🕓 2025/6/23
#Japanese sake
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A trip to Tsuruoka where you can soothe your soul in Shonai, where the aroma of Shugen Shugen is fragrant, and enjoy Tsuruoka’s local sake.
table of contents
- What kind of sake can you enjoy in Tsuruoka?
- Around Tsuruoka“Recommended sake brewery”
- Around Tsuruoka“Recommended Sake Selection”
- Touring Tsuruoka and sake breweriesRu“Model course”
Introduction
From the mountain range that celebrates the spiritual energy of the Dewa Sanzan to Shonai Beach where you can hear the sound of the Sea of Japan, Tsuruoka is a city of mountains, sea, town, and storehouses condensed in just 30 km square. Focusing on the “Terroir Sake” made from Mt. Gassan subterranean water and Shonai rice, we will guide you on a light journey by public transportation to the stone steps of Mt. Haguro, a sacred place for ascetic training, bar bar hopping from the long-established Shizo breweries dotted around Mt. Daisen, the jellyfish aquarium, and Yunohama Onsen.
In this article, we have summarized specific access and experience points that will help even first-timers get lost in the following order: 1) The appeal of Japanese sake in Tsuruoka, 2) A must-visit selection of sake breweries, 3) Pairing sake to pair with delicacies from the mountains and sea, and 4) 3 model courses. Now, let’s go to the “world of mountain and sea fermentation” that spreads out beyond the glass.
- 1. What kind of sake can you enjoy in Tsuruoka?
- 2. “Recommended sake breweries” around Tsuruoka
- 1. Takenoro Joint Stock Company｜Fully fermented sake of “Hakuro Taju” brewed with underground water from Mt. Gassan
- 2. Kamenoi Sake Brewery Co., Ltd. | Ultra-high-refined brewery of full-scale ginjo “Kudoki Jozu”
- 3. Fuji Sake Brewery Co., Ltd. | “Eiko Fuji” released monthly by Shiki Jozo
- 4. Watai Main Store Co., Ltd. | 400 years of history and museum “Dewa no Yuki”
- 5. Haneda Sake Brewery Co., Ltd. | The oldest Oyama brewery of “Uzen Shirubai” founded in Bunroku era
1. What kind of sake can you enjoy in Tsuruoka?
1 | Shugen sake grown from Gassan underground water and Shonai rice
The ultra-soft water from the sacred mountain Mt. Gassan is “beautifying water” that contains 39 mg/L of silica. Bamboo Dew (Hakuro Taju) is a “fully fermented sake” brewed with this underground water and fermented yeast derived from Dewa Sanzan, achieving both clarity and minerality. Kamenoi Sake Brewery (Kudoki Jojo), which also has a brewery in Haguro-cho, brews highly refined Junmai Daiginjo (up to 11%!) using ultra-soft water that has been further refined from the source water, achieving a gorgeous fruit aroma and delicate touch.
By combining it with the Shonai Plains sake rice “Dewa Sansan” and “Yuki Megami”, the Dewa Sanzan terroir of “softness derived from water x flavor of rice” is created.
2 | Visit storehouses and mountain worship by bus and rental bicycle
First thing in the morning, take the Shonai Kotsu bus from Tsuruoka Station to Haguro-san Zuishinmon (about 40 minutes). After visiting the five-storied pagoda and Sanjin Gosaiden, and tasting Buddhist vegetarian cuisine in the temple town, head down to the Daisen area by rental electric bicycle or local bus. The Daisen New Sake and Sake Brewery Festival (February 22, 2025) will be held here, and is a winter tradition where you can walk around the four breweries of Haneda, Watai Honten, Fuji, and Kahachiro Kato, and compare the freshly squeezed sake.
At the Local Sake Festival in Shonai Tourist Products Center in early summer (June 14-15), you can enjoy all-you-can-drink sake from 17 breweries in Shonai and about 80 varieties, and if you don’t want to drive, you can also take a taxi. The bus stops right in front of the brewery, so it’s popular to check-in to Yunohama Onsen after the tasting without having to worry about a car with a plan that includes a shuttle.
3 | Fermentation collaboration by Shizo Oyama – Snow Goddess and “GI Shonai”
Daisen flourished during the Edo period as a “tenryo” under the direct control of the shogunate, and has a history of building the “Daiyama Sake” brand throughout the town. Today, the four breweries of Haneda (Uzen Hakubai), Watai Honten (Dewanoyuki), Fuji Sake Brewery (Eiko Fuji), and Kato Kahachiro (Oyama) continue to exchange technology, and while incorporating the latest methods such as prefecture-developed sake rice Snow Goddess and low-temperature centrifugation, they are honing their common style of “umakuchi-tanrei + vivid ginjo aroma.”
