Tambasasayama Cycling ④–Visiting Sasayama brewery course

This course takes you to visit some Sake breweries in Tambasasayama. First, at the Tamba Toji memorial hall you can see and learn the history of the Tamba Toji (brewery masters). Then move on to Homei and Kariba breweries. Because of traffic regulations, you are not allowed to drink sake when you ride bicycles, but how about getting some tasty sake for a souvenir?

Overview

Caution:

For your safety, please refrain from looking at mobile phones on a moving bicycle. Come to a stop before searching for information.
Please follow traffic laws, keeping safety in mind.

Map

Red marking is the Tourist Information Center near the Sasayama Castle.

Spots to visit

❶Tamba Toji Shuzo Memorial Hall

This hall was built as the memorial hall of the local sake brewing masters the Tamba Toji. Various brewing tools and materials are displayed. Due to modernization in brewing techniques and technology these artifacts are becoming rare. The sake brewing process is shown in each step for the exhibition.
There are some documents that explain the long and distinguished history of Tamba Toji. You can see the brewers history of terrible working conditions, as well as the brewing process of sake step by step.
Japanese sake is produced by the skill of the artisan which was brought about by their 300-year- history and tradition.
Its exquisite taste, fragrance, and color are brought out only by the top quality rice and water, together with the Tamba Toji who have been training sake brewers.
【Admission fee】100 yen contribution
【Inquiry】　　　Tamba Toji Union Tel: +81-79-552-0003

❷Homeishuzo Sake Brewery Horoyoi Jokagura

The Homei brewery produces refined sake. You can visit the renovated 210 year-old main Sake cellar and Nishimoto’s house. Built in the Edo period in the tradition of the Tamba Toji, brewing sake in the traditional way. The location was opened as “Horoyoi Jokagura” (The tipsy brewery in the castle town) in 2001. The brewery and the residence were built in 1797, when Nishio founded the business, and it was used to make sake unti l1975, when they moved the brewery to Ajima brewery. You can see the traditional place for washing rice, cooking rice, koji-muro (the place to produce Koji), as well as ancient tools for free of charge. After seeing those, you can taste most of the “Homei” produced sakes and if you like any of those you can purchase them right there. There are many unique products such as “Rolan” (liquer made of Tamba black soy beans), “Marron de Kiss (liquer made of Tamba chestnuts)”, “Umeshu” (plum wine), “Kijoshu (sake brewed with sake instead of water)” etc.
For more info:

https://tourism.sasayama.jp/foreigner_post/homeishuzo-sake-brewery%e3%80%80-horoyoi-jokagura/

❸Karibaichi brewery

This is the brewery of a Tambasasayama local sake “Shugetsu”. It is brewed by Tamba Toji who have been brewing sake for 52 years, using crystal clear water “Iwa mizu” and rice that is the best fit for sake brewing in the cold air of Tamba highland.