Enjoy a brewery tour and tasting at Tanaka Brewery in Otaru.

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: Last updated: September 11, 2018

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Otaru Tanaka Brewery When it comes to local sake from Otaru, "Tanaka Brewery" and "Kita no Homare Brewery" are well-known. However, "Kita no Homare Brewery" ceased brewing in Otaru in 2015.

When the brewery was open for business, they offered brewery tours at the factory and exhibition facility, "Shusenkan," where visitors could see the brewing process firsthand.

I am very saddened by this closure, as it was the place that sparked my interest in sake brewing. Inside the brewery, I was able to wear a sanitary hat and tour the entire brewing process with a guide, and even drink freshly pressed unpasteurized sake directly from the press.

Currently, Tanaka Brewery is the only local sake producer in Otaru, and although it's through a glass window, you can observe the entire brewing process. You don't need to be in a group to take a tour, so if you're ever in Otaru, why not visit Tanaka Brewery and take a tour of their sake brewery?

Tanaka Sake Brewery Main Store

Otaru Tanaka Brewery

Otaru Tanaka Brewery
Tanaka Sake Brewery Main Store, easily recognizable by its "Local Sake" noren (traditional Japanese curtain), is a two-story wooden building constructed in 1927 (Showa 2) and is designated as a "historical building" by Otaru City. The interior recreates the atmosphere of the early Showa period and includes exhibition spaces.

Tanaka Sake Brewery

In addition to seasonal sake, they also offer sake exclusive to Otaru city, as well as authentic mirin, plum wine, liqueurs, and shochu. Sake manju (steamed buns filled with sweet bean paste) and sake lees crackers are also popular.

Otaru Tanaka Brewery

Freshly pressed unpasteurized sake and sake exclusive to this store are also available. You can sample about 10 different types of sake, so be sure to find your favorite here.

[Tanaka Sake Brewery Main Store]
Address: 3-2-5 Iroinai, Otaru City, Hokkaido
Telephone number: 0134-23-0390
Opening Hours: Midnight 9 Hours ~ X PM XUMX Hours

Tanaka Sake Brewery Kikkou-gura

Otaru Tanaka Brewery
Tanaka Sake Brewery's Kikkogura is a group of stone warehouses built around 1905 (Meiji 38), and it is also designated as a "historical building" by Otaru City.

While sake brewing is typically done in winter ("kanzukuri"), Kikkou Brewery is unique in that it brews sake all year round ("shikijouzo"), meaning it's a "shikijouzou" (four-season brewery). As a result, visitors can observe the brewing process at any time.

Otaru Tanaka Brewery

The water used in sake brewing is snowmelt water drawn from approximately 70 meters underground. This brewing water is free to drink. You can also take some home if you have a plastic bottle or similar container. Inside the Kikkou-gura brewery, there is a designated space for taking commemorative photos.

Otaru Tanaka Brewery

Just like the main store, Kikkogura also has a shop with a tasting area and a souvenir corner.

Recently, amazake, a nutritious drink often referred to as "a drinkable IV drip," has become very popular, and sake lees from breweries are in high demand and sometimes sell out.

At the tasting corner, you can sample over 10 kinds of freshly pressed unpasteurized sake and local sake from Otaru. Feel free to ask the staff about how to enjoy sake and how to taste it. We also have fruity sakes and plum wine that even those who don't usually like sake can enjoy.

Otaru Tanaka Brewery

If you go up the stairs to the second floor, you can see the entire process of how sake is made. There are also quizzes about sake along the way.

When you visit to observe the brewing process, we recommend taking this pamphlet, which can be found at the entrance of the Kikkou-gura (turtle warehouse). If there is no guide, this pamphlet will help you understand which step corresponds to which stage of the process.

Otaru Tanaka Brewery

In sake brewing, the saying "First koji, second moto, third brewing" is often heard. Koji making is the most important step in sake brewing. In the "koji room," the starch in the rice is broken down into sugar by the power of koji mold. Koji is made over two days in a high-temperature, high-humidity koji room.

Otaru Tanaka Brewery

In the fermentation tanks, the yeast starter is slowly fermented over approximately 30 days using a three-stage fermentation process, where koji, steamed rice, and water are added in three separate stages.

Otaru Tanaka Brewery

After fermentation, sake is pressed and then aged in storage tanks. The residue left after pressing is called sake lees.

The sake is pasteurized after pressing before storage, but the freshly pressed sake before pasteurization is called "shiboritate nama genshu" (freshly pressed unpasteurized sake). Nama genshu is a special drink that can only be tasted at the brewery, but you can sample it here all year round, so please come and try this precious nama genshu.

[Tanaka Sake Brewery Kikkou-gura]
Address: 2-2 Shinkomachi, Otaru City, Hokkaido
Telephone number: 0134-21-2390
Opening Hours: Midnight 9 Hours ~ X PM XUMX Hours
Visiting hours: 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM

Final thoughts

Otaru Tanaka Brewery

Tanaka Brewery's most famous sake is "Takara-gawa." Each type of sake has its own unique character, and everyone has their own preferences. Why not try all the different types of sake here and find your favorite?

Tanaka Brewery also produces seasonal and limited-edition sake. In addition, various events are held at Kikkou-gura throughout the seasons. For details, please visit the website operated by Tanaka Brewery Co., Ltd.Facebook PageYou might want to refer to this.

Now, to digress slightly, next to Otaru is the Yoichi Distillery, featured in the NHK serial drama "Massan." I recommend a slightly tipsy sightseeing plan that includes a short trip to Yoichi, learning about the whiskey-making process and tasting at the Yoichi Distillery, tasting wine at the Yoichi Winery near the distillery, and finally tasting sake at Tanaka Brewery in Otaru.

I think this is the perfect sightseeing plan for anyone who loves alcohol, so please give it a try.