Tour an Exclusive Sake Brewery with over 250 Years of History and Sip Sake While Enjoying Views of Lake Biwa

Walk Through a 270-Year-Old Brewery Where the Art of Sake Has Developed in Harmony with Takashima’s Nature

Fukui Yahei Shoten is a long-established sake brewery with a history going back more than 270 years. Founded during the Kan’en era (1748 – 1751) in what is today Takashima City, Shiga Prefecture, it’s located on the northwestern shore of Lake Biwa. Nestled between Japan’s largest lake and the Hira Mountain Range, the brewery has become a staple of Takashima over the centuries.

Fukui Yahei Shoten’s sake-making traditions developed in harmony with the natural environment of Takashima City. In addition to the Shirahige Jinja shrine, known for its torii gate standing on the lake, and the historic town that developed around Omizo Castle with its well-preserved waterways, the area is also known for its beautiful terraced rice fields that dot the local mountains. Omizo’s lakeside views have been designated a National Important Cultural Landscape of Japan, while its agricultural scenery has been selected as one of Japan’s 100 Best Rice Terraces. All these landscapes continue to convey the region’s history and culture, and remain vital to local sake production, which requires rice and clear water.

“Nature is essential to brewing sake. That is why protecting nature is an integral part of our process. I want people to experience the nature-rich scenery of the Omi region through our sake,” says president Takeshi Fukui. Fukui Yahei Shoten is committed to preserving the local climate and traditions by protecting the very environment that makes their sake possible. Their endeavors include brewing with locally grown rice and working to conserve local terraced rice fields.

This Wabunka-exclusive experience set against the backdrop of a historic sake brewery offers everything from a guided tour led by the brewery owner to a sake tasting. Take a firsthand look inside this historic space and experience the charms of sake with all five senses. Through this experience, feel the unique climate and soil of Takashima that give birth to its distinctive sake.

Tour the Brewery While Listening to the Stories of Sake Craftspeople

First, you’ll be treated to a talk about Fukui Yahei Shoten’s sake brewing process and traditional methods passed down through the generations. The talk makes the craft of sake very easy to understand, explaining everything from the washing and steaming of rice to making the koji mold and shubo starter, preparing the mash, fermentation, and pressing. Once you’ve gained a deeper understanding of the process, president Takeshi Fukui himself will take you on a guided tour of the brewery, including facilities not normally accessible to the public. This is a rare opportunity to learn about sake-brewing and Fukui Yahei Shoten’s commitment to quality directly from the head of the company.

As the tour continues, you’ll learn about the specific roles of every piece of brewing equipment such as the preparation tanks and the instruments involved in the fermentation of the mash. Seeing all of these brewery tools firsthand in their natural environment will give you a greater insight into the craft of sake, including the attention to detail and the skills of the people that make every bottle of Japanese sake possible.

Thick roof beams cross the brewery, preserving the atmosphere of historic Japan while state-of-the-art equipment for modern brewing techniques occupies the space below. This is an invaluable opportunity to see a traditional brewery environment and modern machinery side by side and learn how long-standing traditions of sake brewing have survived until the 21st century.

Understanding the Flavors of Regional Sake Through Takashima City’s Water and Rice

The spring water from the Hira Mountain Range is the foundation of sake production at Fukui Yahei Shoten. Since sake brewing requires a great deal of water for washing, steaming, and mashing the rice, the quality of the water directly influences the flavor of the final product. During the brewery tour, you’ll have the opportunity to taste the actual water used in the brewing process and notice its smooth texture and subtle sweetness. This firsthand experience with the flavor that underpins the entire sake-making process is sure to leave a lasting impression on you.

Just as with water, the rice used at Fukui Yahei Shoten allows you to taste the natural bounty of Takashima. Inspired by the time that contract-farmed sake rice was harvested from paddies damaged by 2013 flooding, Fukui Yahei Shoten developed the “Amadare Ishi wo Ugatsu” brand using the centuries-old “Tomizu-jikomi” method. The sake was named after a Japanese idiom about how perseverance and hard work pay off, since the brand was the result of efforts to not let rice from flood-affected areas go to waste.

In addition, with the “Satoyama” premium brand that uses Koshihikari cooking rice grown in local mountainside paddies—rather than a specialized sake-brewing variety—the brewery is also helping preserve Takashima’s terraced fields. The combination of local rice and water, along with brewing techniques honed over many years, gives rise to a unique regional sake that could only be born here.

Immerse Yourself in a Luxurious Tasting of Six Sake Varieties That Reflect the Changing Seasons

Once the tour concludes, it will be time for the tasting experience. In a tatami room normally closed to the public, you’ll sample six types of sake chosen to match the season, along with appetizers. The lineup features a diverse selection, including Daiginjo and Ginjo sake (designations that signify the percentage of polished rice in the final product, which affects taste and aroma). Also available will be fruit liqueurs made with berries native to Takashima City, each one a unique flavor experience. Listen to explanations about the characteristics of each alcoholic drink and how they pair with the appetizers, and allow yourself to get lost in the intoxicating world of Shiga’s Takashima.

The tasting selection of six varieties of sake changes depending on the time of year, allowing you to enjoy flavors that best complement each season, such as new sake in spring, chilled sake in summer, “hiyaoroshi” in fall (a variety pasteurized once in spring, then aged through summer), and warmed sake in winter. Take a moment to savor the rich variety of Japanese sake alongside the seasonal scenery of Takashima.

You’ll choose a bottle that you’ve enjoyed during the tasting and head to Hagi Beach via private transport. On the shores of Lake Biwa, you will enjoy a private time sipping your drink while feeling the refreshing lake breeze on your face and getting closer to Takashima’s natural beauty and the bounty of its waters.

*In case of bad weather, the experience will take place in the tatami room instead.

The Perfect Sake to Savor While Recollecting the Scenery of Takashima

After the tour, you can enjoy shopping at the brewery store. We recommend choosing your favorite sake from those that you savored during the tasting session or looking for a souvenir to commemorate your visit to Takashima.

At Fukui Yahei Shoten, you can take part in an immersive tour that begins with a look into the history of a centuries-old company and a behind-the-scenes look at the craft of brewing, followed by a tasting of seasonal sake and appetizers. The opportunity to discover the techniques passed down through generations and the flavors nurtured by the local environment is sure to make this experience a memory of a lifetime. Come savor a glass of sake, one that can only be found here, while taking in the nature-rich scenery of Takashima.