Saijo: Sake Brewery Street and Bishu Hot Pot—Sake Tasting and Food Walk

Just a step off JR Saijo Station, you'll find yourself in "Sake City" Saijo, where red brick chimneys and white namako-patterned plaster walls line the Sake Brewery Street. Ranked alongside Nada and Fushimi as one of Japan's premier sake production regions, this town is rare in Japan for having breweries with distinct characteristics clustered within walking distance—making it perfect for sake comparisons. After touring Kamottsuru Sake Brewery and experiencing sake tasting, discover the depths of a sake region's heritage. For lunch, visit the directly managed Furansuya to enjoy the signature Bishu Hot Pot, a brewmaster's own recipe finished with only sake, salt, and pepper—a refined dish where the umami of ingredients and the aroma of sake spread gently through every bite. In the afternoon, visit Kamerei Sake Brewery, known for its crisp dry sake, and Fukubiijin Sake Brewery, once called the "Saijo Sake-Making School," for more sake tasting and souvenir shopping. Take the train on a whim, walk and sample freely, and compare flavors—a perfect day for food-loving adults.