Kamotsuru Brewery Shop

Kamoizumi Sake Brewery Visitor Center & Direct Sales Shop is a historic sake brewery located along Saijo Sakagura-dori, just a three-minute walk from JR Saijo Station on the Sanyo Main Line. Saijo is recognized as one of Japan’s three great sake-brewing regions, alongside Nada in Kobe and Fushimi in Kyoto, and is also known as the birthplace of ginjo sake, prized for its smooth and drinkable character. Along the approximately one-kilometer-long Saijo Sakagura-dori, seven sake breweries stand side by side. The street, lined with red-brick chimneys, white plaster walls, and traditional namako walls, has a nostalgic atmosphere and has been selected by ICOMOS as one of the "20th-Century Heritage Selections." Among these breweries, Kamoizumi is famous for being the first to commercialize daiginjo sake. Ginjo and daiginjo differ in rice polishing ratios, with ginjo polished to 60% or less and daiginjo to 50% or less. Because daiginjo requires more time and care, it offers a fruitier aroma and a smoother taste. Kamoizumi’s signature sake is the daiginjo "Tokusei Gold Kamoizumi," first released in 1958. At the visitor center, guests can watch a film about sake brewing with subtitles in English, Chinese, and French, enjoy free tastings of about five varieties, and sample three additional sakes for a fee. Favorite bottles can also be purchased as souvenirs.