Exploring the sake regions of Itami and Nada

A sake journey from production to export

Sake is a fermented alcoholic beverage that has the longest history in Japan among all the alcoholic beverages available in the country. The practice of making sake is said to date back more than a millennium, and there are early written records from the 8th century about sacred alcohol that was made specially for the gods by fermenting a mixture of rice and saliva.

It was only from the 17th century that the sake produced became the foundation of Japanese sake as we know it today, and well-loved by the common folk. Over the course of two days, I visited the sake regions of Itami and Nada in Hyogo Prefecture, near Itami Airport and Kobe respectively, to go on a journey learning about sake from its production to export.

Tasting flight of sake and paired dishes at Nadagogo Sakedokoro in Nada

The Imazu lighthouse in the Nada district and an image of a sake ship used to transport barrels of sake from Nada to Edo (Tokyo)

The main ingredients in sake are rice, water, koji mold and yeast. Not only that, in the time before the invention of automated temperature control, sake brewers were dependent on cold winter air to regulate temperatures while brewing sake. As such, it is no mistake that both the sake regions of Itami and Nada are found near the Rokko mountains, which provide the quality water and cold winter air instrumental to sake brewing.

When it comes to rice, one of the most important ingredients in sake, Itami and Nada are close to good rice growing regions. More recently, in 1936, a new variety of sake rice, known as Yamada Nishiki, was produced successfully in Hyogo Prefecture, and it quickly became the most used sake rice in the country.

Yamada Nishiki sake rice at different levels of polish

Day 1: Itami, the birthplace of clear sake

My trip starts in the city of Itami, a stone's throw from Itami Airport, the domestic airport in Osaka. The relatively compact city center is convenient to explore on foot as many of the sights are close to one another.

In the old days, sake was very different from what we know today. The alcoholic mixture of rice and water was drunk unfiltered, and had a cloudy appearance. Itami was where filtered sake is said to have originated in 1600, and clear sake is now the de facto style of sake drunk these days.

My first stop in Itami was the Itami City Museum of Art, History and Culture, whose grounds besides some conventional museum space also contains a preserved merchant residence and sake brewery - the former Okada Residence - from the 17th century. The residence is free to enter, and visitors can get a closer look of the traditional merchant residence, sake making equipment as well as excavated ruins of rice steaming stoves.

Main entrance to the former Okada Residence

Cedar ball at the entrance indicates that sake was produced or sold there

You can tell the family was very wealthy as their shop space was massive

Excavated remains of a rice steaming area

The secret to clear sake was filtering it. This was an early sake filter, in which sake was moved into bags and pressed in this machine. The clay vessel in front was for collecting the filtered sake

It was also interesting to see the different building styles through the property, which was expanded five times in the approximately 300 years from when it was first constructed till the discontinuation of the sake business. The reasons for the expansion could be attributed to improvements in sake brewing techniques as well as increases in sake production.

From the former residence, it was a short one minute walk to the 750 meter long street that connects the two stations serving central Itami. This street used to contain numerous sake breweries, but only two survived in Itami. Nevertheless, it was quite nice to check out the main street, which was nicely done up.

As I walked along the street, I was thrilled to find out that one of the remaining sake breweries had made their sake water source available to the public for free. The spot was obviously well-visited by the locals as there was a never-ending stream of people going to fill their bottles, and of course, I had to do the same and try the water as well. (Spoiler: it was delicious and refreshing.)

Signposts pointing to the JR and Hankyu stations

The author filling her bottle at the water source

My last stop was the Konishi Brewing Company, one of the two remaining sake breweries in Itami. Established in 1550, they are also one of the oldest sake companies in Japan. The company operates the Shirayuki Brewery Village Chojugura on the main street, which contains a sake museum on the upper floor and a craft beer brewery and restaurant on the ground floor.

I headed to the sake museum first, which contained old sake brewing equipment and animated videos showing how the equipment was used and the brewing process. It was all very educational, but the highlight of my visit was going to the restaurant and tasting the efforts of over 250 years of brewing history through their sake and craft beer.

That concluded my first ever visit to Itami, and I made my way to Kobe to spend the night.

Displays were laid out in chronological order, and rice washing is usually the first step to making sake

Vessels and sake casks with the Konishi sake brand Shirayuki

Restaurant area where visitors can order sake and Konishi Brewery craft beer

A serving of sake on the left and a sake matcha tiramisu on the right, which contains sake and smelled so good, on the right. Note that those under the legal drinking age of 20 are not allowed to order drinks and dishes containing alcohol, like the two items shown in this image

The shop space also had beer from Itami's international sister city in Belgium

Day 2: Nada, Japan's largest sake producing region

Following yesterday's visit to the birthplace of clear sake, I continued my trip with a visit to the Nada sake district near central Kobe. The sake produced in Nada district accounts for almost 25 percent of the total production in Japan, and it is the most widely known sake district in the country. There are five sake areas in Nada containing over 25 sake breweries along the waterfront, which is one of the key points for its popularity.

I started my second day at Sawanotsuru, a sake brewery that has been in business for over 300 years. It has an excellent museum displaying actual sake brewing equipment, and videos showing the traditional sake making techniques. I noticed also that sake songs were played in the museum, near the equipment that was used when singing. I thought that added a nice aural dimension to the museum visit.