In 2024, GI Shonai, which indicates regional characteristics, will be implemented, and the quality of sake brewed with Gassan water system and Shonai rice will be internationally protected. Indeed, “innovation born from the mountain of Shugendo” is underway.
| item | Content |
|---|---|
| location | Tsuruoka City, Yamagata Prefecture (Shonai Plain – Dewa Sanroku) |
| Main tourist destinations | Mt. Haguro five-storied pagoda, Sanjin Gosaiden, Mt. Gassan 8th station Midagahara Wetland, Yudonoyama Shrine, Kamo Aquarium (Jellyfish Dream Hall), Chidokan, Shonai Eigamura Set |
| Japanese sake spot | Takenoi Sake Brewery (Tour and Tasting), Kamenoi Sake Brewery (High Refining Equipment Tour), Watai Main Store (Dewanoyuki Sake Brewery Museum), Fuji Sake Brewery (Kura Shop), Haneda Sake Brewery, Shonai Tourism Products Center (17 Kura Kakuuchi) |
| Event information | – Daisen New Sake/Sake Brewery Festival (February 22nd, all four Daisen breweries open to the public) – Local Sake Festival in Shonai Tourist Products Center (June 14-15, Tsuruoka City) – Dewa Sanzan Shrine Annual Festival (Flower Festival) (July 15th, summit of Mt. Haguro) – Gassan Shrine Hongu Saitou Festival (August 13th, Summit of Gassan) |
We are currently launching a tourist destination x sake site.This is a site where you can get the information you want that you didn’t have before.We will be adding more information in the future, so please bookmark it.
2. “Recommended sake breweries” around Tsuruoka
Yamagata Prefecture/Tsuruoka City × Dewa Sanzan and local sake tour
Tsuruoka is where the ultra-soft water (hardness 15–35 mg/L) accumulated by the beech forests of Mt. Gassan, Mt. Haguro, and Mt. Yudono meets the sake rice “Yukimega” and “Dewa Sansan” from the Shonai Plain. Gokura is concentrated in the foothills of Mt. Haguro and the Oyama area, and its compact size means you can get around Gokura in half a day using the JR Uetsu Main Line, Uzen-Oyama Station, or the Shonai Kotsu bus.
1. Takenoro Joint Stock Company｜Fully fermented sake of “Hakuro Taju” brewed with underground water from Mt. Gassan
Exhibition:https://www.takenotsuyu.com
Founded in 1858. The Gassan underground water pumped from the well in the storehouse is ultra-soft water containing 39 mg/L of silica, and is also known as skin-beautifying water. Using the traditional one-sho masu koji lid method and home-grown Dewa Sanzan yeast, the Junmai-based “Hakuro Taju” has an excellent balance of minerality and transparency. At the brewery shop on the premises, you can self-serve 12 types of sake for 100 yen each, and the number of tourists who stop by while visiting Mt. Haguro is increasing.
| item | Content |
|---|---|
| Official name | Takenoro Joint Stock Company |
| Founding year | 1858 年（安政5） |
| Main brands | Hakuro Taju, Bamboo Dew, Kuroko style |
| visit | △ Kura SHOP guide only (prior confirmation required) |
| Tasting | ○ Kura SHOP 100 yen/12 types Self-serve |
| Direct sales office | Kura SHOP (133 Inomata Shinden, Haguro-cho, Tsuruoka City) |
| access | JR Tsuruoka Station → Shonai Kotsu Bus “Kurose” stop 9 minutes walk/about 25 minutes by car |
2. Kamenoi Sake Brewery Co., Ltd. | Ultra-high-refined brewery of full-scale ginjo “Kudoki Jozu”
Exhibition:https://www.kudoki.jp
Founded in 1875. The water used for preparation is ultra-soft water from the Haguro Mountains, and the temperature is controlled in 0.1°C increments for each tank. The “Kudoki Jozu” brand is supported by the thoroughness with which all of the sake is made using Ginjo (Ginjo) brewing, and even Junmai Daiginjo with a rice polishing rate of 11%. Equipped with a low-temperature storage room of over 200 tsubo and a group of thermal tanks, it is characterized by a gorgeous fruit aroma and silky sweet flavor. There are no public tours, but in FebruaryDaisen new sake/sake brewery festivalEnthusiasts line up for exclusive tastings.
