Suehiro Sake Brewery, Aizuwakamatsu

Suehiro Sake Brewery, located in Aizu-Wakamatsu, Fukushima Prefecture, stands as one of the most renowned sake producers in the Tohoku Region. Founded in 1850 at the end of the Edo period, this family-owned business has operated for eight generations under the Suehiro family. The brewery's main building, Kaeigura, has been designated as an important historical building by Aizu-Wakamatsu City, and was constructed using traditional Japanese non-nail building techniques during the Meiji period.

The brewery holds particular historical significance as it pioneered the "Yamahai" brewing method in collaboration with brewing engineer Kinichiro Kagi in the 1910s. This traditional technique utilizes natural lactic acid and microorganisms present in the air, allowing slow open-fermentation to produce full-bodied, complex flavors. Suehiro's sake wins domestic and international awards annually and serves as the official sake supplier for Toshogu Shrine in Nikko. In 2017, Suehiro won The Sake Competition, which has the greatest number of entries of any sake competition globally.

The brewery welcomes visitors with free guided tours offered hourly from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM (approximately 30 minutes each, with a break at noon). Tours in English are available upon request. The tour includes walks through brewing areas with explanations of the sake-making process, a small museum displaying the brewery's history, and access to a tasting bar in the factory store.

Visitors can sample between six and ten different types of sake free of charge year-round. Active brewing takes place from October to March, when visitors can observe fermentation tanks in operation. The on-site Kissa Ann café, converted from the brewery's oldest storehouse, serves coffee made with sake-brewing water and cakes infused with premium sake.

Admission to the brewery tour is free. From JR Aizu-Wakamatsu Station, take the city loop bus "Haikara-san" to the Yamato-machi bus stop, then walk one minute to reach the brewery. By car, the brewery is 15 minutes from Aizu-Wakamatsu Interchange on the Banetsu Expressway. Alternatively, the brewery is about a 20-minute walk from the main station.