What other travelers are saying about Hirase Sake Brewery
There are numerous sake breweries in this area of Takayama, but definitely make it a point to visit this one!
Not only do they have quite a few different bottles of various types to try for just 1000 yen, the lady helping me was so genuinely warm and excited while introducing their lineup to me. The sake was also just really yummy.
I'm not quite sure when I'll be back in Takayama, but this is the brewery I would visit again (and bring friends to). It's a great place to get a taste of the different flavors of sake.
They also had samples of the milled rice used in sake making as well as some stalks of the local brewing rice suspended in a corner. I thought that was a nice touch.
For 1,000 yen, you can sample more than a dozen varieties of sake! The staff are friendly, attentive, and very knowledgeable, ready to explain the differences and help you find your favorite. The selection is impressive, from dry to sweet; personally, I loved the fruity ones like yuzu and umeshu. Even the water they serve is delicious!
The best brewery in Takayama, their customer service, experience, and love for sake is just unparalleled. Amazing experience, fully recommended!
Best sake tasting experience in Takayama hands down. For the same price (¥1000) as 5 small samples at the packed breweries just along the road, you have access for 30 mins to around 20 bottles of sake. The gentleman running the tasting room speaks fluent English and is very knowledgeable about sake. I managed to try 13 different types during the tasting and ended up buying 2 for what felt like a steal. Highly recommend to anyone vaguely interested in sake!
We toured a few sake breweries during our time in Takayama and this one STOOD OUT AS THE BEST! for a nominal fee, you could taste as many sakes as you want (I think they had about 24 in their tasting room?) for 30 minutes. There were MANY good ones. This is the oldest sake brewery in Takayama, and the Japanese grandpa who guided us and gave us pointers has wonderful English to explain everything. Perhaps bc of the amount of sake we drank, we ended up buying 6 beautiful bottles to take home, and the prices were very reasonable. If you're looking for the best sake tasting experience in Takayama, this is it! I wish we had the foresight to book the brewery tour as well
Hirase produces junmai and ginjo grade sake using Hida Homare rice and snowmelt water from the Japanese Alps. The brewery offers both standard varieties and seasonal limited releases, all brewed using traditional cold fermentation methods.
Visitors can view the Edo-period brewery building including its original cedar beams and earthen walls. Staff are available to answer questions about the brewing process, though formal guided tours may not be regularly scheduled.
Yes, both entry and sake tastings are free of charge. Visitors can sample multiple varieties while staff explain the characteristics of different sake grades.
Yes, multiple historic sake breweries operate within the Sanmachi Suji preserved district. All can be identified by the sugidama cedar spheres hanging above their entrances, and the area is walkable for visiting several breweries in one trip.
