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OZAWA SHUZO
Ozawa Shuzo was established in 1702 and is well known for its brand sake, “Sawanoi”. It is located in Okutama, a mountain district in the western part of Tokyo. There are spectacular views of mountains and the Mitake valley. You may not feel it is like Tokyo. The brewery surrouned by a lot of beautiful trees is close to hiking trails along the Tama River.
Besides its sake brewing facilities, there are also a barbecue garden, a Japanese Tofu restaurant, and two museums on site.
The guide explained the sake making process (rice polishing, washing and fermenting), and he emphasized the importance of water quality in Okutama area. Then he took us to the sake storehouse (kura in Japanese), to tell us its history and showed us samples of polished rice.
He said that rice polishing refers to milling the rice’s outer surface to remove proteins. Fats, and minerals that cause undesirable flavors in the sake. Thus, the more the rice grain has been shaved, the higher the quality of the sake will be.
After the tour, we could enjoy a “Sawanoi” sake tasting for free.
It was awesome!
I walked the hiking trail along the Tama River to the next train station. I could hear the sound of a rushing creek and feel nice breeze.
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Sake Brewery Tour
Tours are available whole year.
Admission free, but advanced reservations required.
4 times a day (11:00 am, 1pm. 2pm, 3pm)
Closed on Monday (The following day if it is a national holiday)
Phone: 0428-78-8210 (only in Japanese)
HOW TO GET THERE: By train from Shinjuku
JR Shinjuku ===⇒JR Tachikawa ===⇒JR Ome ==== JR Sawai
JR Chuo Line JR Ome Line walk 3min.
OZAWA SHUZO
Address: 2-770 Sawai, Ome-shi, Tokyo
Phone: 0428-78-8215
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