Steep Yourself in Saga’s Rich Sake Brewing Tradition

Enjoy fine rice wine on Sake Brewery Street, a historic district known for ancient sake breweries

Hizennya is located in Hizen-Hamashuku, a traditional sake-brewing district of Kashima City, Saga Prefecture, known for its sweet rice and pure water from Mount Tara. After it prospered in the Edo period (1603–1867), this compact area had many sake breweries, and the name Sake Brewing Street remains even today. 

Hizennya is a brewery of “encounters and emotions.” Learn about the traditional process for making sake, including mixing the ingredients of water, steamed rice, yeast starter, and koji (malted rice) using time-honored tools and techniques. A room dedicated to the Showa era (1926–1989) has nostalgic exhibits about Japanese life in years past. You will meet staff who are eager to share the history of Hizen-Hamashuku and introduce food options for guests who try the sake pairing course.

Hizennya also sells high-grade sake and shochu as well as local specialty products including Saga rice, miso, sake lees, amazake, barley tea, rice crackers, and baum cake made with Saga rice bran. 

Admission is free, but there’s also an all-you-can-drink sake tasting course for 1,000 yen as well as a guided tour of local breweries with tasting experience and a souvenir sake bottle for 1,500 yen.

Access: Take the local train fromor Hakata Station to Hizen-Hama Station (about 60 minutes).

Tourism Sake Brewery Hizennya