Gekkeikan Okura Sake Museum

Fushimi, located at the south gate of Kyoto City, is one of Japan’s three major areas producing Sake; the others are Nada in Hyogo Prefecture and Saijo in Hiroshima Prefecture. Many brewers’ buildings have white colored-walls around this area, which gives the area a traditional brewer’s atmosphere from the Edo period.

Gekkeikan, the well-known sake brewer in Fushimi, was established in 1637 in the early Edo period (Kanei 14th) as Kasagi-ya. The priority of manufacturing has been quality first for over 380 years. In 1987, the Gekkeikan Okura Sake Museum was opened by renovating a 100-year-old brewery on the original premises. The museum introduces and promotes the history and techniques of sake brewing in Fushimi, and the appeal of Japanese sake.

Many collections designated as important tangible folk cultural properties of Kyoto are displayed, such as about 400 tools traditionally used to make sake, including wooden buckets, sake barrels, and paddles, as well as historical documents that tell the challenges and creations by the brewers since its establishment. An old song sung by brewers during their work is played, reproducing a historically old-fashioned atmosphere in the museum. You’ll be drawn into the world of sake brewing before you know it.

At the end of the tour, you can enjoy tasting three different types of sake prepared at the tasting space. The selection of sake is varied by season, so you have a joyful chance to experience a new taste of sake every time you visit. For those who are not allowed to taste there, a small bottle of sake will be provided as a souvenir.