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Niigata Prefecture’s chilly climate, winter snowfall, and fertile lowlands produce some of the nation’s most sought after sake – Ichishima Shuzo in Shibata brews its batches from the same raw materials as the region’s other producers but its impressive pedigree and the owner’s revolutionary ideas make for sake that is considered a cut above the average. A visit to the brewery is a fine opportunity to enjoy a tipple and learn about the brewing industry that has sustained Niigata for centuries.
![Ichishima Shuzo Sake Brewery]()
Ichishima Shuzo Sake Brewery
A brief trip on the JR Inaho Line takes one from Niigata City to Shibata, Ichishima Shuzo’s hometown. The former castle town is surrounded by some of the most productive paddy fields in the country: the cropland, irrigated by mountain runoff fed by heavy winter snowfall and cooled by bracing winds off the Sea of Japan, produces rice that is perfect for producing high-grade sake. Ichishima Shuzo is located a short distance away from the central station and can be reached by a brief stroll that takes one past the Shinto Suwa Shrine complex. Upon arriving at the brewery’s front gate, one can’t help but be in the mood to sip the ancient beverage once used to toast the rice harvest.
![Ichishima Shuzo Sake Brewery]()
Ichishima Shuzo Sake Brewery
The brewery complex welcomes visitors every day of the week (except for a break during the New Year's holiday) between 9am and 4pm for tours of the brewery and the attached museum that preserves artifacts from Ichishima Shuzo’s more than two centuries of history. The tour is free and can be arranged upon arrival at the brewery.
![Ichishima Shuzo Sake Brewery]()
Ichishima Shuzo Sake Brewery
Even for those that remain unconvinced by Niigata sake’s charms, the tour of the brewery and its museum are fascinating. Just as one realizes when visiting one of the chateaux of Bordeaux, the Ichishima brewery and its grounds do not simply just tell the story of an agricultural process but also provide an overview of the social and economic forces that shaped the region. Much like the great dynasties of Bordeaux, the patriarchs of the Ichishima family built a business empire passed down from father to son.
![Ichishima Shuzo Sake Brewery]()
Ichishima Shuzo Sake Brewery
The tour concludes with a tasting – a great chance to see what the current owner has worked on for the past 16 years since he returned to Niigata to take over his family’s brewery after a stint overseas. Ginjo and daiginjo sake are present but Kenji Ichishima has taken pains to push his brewmasters to produce new takes on these classics that highlight the region’s rice crop’s particular characteristics. Ichishima Shuzo is comparatively ancient but innovation is still taking place: there are some even more heterodox additions to the brewery’s lineup, including sake flavored with local fruit. One of the more exciting recent additions—and available at the brewery’s shop—is Ichishima Platinum, a sparkling sake that dunks the local sake’s crisp, dry flavors in a luxuriously effervescent bubble bath.
![Ichishima Shuzo Sake Brewery]()
Ichishima Shuzo Sake Brewery
Attached to the complex and furnished with a view of the elegant grounds, the teahouse that was once reserved for the Ichishima family is now open to visitors and makes the perfect final pitstop. Here, the emphasis is on sophisticated takes on regional dishes, salmon rice porridge and pickled vegetables, and traditional teahouse sweets – and on matcha and hojicha rather than sake. Before heading back out into town, bask in the sake afterglow while enjoy the bounty of Niigata.
![Ichishima Shuzo Sake Brewery]()
Ichishima Shuzo Sake Brewery
- Ichishima Sake Brewery Inc.
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- Nigata Pref. Shibatashi Suwachou 3-1-17
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- 0254225150
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- 9:00-18:00
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