A long-established brewery founded in 1753. The brewery was built over 200 years ago and is a nationally designated tangible cultural asset where is well worth to visit. The water which used rainwater that falls in the nearby mountains, soaks deep into the ground, it naturally filtered over a long period of time and gushes out into the city of Chichibu as underground water. You can bring your own bottle to take this famous water away from the shop. You also can taste several types of sake, there are many types of sake available, as well as amazake (sweet sake) and liqueurs in the shop.
Horumon, the intestines of pigs/cows have been Chichibu’s signature food. Here at Ichibankan, you can enjoy the good old Japanese-style yakiniku on a shichirin grill. They’re focused on offering carefully prepared offal meat to customers so that they can enjoy flavorful, fresh horumon with no distinctive odor. Come enjoy the acquired taste of the horumon meat that goes well with beer, sake, wine or shochu or any drink of your choice.
Ichiro’s Malt, a signature whisky of Venture Whisky Ltd, contributed to Chichibu’s rise to becoming one of Japan’s most famous places for high-quality whisky. Even though their whisky used to be hard to acquire due to high demands both domestically and internationally, it is now much easier to find and purchase one at local liquor shops around the Chichibu area. Their signature whisky has won the World Whisky Awards 7 years in a row and it has gained steady popularity through the years. Downtown Chichibu has many bars like Highlander Inn Chichibu, where you can stop by on a night out and enjoy Ichiro’s Malt at.
In the Chichibu area, there are almost no major chain restaurants, but rather many individual eateries that are full of character. When you in Chichibu, you can enjoy local delicacies such as “Miso Potatoes”, “Pork Miso Bowl”, and “Waraji-Katsu”. There are also bars that serve Chichibu whiskey, Chichibu beer, cocktails made with Chichibu fruits and sweets made with Chichibu ingredients to go with the whiskey. We hope you will enjoy the Chichibu bar culture as much as we do!
The variety of alcohol produced in Chichibu is rare for a single region in Japan: sake, beer, shochu (distilled from potatoes or rice), wine, and whisky are all available. Pride in the local products runs so deep that there is actually legislation stipulating that the first toast of any gathering should be made with a Chichibu beverage. The purity of the mountain springs is particularly important to area whisky distilleries, such as the world-famous Ichiro’s. Local whisky continues to win prizes at tasting conventions year after year, and it is scarcely exaggeration to say world-class beverages spring from the land itself in Chichibu.
In addition to alcohol, Chichibu owes several other regional specialties to its mountainous surroundings. Overpopulations of deer and wild boar have begun to damage the forests and the habitats of other wildlife, so in response the local government has begun to promote gibier, or wild game cuisine. Area establishments are now offering specials featuring wild game as a way to increase interest among visitors. Another recent initiative relating to local cuisine is the rise in maple tree cultivation. The climate and terrain of Chichibu are particularly suited to maples, and confectioners have taken to planting them in the mountains to harvest their sap—simultaneously protecting the forests and supporting the rise of a new regional specialty: maple syrup.
