There are currently 88 sake breweries in Niigata prefecture. Although it is less than 108 to 25 years ago, which was said to be 30 warehouses, which is the same as the number of "Joya no kane", the number is now the largest in Japan! There are sake breweries in 30 of the 21 municipalities.The nine municipalities that do not have a sake brewery will be asked to think slowly later ...If you are a fan of Niigata sake, you will know where the municipality has the most sake breweries. Nagaoka City has 9 sake breweries.This is followed by 16 warehouses in Niigata City and 14 warehouses in Joetsu City.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Niigata Sake no Jin, the largest event in the prefecture's sake brewing industry, has been canceled for the second year in a row. I'm sure many people are sad about this, but there are many ways to enjoy Niigata sake. One of them is a drinking trip.
A real sake trip has the appeal of allowing you to experience the atmosphere of the place, while a virtual sake trip that you can enjoy by ordering has the advantage of allowing you to think about dishes that go well with local sake using local ingredients at home, and enjoy pairings of your own. There is. This time, we will guide you on a sake journey in Nagaoka City, which has the largest number of sake breweries in the prefecture.

Pay attention to news spots!

Nagaoka City will hold an event "Fermentation Town Nagaoka HAKKO trip" on November 2020, 11.At Aore Nagaoka and Settaya, visitors enjoyed drinking, eating, buying, and experiencing fermented foods such as sake, miso, and soy sauce, and walking around Settaya.Last year, two spots that sake lovers shouldn't miss were born in Nagaoka City, which has an aggressive stance and holds events with perfect countermeasures even in the case of corona.

One is "Michi-no-Eki Nagaoka Fireworks Museum" which opened on September 1.

Roadside Station Nagaoka Fireworks Museum

At Omitsugiya, the local sake bar Koshinosakeonkikidokoro, you can sample local sake from 16 breweries in Nagaoka City for a fee.

Omitsugiya

The content of sake changes in 2 to 3 weeks.In addition, there is also a service where artificial intelligence (AI) can select sake in the store according to taste using the app "Sakeai" developed by students of Nagaoka University of Technology.Those who have installed the app will get a discount on tasting money, so give it a try.
There is also a "Yoshinogawa Sake Bar" in the food court inside the fireworks building, so it is recommended to go on a ladder.

The second new spot is "Settaya 2 Avenue Fermentation Museum Komegura" which opened on October 10th in the brewing town of Settaya.

Settaya 6th Avenue Fermentation Museum, Komegura

In the renovated Komegura of Kina Saffron Sake Honpo, which is known for Kotee, you can purchase fermentation-focused cafes and 5 breweries in the Settaya area. There is space. It also sells products from two Settaya breweries, Hasegawa Shuzo Co., Ltd. and Yoshinogawa, as well as saffron Sake.

Yoshinogawa Sake Museum Brewery, located across the road from the rice warehouse, offers paid tastings and sales, as well as a game experience with a sake brewing theme.

Yoshinogawa Sake Museum Brewery

You cannot tour Hasegawa Shuzo Co., Ltd., but you can purchase products on weekdays. Let's take a stroll along the atmospheric street filled with the scent of koji that leads from Hoshino Honten, the brewery behind miso and soy sauce.

Hasegawa Shuzo Co., Ltd.

There's more! tasting spot

Asahi Shuzo Sake Brewing Co., Ltd. is currently only offering a 20-minute tour course. At Saranosato Asahiyama, which is located across the street from the sake brewery that serves as the reception area, you can enjoy free (one glass) and paid tastings of Asahi Shuzo Sake Brewing Co., Ltd.'s local sake. Just like with tours, you can take admission on the same day, so anyone other than the driver can easily enjoy it.

Saranosato Asahiyama

The last stop is a sake bar inside Nagaoka Station that you'll want to stop by on your train journey.

``Kikizake Bansho'' at ``Ponshukan Nagaokaeki Branch'' has a wide selection of recommended brands from all the sake breweries in the prefecture! Let's try and compare Nagaoka's local sake. However, there are 16 breweries, so be careful not to drink too much.

Ponshukan Nagaokaeki store Kikizake bansho

You can also enjoy tastings for a fee at Saranosato Asahiyama Ekinakaten inside the same station.

Saranosato Asahiyama Ekinakaten

The websites of the 16 sake breweries in Nagaoka City post their online shops and store information, so if you like to drink at home, you can use the websites to enjoy your Nagaoka sake journey at home. And after the coronavirus, I want you to enjoy a real Nagaoka sake trip.

*If you are driving a car, please refrain from drinking alcohol.

Editor-in-chief of "cushu notebook" and "R from Niigata"
Mariko Takahashi
cushu.jp
n-hatsu-r.com

Related brewery

• Yoshinogawa
• Asahi Shuzo Sake Brewing Co., Ltd.
• Hasegawa Shuzo Co., Ltd.

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