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HOME > Japan’s Local Treasures > Bringing Back Shimanto River Sake
Discover the terroir of the Shimanto River at a reinstated, eco-friendly sake brewery
Kochi Prefecture
The town of Kubokawa lies along one of Japan’s last free-flowing rivers, the Shimanto, and centers around art-filled Iwamotoji Temple, the 37th temple on the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage route. The town is already a popular stop for road-weary pilgrims, who now have another good reason to linger: Fumimoto Brewery, purveyors of top-notch artisanal sake. This historic brewery reopened in 2023 after a three-year hiatus, just in time to celebrate its 120th anniversary.
Fumimoto produces sake using locally grown rice and clear underground water from the Shimanto River. The brewery is also working to make its product more sustainable by using lightweight, refillable containers instead of bottles.
At the sleek, wood-filled pairing bar, housed in a renovated section of the main brewery building, Fumimoto offers foodies the chance to enjoy a BBQ of local Kochi ingredients along with other creative dishes, all while sampling the brewery’s new lineup of refined sake. Book in advance to join one of the twice-daily brewery tours, which include a tasting flight of four kinds of sake.
How to get there
From Haneda Airport, fly to Kochi Ryoma Airport (about 1 hour 30 minutes). From the airport, drive by car to Fumimoto Brewery in Kubokawa (about 1 hour); alternatively, take the airport shuttle bus to JR Kochi Station (30 minutes) and take an express train to JR Kubokawa Station (1 hour 10 minutes). Fumimoto Brewery is 10 minutes on foot from the station.
4-23 Hon-machi, Shimanto-cho, Takaoka-gun, Kochi-ken
