience for adults to come and join the story of sake, gourmet, and Fukui-stemmed culture that informs the encounters here.
The mastermind behind this new project is Naoto Mizuno, the representative of Ishidaya Niemon and the eighth-generation brewer of KOKURYU Sake Brewery. Today the site is home to the Garyu cellar and Shuraku upper gallery, with plans to open new additions and annexed stays slated for the future.

There are two buildings onsite, including the Garyu Cellar designed by world-famous British Architect Simon Conder. Step inside to find the full works, including halls for fermentation, maturation alongside the sake cellars and event spaces. While typically not open to the public, the cellar vault opens exclusively for special events.

Just steps away at the Shuraku gallery awaits an intimate setting for sake and food tastings. There are two shops inside, including the Ishidaya ESHIKOTO Store for sake, local folkcrafts and wares to browse, and the Apéro & Pâtisserie acoya restaurant next door with adjoining pastry shop. A sit inside or perched on the deck offers jaw-dropping views out over the Kuzuryu River, the same inspiration behind the Kokuryu brand name, and a look at the limitless beauty unfolding across Eiheiji Town.

Visit the Ishidaya ESHIKOTO Store for a full selection of sakes to browse, ranging from KOKURYU Sake Brewery's standard offerings to exclusive "Tokoshie" series and the naturally fermented sparkling sake ESHIKOTO AWA under the ESHIKOTO brand, only available here. The store also features a tasting counter at the back, where visitors can enjoy sampling a variety of distinctive sakes.

Step inside Apéro & Pâtisserie acoya to find two zones: a patisserie area complete with cakes and confections, and an apéro area serving appetizers to pair with your choice of sake. On the apéro menu is a sumptuous selection blending French and Japanese aesthetics. Plates include anything and everything from set-menu breakfasts and traditional Japanese style lunches to light bites, à la carte dishes, café options and desserts. There’s also a tasting flight of sakes with an option of 3 or 8 to try by the glass, all from KOKURYU Sake Brewery, to complement your meal.

Shiga Prefecture, lovingly nicknamed Lake Country, is home to Lake Biwa, Japan's largest lake. Its beautiful lake scenes, known as the Eight Views of Omi and the Eight Views of Lake Biwa, have held the hearts and eyes of visitors for many long years. From the hometown of Omi merchants, Omihachiman, and Hikone Castle, which is famous for its national treasure castle tower and known as one of the greatest castles in Japan, to the Enryakuji Temple on Mount Hiei with its history of over 1200 years and the panoramic views at Biwako Terrace, the many destinations around Lake Biwa are almost too numerous to list.

Shiga Prefecture has also been a prominent sake brewing area for a long time, blessed with high-quality water and rice. Although the number of breweries has significantly decreased compared past years, individual breweries continue to preserve the history and traditions of Omi sake with their unique styles and flair.

One local maker is Fujii Honke, a mainstay brewer since the late Edo period in 1831 in Aisho Town, Higashiomi region. At the Niiname-sai festival celebrating the harvest, they have the honor of offering sacred sake to the Imperial Family. The space was recently renovated in November 2022, transforming a break area for brewery staff and former rice coffers used for sake-making into Kakuregura Fujii, a new point of sale and corner to taste Omi gourmet along with local sake.

The head chef, who trained at a Kyoto ryotei (traditional Japanese restaurant), serves dishes made with local ingredients to complement each sake. The sake selection includes limited editions, the flagship brand "Asahi," fruit liquors brewed with pure rice sake, sake highballs, as well as seasonal offerings like hiyaoroshi and freshly pressed nama genshu.

Kyoto Fushimi, known as one of Japan's premier sake brewing areas, boasts a beautiful landscape with moat rivers crisscrossing the area, where boats modeled after the traditional "Jikkokubune" ships ply the waters alongside willow-lined banks. The area around the Hori River, vibrant with the brewing of sake since ancient times, still houses many breweries, preserving the ambiance of a traditional sake-brewing district.

In this historical setting of Fushimi, Tamano Hikari Brewery, a venerable sake producer that pioneered the revival of brewing pure rice sake (junmai-shu) using only rice and rice koji, just recently celebrated its 350th anniversary with the opening of an antenna shop in April 2022 in the heart of Kyoto near Shijo Karasuma. The shop was launched with the concept of "Bringing sake lees into everyday life."

Step inside to find polished, mortar-based decor from a Kyoto townhouse over 100 years old and a menu of small plates made with pure rice sake lees, produced solely from rice and koji, and Japanese sake. At lunch, a plate featuring 12 different side dishes made with sake lees and koji changes monthly, while in the evening, in addition to the plate menu, single dishes and the signature sake lees oden also make an appearance. Paired with the wide selection of Tamano Hikari's esteemed sake, it's a chance to discover the new allure of sake lees.

