Hida Takayama Nombe Festival

Hirase Sake Brewery

Devoted to sake making. Continuing to produce high quality products

Hirase Sake Brewery

Hirase Sake Brewery (3m35s / approx. 3.4MB)

Recommended sake: Kusudama (3m36s / approx. 3.5MB)

Established in 1623, this is an ancient brewery which has more than 390 years of history with the current owner being from the fifteenth family generation. The brewery only produces specific types of sake—ginjo, junmai and honjozo—which meet national standards. Importance is placed on quality while using a traditional brewing method. An abundance of Hidahomare—a variety of rice grown in Gifu Prefecture suitable for sake making—along with spring water from Japan’s Northern Alps is used to produce sake during the coldest period of winter. By carefully selecting rice and water and strictly following their traditional method, the brewery strives to produce high quality sake to satisfy their customers’ needs.

Their signature brand is “Kusudama.”

*Ginjo: high-quality sake brewed under low temperature fermentation from white rice milled to sixty percent.
Junmai: pure rice sake.
Honjozo: sake brewed with rice with polishing ratio not exceeding seventy percent.

Business Hours
8:15–17:00
Saturday and Sunday Working Hour:
9:00–17:00
Tasting Hours
9:00–16:00
Business Days
Open all year round (may close irregularly)
Brand Name
Kusudama
Address
82 Kami-Ichinomachi, Takayama, Gifu 506-0844
Google Maps
Phone Number
+81-577-34-0010
Website
https://kusudama.ocnk.net/

Hida Takayama Nombe Festival
Information

Tasting Hours 10:00–12:00 / 13:00–16:00
Please make sure to participate the event during the scheduled time.

MAP

Hirase Sake Brewery

82 Kami-Ichinomachi, Takayama, Gifu 506-0844

8:15–17:00
Saturday and Sunday Working Hour: 9:00–17:00
Open all year round (may close irregularly)

more

Niki Sake Brewery

40 Kami-Ninomachi, Takayama, Gifu 506-0845

9:00–16:00
Open all year round (may close irregularly)

more

Hirata Sake Brewery

43 Kami-Ninomachi, Takayama, Gifu 506-0845

10:00–17:00
Open all year round (may close irregularly)

more

Oita Sake Brewery

67 Kami-Sannomachi, Takayama, Gifu 506-0846

9:00–17:00
Open all year round (may close irregularly)

more

Funasaka Sake Brewery

105 Kami-Sannomachi, Takayama, Gifu 506-0846

8:30–18:00
Open all year round

more

Harada Sake Brewery

10 Kami-Sannomachi, Takayama, Gifu 506-0846

9:00–17:00
Open all year round

more

Hida
– Holy Land of Japanese Sake

Takayama City is located almost directly in the center of the Japanese Islands.
Surrounded by mountains with altitudes of over 3,000 meters (9,800 feet)
including those in the Hida Mountain Range, it has four distinctive seasons.
There is a large temperature gap between daytime and nighttime.
It is extremely cold in the winter with heavy snowfalls,
and we can see mountains covered with lush greenery in the spring.
Rich natural resources and well-balanced climate conditions are essential for sake making.
Clean and clear water comes from the Hida Mountain Range.
Takayama is famous for the production of a type of rice called “Hidahomare,”
one of the best rice brands for sake making. With climate, water and rice,
Takayama has all three necessary requirements for sake making.

Local sakes are developed together with traditions and culture,
such as the two Takayama Festivals in the spring and fall. The sakes have a smooth taste with a deep flavor.
With love, the breweries have been producing unique and original flavored sakes only available in Takayama.

Types of Sake

Ginjō-shu

Sakes made using the “ginjō” method in which rice is polished and carefully brewed at a low temperature. The best feature of these sakes is their delicate and fruity fragrance called “ginjō-kō.” Sakes with high “ginjō-kō” will lose their fragrance if heated, so these will not usually be consumed hot.

Junmai-shu

Junmai-shu is made from regular rice and malted rice. These sakes have a rich umami. They have a strong flavor and can be consumed various ways: hot, cold, on-the-rocks or diluted with hot water.

Honjōzō-shu

There are various kinds of honjōzō sake. A small amount of alcohol is added before squeezing “moromi” lees in order to adjust the flavor. These light body sakes are best consumed hot.

Namashu / Namazake

Sake is normally heated twice for pasteurization (hiire) before shipment, but sakes without hiire are called Namashu or Namazake. Due to the absence of heat processing, these sakes have a fresh taste. They are best consumed chilled.

Genshu

No water is added after moromi lees are squeezed. This gives the genshu a high alcohol content and makes them very rich. These sakes are delicious diluted with hot or cold water.

Koshu

Sakes made last year or earlier are called “koshu.” These sakes have a “jukusei-kō” (mature fragrance) and a smooth taste.

Shinshu

Sakes made during the current year are called “shinshu.” You can enjoy their fresh taste and aroma.

Nigorizake

These sakes are cloudy and bottled after “moromi” lees are removed using a coarse cloth.

To our Guests

  • If you have symptoms such as cold, fever or cough, please refrain from participating the event.
  • When entering the store, please make sure to disinfect your hands at the reception desk.
  • Please respect the social distance when lining up at the cashier or waiting for tasting.
  • To ensure the safety of all guests, the number of people who can enter the store at the same time may be limited. In that case, you will be kindly asked to wait outside the store.
  • The event schedule may be changed or canceled without prior notice.
  • Please refrain from bringing food, etc. when entering the brewery.
  • Please follow the instruction of our staff.

STOP! Don’t Drink & Drive! Underage drinking is prohibited.

  • Drinking and driving is prohibited by law.
  • Enjoy drinking while realizing your limits.
  • The legal drinking age in Japan is 20.
  • Drinking is not recommended for pregnant or nursing women.

The “Takayama City Ordinance Prohibiting Littering and Smoking along the Streets” prohibits the following acts:

  • Littering anywhere in the city.
  • Smoking on the streets of designated areas.
  • - Please take your trash home with you.
  • - Obey traffic rules and etiquette. No excessive idling in parking lots.