Do you love sake (酒)? The alcoholic beverage originates from Japan, and is brewed by fermenting rice that has been polished to varying degrees. Sake has a history that is said to span several centuries, and the art of sake brewing has even been recognised by UNESCO as an intangible cultural property just earlier this year.
Ichinoseki: A haven for sake lovers
Sake is brewed all over Japan, with many regions and cities boasting their own locally brewed sake and exhibiting their own unique characteristics. One city that is recognised for its rich history in brewing sake is Ichinoseki (一ノ関市), located in Iwate Prefecture (岩手県) in the Tohoku Region (東北地方). The city is home to a historical landmark that sake lovers should not miss if they make a visit to the city.
Say hello to the Sake Folk Culture Museum
The Sake Folk Culture Museum (酒の民俗文化博物館) is a renovated sake brewery whose history spans back to the Taisho Period, and is renovated from a two-storey warehouse that is one of the largest in the Tohoku Region. It houses up to 1,600 equipment and utensils that are often used to brew sake. Visitors to the museum will feel like they have been transported to the past, in a time when sake was manually brewed and appreciate its rich history.
Sake Tasting at Sekinoichi Sake Brewery
Visitors can join a tour that not only includes a visit to the museum, but also a sake-tasting session with a selection of sake from Sekinoichi Sake Brewery (世嬉の一酒造), where they can appreciate the subtle differences between each sake. The brewery was established in 1918, and
The museum also features the Literature Storehouse (文学の蔵) which opened in 2006, and there, visitors can learn more about 12 prominent historical figures who contributed to the Ichinoseki’s local literature, and understand how literature flourished in the past.
Enjoy a feast after the sake museum tour
After the tour around the sake museum, visitors can enjoy lavish Japanese cuisine at the brewery, which also has a restaurant where visitors can appreciate some of Ichinoseki’s local specialties, such as mochi, shabu shabu, and even some local beer!
Sake Folk Culture Museum (酒の民俗文化博物)
Address: 5-42 Tamuracho, Ichinoseki, Iwate 021-0885
Access: 15-minute walk from JR Ichinoseki Station (JR一ノ関駅)
See you at Ichinoseki!
Sake is a beverage steeped in rich Japanese history and culture, and Ichinoseki in Iwate Prefecture is one of the most significant destinations to learn more about sake as the home to the Sake Folk Culture Museum. With its proximity to JR Ichinoseki Station, the museum is also fairly accessible, and visitors from Tokyo can simply take the Tohoku Shinkansen to get there.
If you fancy a tour of the museum together with a sake-tasting session and a scrumptious meal at Sekinoichi Sake Brewery, then check out a special travel package that we have for you at JAPAN RAIL CLUB! Just click here and follow the steps to find out more, and we hope to see you at Ichinoseki soon!
Header image credit: ©photoAC
