Kyoto – Water for Making Sake
Underground Kyoto, there is a rich spring water resource. The spring water from underground Kyoto, is very important for sake making process.
“Fushimizu”, is the famous spring water in Fushimi. They named “Fushimi” the name of the town from this water,”Fushimizu”.
History of Kizakura
Kizakura, is one of the famous brewery companies in Fushimi that uses this Fushimuzu. It has the 9th sales volume in Japan. Jiichiro Matsumoto established Kizakura as a branch family of the big sake brewery in Fushimi in 1925. The sake made in Misugura, one of the brewery in Kizakura build in 1964, has had been awarded the gold medal for 10 times since 2003. If you visit the Kizakura, you’ll notice a unique characters, called “Kappa”. This”Kappa”(a imaginary creature in Japan) is the image character and symbol of Kizakura. They even have a “Kappa song” that is also famous in the CM. Kizakura brews not only sakes, this company even brews unique beers. The beers that Kizkura makes, uses sake yeast and have lots of flavours.
Kizakura Sake Brewery is Open for Visitors
If you’re interested in Kizakura, museum is open for visitors . You learn about the history and the sake/beer making process of Kizakura.
First you can learn about sake making process. By watching a short movie and seeing the koji making through the window. Here is the only place you can see the koji making room in Japan.
Next you can learn about the beer making process. Here, you’ll be able to watch the heat treatment process, testing part and the bottling part of beer. In the last, you can see the fermentation tank of the beer.
After the factory tour, you can taste a cup of amazake for free. Amazake is a sake drink which is alcohol-free.
If you want to taste sake, you can taste few kinds of sake in charge.(100yen per cup)
After amazake/sake tasting, there’s a bottle shop so you can buy some delicious sake and beer to have some at home. If you want to have some sake soon, there will is a very nice restaurant too. You can have some great sake, beer and delicious meals there.
If you are interested in visiting the museum, you need to make a reservation before you visit. Please note they may not have English speaking staff and some of their exhibition is not written in English. There will be a free shuttle bus from Chushojima station.
But if you don’t know what kind of sake do you like, why don’t you join our sake tour,”Kyoto Insider Sake Experience“.
You will definetely have a better sake life!
【INFORMATION】
Kizakura Sake Museum
・Address: 53, Kajiwara-cho, Shimomisu, Yoko-oji, Fushimi-ku, Kyoto City 612-8242
・Tel:+81 75-611-4101
