Kyushu's Sake Culture: Touring the Breweries of Kashima and Ureshino
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Located in northwestern Kyushu's Saga Prefecture, Kashima and Ureshino brim with a dynamic sake and cuisine culture perfect for foodies. We introduce a two-day sake brewery tour through this fascinating region full of gourmet delights and cultural discoveries!
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Tokyo, Japan
Kashima and Ureshino: Discover Japan's Sake Culture
Located in Kyushu's Saga Prefecture, the historical towns of Kashima and Ureshino boast a bustling sake scene of family brewers embedded in a thriving community. There are currently six sake breweries in Kashima, many with century-long traditions, and three open to visitors, making it a great place to discover and enjoy these sake traditions.
Kashima used to be viewed as a somewhat off-road wedge of Japan difficult to navigate, leaving it relatively untouched. Thankfully, UNA Laboratories, a Kyushu-based travel design firm have crafted a tour piercing deep into the local sake culture.
The two-day Kashima Sake Brewery Tour sees us wandering Edo period streets, relishing extensive sake and local cuisine pairing courses, and even making some sake for ourselves!
Day 1: Through the Kyushu Countryside
We met up with our guides in Hakata, Fukuoka’s commercial center and one of Japan’s top 3 ramen cities. With mouths watering in anticipation of the delicacies we were about to enjoy, we boarded our minibus and headed to Kashima.
Tasting the Local Flavor at HAMA BAR
After a one hour and 30 minute drive through Saga’s lush fields and hilly backdrop, we arrived in Kashima. The Hizen Hamajuku region, where Kashima is located, flourished as a post town connected to the Nagasaki Kaido trade route during the Edo period (1603-1868). As a result, there were as many as 13 sake breweries in this area alone during its heyday.
The first stop in Kashima was HAMA BAR, a brand-new sake venture that opened in January 2021 conveniently connected with Hizenhama Station. Here we wet our whistle with six glasses of high-quality junmai ginjo sake (*1) from each of Kashima’s six sake breweries.
While they were all delightful, the award-winning Nabeshima from Fukuchiyo Brewery was a particular highlight. Lightly carbonated and dry, it stood out distinctively with a satisfying aftertaste lingering for hours. Sachihime ‘Dear My Princess’ from Sachihime Brewery was also a hit, with a full-body and potent aftertaste complemented by a cute name and decorative bottle.
*1... Junmai ginjo is a type of high-quality sake made with rice polished to a degree of at least 60% (40% of the rice grain is removed).
Exploring Kashima's Sake Brewery Street
A little tipsy from our extravagant tasting, we cheerfully set out on foot into Kashima’s ‘Sakagura’ Brewery Street. An uninterrupted 600-meter stretch of spectacular antique architecture, this former trade vein remains as an authentic Edo period relic still thriving today.
Lining the road were distinctive large white-walled storehouses and former samurai mansions, separated by wooden teahouses, guesthouses, stores, and homes, each tempting passersby to step inside and uncover their secrets.
Inside Kashima’s Breweries
The first sake brewery we visited was Hizennya, a sightseeing brewery founded in 1916 by Minematsu Brewery, now run by Mitsutake Shuzojo. Exuding a retro atmosphere, Sightseeing Brewery Hizennya infuses Kashima sake with a fresh vigor.
Bottles with bombastic designs, including famous anime characters, catch our eye as we’re shown through the brewery by the jovial guides. Of course, there was plenty to be tasted, including a non-alcoholic amazake (*2), devastatingly delicious plum wine, and a craft gin blended with unique local botanicals.
*2... Amazake is a sweet beverage made of rice. If the rice is mixed with koji mold (Aspergillus oryzae), the amazake is alcohol free. If the beverage is made with sake lees, then it has an alcohol content of less than 1%.
Next we dropped by Sachihime Shuzo Brewery, which is famous for brewing the sake dedicated to the gods at Kashima’s Yutoku Inari Shrine.
Housed in a majestic double-story wooden complex, Sachihime Brewery is an easy-to-access brewery particularly welcoming to visitors. Established in 1934, their popularity exploded after a series of wins at international sake competitions, gaining them a stellar reputation.
We found Sachihime’s junmai sake to be delicately balanced with a slightly dry edge, allowing it to go hand-in-hand with a wide range of food. While we didn’t get to try it this time, their sake soft serve looked extremely delicious—we’ll just have to come back!
Staying Overnight at the Luxurious Wataya Besso
After a busy day of tasting and touring, we headed to the ryokan inn Wataya Besso in the nearby town of Ureshino, which would be our accommodation for the night.
Ureshino is celebrated for its green tea, excellent hot springs, and Hizen Yoshida ceramics. We were moved by the creativity and charisma on display throughout the town.
Modern and elegant yet cozy and quaint, no corner of Wataya Besso was left unadorned by a tasteful fusion of traditional and contemporary Japanese décor.
Our rooms were equally impressive, each furnished with a private outdoor hot spring bath overlooking the encompassing Japanese gardens. After taking a moment to soak in the dreamlike atmosphere, our attention turned towards our empty stomachs and the awaiting pairing dinner!
A Pairing Dinner Fit For Royalty
Even with our expectations high, we were blown away by the night's pairing dinner! Consisting of ten dishes made with local ingredients, each serving was painstakingly crafted and delicately presented by Wataya’s inhouse restaurant RISOAN.