One of the displays at Sawanotsuru was a scale model of a ship that carried sake from Nada to Edo (Tokyo). One of the attributes that made Nada sake popular, aside from the quality water and good rice, was the ability to export and transport the products easily. As mentioned before, the sake breweries in Nada were located near the waterfront, and their location made it convenient to transport sake to Tokyo by ship. The sake also had time to mature in their barrels during the sailing from Nada to Edo, creating a flavor profile that was popular in the capital.

The koji mold room is insulated and kept at a warm temperature so that the mold can multiply quickly on the rice

The author showing how tall one wooden tub is - it is about two meters tall!

When it comes to wooden barrels, Kiku-Masamune Sake Brewing operates the Kiku-Masamune Taru Sake Meister Factory, where visitors can see artisans creating cedar barrels the traditional way in addition to having a museum displaying sake equipment. There are three tours a day, and reservations are required to enter the factory. If you ever wondered what was under the straw covering of sake barrels, then your curiosity would be sated and more on this tour.

The smell of cedar wood filled the air in the factory, and I saw firsthand, the amount of skill that goes into making a barrel without any nails. It was so impressive to see the pieces of wood coming together to form a watertight container. I learned that one of these barrels contains 72 liters, and sake ships would transport hundreds and even up to thousands of these in one sailing in the 17th to 19th centuries.

Pictures give an idea of how the equipment was used

Splitting bamboo to use weave into bands. Image courtesy of Kiku-Masamune Sake Brewing

Artisan smoothing out the inside of the barrel. Image courtesy of Kiku-Masamune Sake Brewing

Barrels filled with sake and left to age

My last stop for the trip and the day was the Nadagogo Sakedokoro, a fun standing sake bar in a warehouse. The concept is simple, once in the warehouse, visitors are considered to be immersed in the world of sake. The extensive drink menu carries only Nada sake, many of which can be heated up in a water bath to understand how the flavour of sake changes at different temperatures. Not only is the sake good, the food menu features modern and fusion dishes, which pair well with sake.

Communication is key at Nadagogo Sakedokoro as patrons can interact with one another at their places or while waiting for their sake to heat up at a water bath station. There were only good vibes at the standing sake bar, and I felt like it was the perfect place to close my trip.

The two days had been highly enjoyable visiting the two sake districts, and roughly following the progress of sake. My favorite parts of the trip were definitely drinking delicious sake, a much-needed reward for my hard work each day :P

The long counter is like a sacred approach leading to sake tanks at the end

The very affable owner of the standing bar

Access

How to get to and around Itami

Japan Railways (JR) and Hankyu Railway operate trains going to Itami. The city center is bound by the JR Takarazuka Line in the east and the Hankyu Itami Line in the west. It takes about ten minutes to walk along the main street connecting the two stations, and all the spots visited in this itinerary are close to or along the main street.

From Osaka

From Osaka Station, take the JR Takarazuka Line bound for Shin-Sanda or Sasayamaguchi and get off at Itami Station (15 minutes, 240 yen one way).

From Osaka-Umeda Station, take the Hankyu Kobe Line in the direction of Kobe and transfer at Tsukaguchi Station to the Hankyu Itami Line. Get off at Itami Station (20 minutes, 240 yen one way).

From Kobe

From Sannomiya Station, take the JR Kobe Rapid Line in the direction of Osaka and transfer at Amagasaki Station to the JR Takarazuka Line. Get off at Itami Station (30 minutes, 510 yen one way).

From Kobe-Sannomiya Station, take the Hankyu Kobe Line bound for Osaka-Umeda and transfer at Tsukaguchi Station to the Hankyu Itami Line. Get off at Itami Station (40 minutes, 290 yen one way).

How to get to and around the Nada district

The Nada sake district spans over ten kilometers from east to west, and the closest train line to the district is the Hanshin Main Line, which connects Kobe-Sannomiya Station to Osaka-Umeda Station. The Nada district is closer to central Kobe and is best accessed from there.

How to get to Sawanotsuru Brewery from central Kobe

Oishi is the closest station to Sawanotsuru Brewery. From Kobe-Sannomiya Station, take the Hanshin Main Line bound for Osaka-Umeda and get off at Oishi (7 minutes, 160 yen one way). The brewery is an approximately ten minute walk south from the station.

How to get to Kikumasamune Brewery from Sawanotsuru Brewery

Return to Oishi Station on foot (10 minutes). Then take the Hanshin Main Line bound for Osaka-Umeda and get off at Uozaki Station (12 minutes, 160 yen one way). The brewery is an approximately ten minute walk south from the station.

How to get to Nadagogo Sakedokoro from Kikumasamune Brewery

Nadagogo Sakedokoro is open on Fridays to Sundays and public holidays from 12:00 to 21:00. It is an approximately 15 minute walk west from Kikumasamune Brewery.

How to get to central Kobe from Nadagogo Sakedokoro

Walk to Mikage Station (10 minutes). Then take the Hanshin Main Line in the direction of Kobe and get off a Kobe-Sannomiya (6 minutes, 200 yen one way).