From Breweries to Bars—A Guide to Sake in Tokyo

Tokyo is an excellent place to enjoy Japan’s national drink.

Known as nihonshu in Japan, sake is fermented alcohol made from two essential ingredients: rice and water. Sake is brewed throughout Japan, and the highest quality sake comes from regions where brewers have access to clean, pure water and the best quality rice. In Tokyo, you can enjoy the largest selection of sake produced in the country in the city’s restaurants, bars, sake shops and izakaya. There are also several sake breweries located in the city with long histories dating back to the Edo period (1603-1867). The sources of water in Tokyo are also very pure and give Tokyo-brewed sake its own special character.

An introduction to sake

The taste of each batch of sake depends on many factors—the type of rice, quality of water, temperature, how much the rice was milled before steaming it, the methods of creating the koji-yeast starter that kicks off the mold for fermentation, the temperatures during fermentation, among many others.

Enjoy the many varieties of sake from the different regions of Japan to get a deeper understanding of sake’s versatility. There is both sweet and dry sake, as well as the increasingly popular easy-to-drink sparkling sake, with a significantly lower alcohol percentage.

Sake breweries in Tokyo

There are a surprising number of sake breweries within Tokyo’s city limits. At some, you can take a tour of the brewery, as well as participate in sake tastings. Each brewery has its own methods of brewing sake, and each year’s brew is different from the rest.

Ozawa Brewery

Set in the mountains of the Okutama region of western Tokyo, Ozawa Brewery is in an idyllic spot on the Tama River only a few steps from JR Sawai Station. There’s a gourmet garden right above the jade-colored water where you can enjoy fine sake, soba noodles and other selections while watching rafters float by under the lush forest canopy. Though it looks like something out of a fantasy world, incredibly, it’s still part of Tokyo.

Ozawa has been making sake here for more than 300 years and is the westmost brewery in Tokyo. Free sake tours are available with advance registration and take you into the heritage kura warehouse and brewery buildings, some of which are over 300 years old. The brewery’s symbol, which you’ll notice on some of its Sawanoi-brand labels, is a species of crab that is known for seeking out pure spring water. You can view the brewery’s spring water flowing through hand-cut tunnels leading 140 meters into the rocky slope behind the brewery. It’s not surprising that Shinto shimenawa ropes marking sacred objects adorn the kura entrance and the entrance to the spring tunnel.

Another tunnel leads under the road dividing the brewery from Sawanoi-en, a riverside garden. You’ll find a sake tasting room here where you can try 10 types of sake for 300 to 600 yen per cup. Ozawa’s offerings are led by Koh, made with 35%-milled Yamada Nishiki rice, which lends a fruity, complex flavor to the brew. A shop selling sake, tofu, and local confections, reservation-only a restaurant specializing in tofu, and a snack shop with riverside tables round out the facilities. Just beyond the garden, a footbridge leads over the Tama River to picturesque Kanzanji Temple and riverside footpaths lead to the dramatic landscape of Mitake Gorge. From nature lovers to sake connoisseurs, Ozawa Brewery has something for everyone.

Sawanoi-en, a garden beside a clear stream

A stroll along riverside footpaths

Ishikawa Brewery

Ishikawa Brewery is a gourmet’s paradise. Upon arrival, you’re greeted by the sight of towering keyaki (Japanese zelkova) trees by which mineral water used to make sake and craft beer is pumped from underground. The spring is surrounded by traditional tiled-roof Japanese kura warehouses, including six registered as National Heritage Sites. The overall atmosphere is more of a dining and drinking theme park set in the samurai age than a modern brewery.

Located close to the Tama River in Fussa, a city near the foothills of western Tokyo, Ishikawa Brewery is a roughly 20-minute walk or 8-minute taxi ride from JR Haijima Station. It began brewing sake in 1863 and continues to this day under the Tamajiman brand. In 1998, the brewery revived its beer production following a 111-year hiatus. You can stroll around the grounds freely, without a reservation. There's a museum, as well as buildings registered as Tangible Cultural Properties, so you can enjoy the atmosphere of a traditional sake brewery.

Aside from a sake and craft beer shop, you can also enjoy Ishikawa’s offerings at Fussa no Birugoya, an Italian eatery with indoor and outdoor seating that serves pizza, pasta and seasonal menu items. Enjoying beer and sake under the blossoms of the courtyard cherry trees in spring is an unforgettable delight.

Sake bars and restaurants

There is no shortage of sake bars and restaurants specializing in sake and food pairing in Tokyo. The recent boom in craft sake has brought back the popularity of sake among Japan’s youth—where before it was considered the drink of elderly Japanese men, sake bars serving trendy and rare bottles now attract the young working men and women of Tokyo. Kurand, where you can serve yourself from 100 bottles of sake directly from the fridge, may be a good place to start.

Where to shop for sake

Department stores like Matsuya and Mitsukoshi in Ginza and Daimaru in Tokyo Station all have a large selection of Japanese sake, and many offer samples. At liquor stores in Tokyo's shopping districts, staff can help you find your preferred drink. Or you can easily purchase sake from the liquor sections of supermarkets and convenience stores.