| item | Content |
|---|---|
| Official name | Kamenoi Sake Brewery Co., Ltd. |
| Founding year | 1875 (Meiji 8) |
| Main brands | Kudoki Jozu/Bakuren/Sake Mirai |
| visit | × General tours not available (only for industry) |
| Tasting | △ Limited to events |
| Direct sales office | Kura store (advance notice required) |
| access | JR Tsuruoka Station → 3 minutes walk from Shonai Kotsu Bus “Tono” stop / Approximately 30 minutes by car |
3. Fuji Sake Brewery Co., Ltd. | “Eiko Fuji” released monthly by Shiki Jozo
Exhibition:https://www.e-sakenom.com
Founded in 1778. It is the only brewery in the Daisen area that operates a four-season brewing system, and is characterized by its ability to produce new unfiltered raw sake every month. The brewery is equipped with a refrigerated preparation room and a three-point labeler, and the temperature is consistently controlled during bottling. Tours are currently suspended, but at the direct sales shop you can purchase limited edition sake by weight and sample raw unprocessed sake for a fee, and fans from all over the country who value freshness visit.
| item | Content |
|---|---|
| Official name | Fuji Sake Brewery Co., Ltd. |
| Founding year | 1778 (Yasunei 7) |
| Main brands | Eiko Fuji, old liquor store’s complacent person, beauty under the moon |
| visit | × Suspended for the time being |
| Tasting | ○ Paid tasting at the direct sales store |
| Direct sales office | Kura Direct Sales Office (3-32-48 Oyama, Tsuruoka City) |
| access | 10 minutes walk from JR Uzen-Oyama Station / 10 minutes by car from Tsuruoka Station |
4. Watai Main Store Co., Ltd. | 400 years of history and museum “Dewa no Yuki”
Exhibition:https://dewanoyuki.jp
Established during the Genwa era (1615-1623), this long-established sake brewery flourished as the official sake of the Shonai clan. The brewing water is underground water from Mt. Gassan, and “Dewanoyuki” and “Wadarai” are the signature products that combine traditional kimoto making with the latest low-temperature fermentation. AttachedDewanoyuki Sake Brewery Museum(Admission 200 yen) displays approximately 400 ancient documents and tools, and also has a multilingual sake tasting corner. Paid tastings of freshly squeezed sake are popular at the Daisen Sake Festival and the spring brewery special opening.
| item | Content |
|---|---|
| Official name | Watai Main Store Co., Ltd. |
| Founding year | 1615–1623 (Genwa era) |
| Main brands | Dewa no Yuki, Wadaki, Shonai beauty |
| visit | ○ Museum 8:45–16:30 (200 yen) |
| Tasting | ○ Sake tasting corner in the museum |
| Direct sales office | Museum shop (2-2-8 Oyama, Tsuruoka City) |
| access | 5 minutes walk from JR Uzen-Oyama Station / 3 minutes walk from Shonai Kotsu Bus “Oyamasou Ginmae” |
5. Haneda Sake Brewery Co., Ltd. | The oldest Oyama brewery of “Uzen Shirubai” founded in Bunroku era
Exhibition:https://hanedasyuzo.jp
It is said to have been founded in 1592, making it the oldest brewery in Daisen. We are committed to using “local rice, water, and people” to inherit all of our rice from pure rice. “Uzen Shirubai” has a classic flavor that emphasizes the flavor of the rice, and “Tawarayuki” is a new innovation that enhances the aroma with gorgeous yeast. Although we do not offer brewery tours, you may be able to sample seasonal tank-squeezed raw sake at the store. The black-painted storehouses and tall chimneys stand out against the townscape, making it a great spot for photos along with a historical stroll.
| item | Content |
|---|---|
| Official name | Haneda Sake Brewery Co., Ltd. |
| Founding year | 1592 (Bunroku 1) |
| Main brands | Uzen white plum blossoms, straw snowflakes, and single flower of a dream |
| visit | × General tours not available |
| Tasting | △ In-store mini tasting (prior confirmation required) |
| Direct sales office | Kura Store (2-1-15 Oyama, Tsuruoka City) |
| access | 8 minutes walk from JR Uzen-Oyama Station / 3 minutes walk from bus “Oyama Post Office” |
