Hiroshima Sake Town Tour in Saijo

Different regions of Japan produce sake (known as nihonshu in Japanese) with unique characteristics, reflecting their local conditions and qualities.

Hiroshima sake is renowned for its mellow taste and gentle sweetness, which is attributed to the region’s soft water, excellent quality rice, and the special Hiroshima Ginjo yeast, for which Umeda Shuzo-jo Brewery won an award. In particular, Saijo, Hiroshima’s “Sake Town” is famous nationwide as one of the top three sake brewing locations in Japan, with eight breweries located in close proximity to one another. Their business flourishes from the abundance of shikomi mizu, medium hardness water that is well-suited for sake brewing.

Your local tour guide will show you around various historic breweries in Saijo, giving you insights into the local culture and traditions of sake brewing. You’ll hop from one brewery to another to taste samples and witness the production, exploring the surrounding town in between, which has several breweries along Sakagura-Dori (Sake Brewery Street).

On the tour, you will take a stroll through the historic streets, visiting breweries and enjoying different kinds of sake. Starting off at Kamotsuru, a sake brewery which carries a line of 12 unique bottles of sake, you’ll learn about the brewing process. You’ll soon find out that sake is not just for drinking when you stop off at a nearby restaurant to enjoy Bishu Nabe, a local style of hot pot made with sake! You’ll learn all about the history of this yummy dish, and enjoy other local specialties at the restaurant.

You’ll then enjoy brewery hopping in Saijo, your palate encountering new flavors during the Hiroshima sake tastings at each location. If one in particular tickles your fancy, feel free to purchase a bottle to take home! Finish the tour on a sweet note with local desserts and snacks.