Located at the southeastern tip of Osaka Prefecture, Kawachinagano City is nestled between the Kongo Mountains to the east and the Izumi Mountains to the south. About 70% of the city is forested, offering residents and visitors the luxury of nature's bounty right at their doorstep. The city is latticed by historic roads such as the Koya Kaido, Osawa Kaido, and Amano Kaido, which also serve as popular hiking trails. Stop by to the find the home of ancient temples with connections to figures like En no Gyoja, considered the founder of Shugendo, and Kukai (Kobo Daishi), the founder of Koyasan, including the three temples Amanosan Kongoji, Kanshinji, and Enmeiji.

Named after Amanosan Kongoji, an important temple in the history of sake brewing in Osaka, Amano Sake from Kawachinagano is produced by Saijo Goshi Kaisha, a brewery with a history stretching back over 300 years to 1718 in the mid-Edo period. The brewery revived Amano Sake in 1971 after it had once ceased production, nurturing the brand into a status of cherished local Osaka sake.

At their flagship store Osaka Cuisine Tenku, you’ll find rare lines of freshly brewed sake directly from the brewery as well as small plates made with carefully selected ingredients from Osaka. The completely reservation-only lunch is served in a course format and is popular among fans for pairing with Amano sake. In the evening a full-on selection awaits from casual à la carte bites to luxurious course meals all made to enhance your look into the world of sake. All of this is set in a renovated old folk house built at the end of the Edo period and now a registered cultural property for authentic charm and flair.

Ouda is the historic highland town in the northeastern part of Nara Prefecture that’s home to the village of Kagirohi, named for Manyoshu poet Kakinomoto no Hitomaro who visited and composed poetry about the area. Travelers here are known to flock for the Mutobe Sakura, named after Goto Matabei who played a significant role in the Siege of Osaka, and the travel-worthy traditional streetscapes that await at Uda-Matsuyama, designated as an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings.

Nestled in a corner of this mountain village sits Kubo Honke Sake Brewery, a destination first founded during the Edo period in 1702 that still stands today as a buzzing spot for sake enthusiasts who appreciate the use of complete fermentation and Kimoto brewing method.

The March 2023 newly opened direct shop, Sake Brewery Café Kubo Honke Sake Brewery Hanare is popular for its Sake Brewery's Fermented Lunch, a set lunch highlighting the power of fermented foods like koji, miso, amazake, and pickles into dishes made with local ingredients. The menu also keeps a number of body-friendly options prepared by the brewery's head lady, including drinks like rice koji amazake and sweets like sake lees cheesecake.

During the Edo period, the Tokugawa Gosanke, consisting of the Owari, Kii (Kishu), and Mito Tokugawa families, held a status second only to the Tokugawa shogunate. Among them, the Kishu Tokugawa family, which produced two shoguns, had significant influence over the shogunate. The daimyo culture flourished around Wakayama Castle and its surrounding areas, leaving various historical attractions scattered throughout Wakayama city.

After seeing these destinations there’s still one more to see before heading home. Located on the second floor of "Kino Wakayama," a complex directly connected to Nankai Wakayama City Station, is "Heiwa Sake Shop & Bar." This flagship antenna shop was opened by Heiwa Shuzo, a sake brewery that hails from Kainan City in June 2020.

The flagship sake "KID" liqueurs made from plums and yuzu called "Tsuruume” and craft beers flavored with Japanese pepper and yuzu known as "Heiwa Craft" are among the wide selection of brewery-direct beverages available. Instead of dedicated customer service staff, the shop is manned by brewers and other sake production personnel, offering a direct connection to the creators' passion and personality, making it an irresistible spot for sake enthusiasts. At the standing bar located inside you can even go for a tasting of the brewery's proud selections and fresh craft beer alongside dishes made with Wakayama-produced ingredients and condiments, perfectly complementing the drinks.

July 2021 brought the grand opening of VISION, one of the countries largest commercial resort to the nature-rich town of Taki in Mie Prefecture. Spanning an area equivalent to 24 Tokyo Domes the site keeps a seasonal hotel, the largest direct sales market in Japan, herbal baths inspired by the herb-famous Taki Town, and about 70 stores including experiential shops by Japanese cuisine ingredient manufacturers, attracting many visitors from both inside and outside the prefecture.

Nestled within this extensive complex is Fukuwagura, the first sake brand undertaken by the Imuraya Group that’s known for its "Azuki Bar" and other products, based in Mie Prefecture.

Fukuwagura brings a fresh breeze to the sake industry with its brewing concept rooted in the local terroir and personality, using the pure water and high-quality sake rice nurtured by Mie's rich environment. The brewery's attached shop offers a variety of snacks made from local ingredients to enjoy with freshly brewed sake. The basic sake lineup includes six types: raw and pasteurized Junmai Daiginjo, Junmai Ginjo, and Junmai. The year-round brewing system allows for the enjoyment of fresh sake throughout the year.