Doubling the indulgence, each helping was crowned by an exquisite sake hand-picked by the ninth generation director of Ureshino’s Seto Shuzo Brewery, Heita Seto himself.
While eating, we listened intensively to the eloquent explanations behind each dish and sake pairing, deepening our appreciation for Ureshino's culture and natural environment surrounding us.
Kicking off the sake was an unpasteurized edition of Seto Brewery’s signature sake, Azumacho, which was freshly pressed from the sake fermenting mash just last week. The sake was rich with umami and served at an invigorating 5C, stimulating our palates for the coming cuisine.
Our dinner was a spectacular multi-course extravaganza centered around local Saga beef.
From mini-burgers of local Saga wagyu, aged beef tongue boiled in onsen water, sirloin steak marinated in sake lees, and a filet steak covered in an explosive beetroot garnish, each serving was more innovative than the last!
Delightfully presented on stunning locally-made Saga porcelain, art and cuisine were blended into perfect harmony. Of course, each round was crafted to highlight a unique sake with a fascinating cultural background.
Despite being well-versed in Japanese cuisine, most of us had never encountered such delicacies before! Each was a completely different experience, with some tactile, interactive surprises adding intrigue.
This included injecting nurukan (gently warmed sake) via a dropper into the Takezaki crab soup along with sprinkling salt from a glass straw over steak. We were in constant suspense of what would be next!
Making the experience even more memorable was the sake ceremony. Gracefully conducted by Mr. Seto, who poured the sake of three different Ureshino breweries into beautiful glass teapots, before transferring the sake into individual cups. This carefully crafted ceremony symbolized the harmony and friendship between the local breweries, who all strive together to ensure their shared passion lives on.
Afterward, we made our way through art-lined corridors to Wataya Besso's Tea Room & Bar, which is run by the tea farmers themselves. There we relaxed, chatted, and further sampled Seto Shuzo's sake with Japanese sweets and Ureshino tea.
Day 2: Brewing Experiences and Tastings Galore!
After breakfast, we reluctantly bid farewell to Wataya Besso and boarded our minibus for the day’s activities. One group was heading to Seto Shuzo Brewery, the supplier behind most of the previous night’s brews, while myself and others returned to Kashima to visit Yano Shuzo Brewery.
Sake Brewing Experience at Yano Brewery
While numerous sake breweries across Japan promote comprehensive tours, risk of bacterial contamination and language barriers make sake brewing experiences rare. That’s why, as a sake fan yet to get hands-on with my favorite beverage, I was eagerly anticipating today’s lineup!
Established in 1796, Yano Brewery is owned and run by ninth-generation brewmaster Motohide Yano.
Approachable and enthusiastic, he relishes sharing his family’s passion. Flaunting a union of modern technology and trendy design with traditional methods and tastes, their motto ‘honoring the past, innovating the future’ was on full display.
We got suited up, washed our hands, and stepped into the shoes of brewers. Shoveling, spreading, and drying the freshly steamed rice before adding it to the fermenting tank, we toiled away with the local sake brewers as they happily taught us sake brewing methods passed down through generations.
The most interesting part was sprinkling the rice with koji mold (Aspergillus oryzae) and allowing it to spread. Performed in a sweltering room to allow the koji to spread at optimal conditions, it was surprisingly hard labor.
Tastings and In-Depth Tours at Seto Brewery
Photo by Inui Yuki
The other group visited Seto Brewery, established in 1789, with a tour by the same passionate Mr. Seto who guided us through the previous night's pairing dinner.
Photo by Inui Yuki
While touring the brewery, Seto-san detailed each step of their brewing methodology, from cultivating rice all the way to pressing the fermented sake. Seto Brewery is taking great pains to cultivate their own personal supply of the celebrated Yamada Nishiki rice variety.
Photo by Inui Yuki
Participants were given the rare opportunity to taste both steamed sake rice and rice sprinkled with koji mold, which Mr. Seto took right out of the production line. Everyone also got to sip on newly-pressed sake, right in front of the same tanks they were made in — it doesn't get any fresher than this!
Photo by Inui Yuki
Seto-san also showed everyone to a room filled with relics from the brewery's past, allowing us to learn about traditional sake brewing methods. Perhaps the highlight, however, was getting to sit down with Seto-san for a nice, long casual chat about his brewery and the sake industry as a whole. Despite there being both sake experts and beginners in the group, Seto-san's affable personality made it easy to establish a good rapport with everyone.
After the tours, we all received a bottle of sake from our respective breweries, which was included in the tour price. We were all looking forward to sharing this exquisite brew with our family and friends back home!
Back to Hakata
With our adventure complete, we hopped back in the minibus for the final time bound for Hakata. Completely stuffed, totally contended, and with a wealth of new knowledge to unpack, we felt utterly blessed to have enjoyed such an experience.
The Rich Sake Culture of Kyushu
Intended for those who take their food and drink seriously, UNA Laboratories’ Kashima Sake Tour is a deep dive into a gourmet scene you’ll never forget. Exploring each facet of the region’s remarkable culture and history, you'll be able to learn from and drink alongside local guides and master brewers while relishing impeccable Japanese hospitality.
With unparalleled access to the Kashima and Ureshino sake industries, this tour provides an insider look at an unblemished culture rarely seen outside the community.
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Written by Steven Csorgo
Photos by Yuji Tanaka, with the exception of the photos taken by Inui Yuki
Sponsored by Kashima Sakagura Tourism Promotion Committee
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Tokyo, Japan
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