Fushimi Sake District
伏见酒藏 · Kyoto Prefecture · Kyoto City, Fushimi Ward
One of Japan's best-known sake-brewing districts, with nearly 40 breweries gathered along the willow-lined Horikawa; tour the Gekkeikan Okura Sake Museum with a tasting, or drift along the river on a wooden sightseeing boat.
Know before you go
- Getting rowdy after drinking
- touching equipment in brewing areas
- underage drinking
This article is Not yet verified. Please check official announcements for prices, opening hours and dates.
Stories & people
Stories & people
History
Wooden cargo boats
Flat-bottomed wooden boats once plied Fushimi's waterways, carrying goods to and from the castle town. Wooden boats can still be seen on the river today, though now they carry sightseers; cruises leave from docks near Gekkeikan and the Teradaya and run as far as the junction with the Uji River.
History
The Teradaya
The Teradaya is the inn where Sakamoto Ryoma was attacked before the Meiji Restoration. The original building was destroyed in a local battle, and today's building is a reconstruction, open for daytime visits and overnight stays.
Culture
Culture & customs
Background
The Fushimi sake district lies in Fushimi Ward, Kyoto, along the willow-lined Horikawa, and boats can follow the river down to its junction with the Uji River. Nearly 40 breweries are gathered here, and many buildings keep their traditional look of wood and white plaster walls. The brewing district grew up at the foot of Fushimi Castle, the retirement palace of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Clean, soft water flows in abundance from underground springs, ideal for brewing, and the location where two rivers meet made shipping easy. The Gekkeikan Okura Sake Museum displays the tools and processes of sake making, with a tasting at the end of the self-guided tour; Kizakura runs a restaurant in the district, Kizakura Kappa Country, serving its own sake and craft beer.
Local customs
- Tour breweries and taste sake (the Gekkeikan Okura Sake Museum includes a tasting)
- ride a wooden sightseeing boat on the Horikawa
- browse the covered Otesuji shopping street and choose sake at the Fushimi Yumehyakushu visitor centre
- visit the Teradaya for late-Edo history.
Etiquette & taboos
Etiquette & taboos
Don’t DON'T
- Getting rowdy after drinking
- touching equipment in brewing areas
- underage drinking
- leaning out of the boats
- driving after drinking
Locals appreciate DO
- Drink tastings in moderation
- follow each brewery's visitor rules
- stay seated on the boats
Plan your visit
Practical info
Travel tips
- Each brewery's opening and tour arrangements differ, so check each brewery's announcements before you go
- boat operating times are as officially announced. The district is a 5 to 10 minute walk from Chushojima Station on the Keihan Main Line, with Momoyama-Goryomae Station on the Kintetsu Kyoto Line and Fushimi-Momoyama Station on the Keihan line also close by
- from Momoyama Station on the JR Nara Line it is about a 15 to 20 minute walk. From Kyoto Station, the Kintetsu or JR line gets you to a nearby station in a little over ten minutes.
- You can visit all year
- winter is new-sake season, spring brings willows and cherry blossoms, and a summer boat ride is a pleasure too.
Photos
Photos
Richard, enjoy my life! · CC BY-SA 2.0
663highland · CC BY-SA 3.0
Sources & verification notes
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