In Hyogo's Nada, counted among Japan's three great sake regions alongside Kyoto's Fushimi and Hiroshima's Saijo, the area along the Osaka Bay coastline from Imazu in present-day Nishinomiya City to Nada Ward in Kobe City, spanning 12km, is known for its five sake-producing locales: Imazu-go, Nishinomiya-go, Uozaki-go, Mikage-go, and Nishi-go, collectively known as "Nada Gogo." Here, you can find a blend of old and new sake brewery landscapes, with white-walled warehouses and large tanks, some offering museum tours, sake tasting experiences, and more, making it a paradise for sake enthusiasts.

This visit takes us to Nishinomiya-go in Nada Gogo, home to the highest number of breweries, ten. This area, where the essential "Miyamizu" for sake brewing springs forth, is dotted with "Miyamizu and Sake Culture Trail" signs, making it a place where you can learn while enjoying a stroll. In this "Nishinomiya-go," Tatsuuma-Honke Brewery, established in the second year of Kanbun (1662) and continuing for over 360 years, brews the representative sake of "Nada's sake," "Hakushika," using "Miyamizu," quality sake rice, and traditional techniques.

Hakushika Classics is a commercial hub combining a restaurant that pairs exquisite sake with cuisine and a shop specializing in sake-related items. The restaurant, under the concept "With flowers, Japanese cuisine, and sake," offers a rich moment to indulge in fine sake and cuisine while enjoying Japan's unique seasonal ambiance created by flowers and dishes. The popular menu includes a course with colorful seasonal vegetables, tempura, and 100% buckwheat soba. The main dishes, such as the signature pure rice sake lees soup, are complemented by 100% buckwheat soba and seasonal flowers in a flower basket dish. The sake selection varies from freshly pressed raw sake to aged vintage sake.

During the Edo period, the city of Yonago in Tottori Prefecture emerged as a commercial hub in the San'in region. Nestled at the foot of the sacred Mt. Daisen, Yonago is the gateway to San'in tourism, boasting attractions like the 120-year-old Kaike Onsen, the picturesque ruins of Yonago Castle, and the well-preserved castle town ambiance.

Today, Yonago is home to just one sake brewery, Inata Honten, believed to have been founded in the early Edo period, around 1673. Named after the legendary deity Inata Hime, their flagship brand "Inata Hime" has long supported the local sake culture in the San'in region. This historic brewery was also a pioneer in the Meiji era, building a beer factory and, in the 1960s, being one of the first to brew sake with a rice polishing ratio of 50%.

Tucked away in a quiet back alley far from the bustling downtown area, is the brewery's own "Inataya Yonago Branch". Set in a 100-year-old renovated traditional house, it offers a quintessentially Japanese atmosphere where patrons can savor exquisite sake and cuisine. With a philosophy of "local sake for local food," the chefs here craft dishes predominantly using fresh produce from Tottori and Shimane Prefectures, ensuring a perfect pairing with their prized "Inata Hime" sake, making it hard to put down your cup and chopsticks.

Once known as Awa Province and prosperous from indigo and salt, Tokushima Prefecture is connected to Awaji Island in Hyogo Prefecture by the Onaruto Bridge, making it easily accessible from Osaka and Hyogo for day trips, serving as a gateway to Shikoku. Tokushima City, located in the eastern part of the prefecture, is famously the stage for the Awa Dance Festival with a history of 400 years. Additionally, Mt. Bizan, celebrated in the Manyoshu and listed among Japan's top 100 natural landscapes, is beloved as the city's symbol.

Situated in the delta formed by two rivers just east of the heart of Tokushima City sits Seigyoku Sake Brewery, founded in the year Meiji 27 (1894). Although production was once consolidated into a larger brand, the brewery revived its own sake making in 2011 and is now known as the brewery with the smallest production volume in Japan.

Tucked away in a corner of the sake brewery, the well-kept secret soba restaurant "Soba Doshin" resides within a building that's over a century old. This building, repurposed from an old sake brewery, is a precious piece of architectural heritage, designated as a national registered tangible cultural property, where one can truly feel the history and tradition. The specialty here is soba, made from carefully selected domestic buckwheat that's ground on a stone mill for homemade flour. The dedication is evident, with even the dipping sauce made from scratch using bonito flakes. And to accompany the prized soba, naturally, there's sake. This is the sole place where you can savor the rare "Seigyoku" sake, making it a must-visit for both soba and sake enthusiasts.

The Kansai region is home to 10 prefectures with 10 select sake hubs known for offering the best in joint food and shopping experiences. No matter which you pick there’s a unique style to discover, all underpinned by the delicious pairing of sake and food. When your next travels Kansai, be sure to swing by one and see the utmost of true Japanese pairings firsthand.