Otawara used to be called Odawara, big straw bags for rice. Sake making using rice as the main ingredient is what Otawara is famous for. At five distilleries in the city, they use subterranean water from the Nasu Mountain Range and Mount Yamizo as their shikomi mizu, the water for making Sake.
Aizu region is one of the leading areas for sake production. Aizu’s climate, and the fact that it was the castle town of the Aizu clan in the Edo period have contributed to the growth of Sake making in the area. Each distillery keep honing their skills and they have won the gold medal at the Annual Japan Sake Awards. There are a number of high-quality, award-winning distilleries and ther sake in Aizu.
This Maple syrup is made from natural maple trees which grow wild in Chichibu. Chichibu is a rare region in Japan where most of the maple tree species grow wild Maple trees are planted in the mountains then the tree sap were collected to make Chichibu Maple Syrup which is a very popular product. The Sugar House Maple Base, which is the first maple syrup production in Japan. Maple Base is a source region for the Maple brand where could experience the blessings of Chichibu’s rich forests with all five senses. In cooperation with mountain owners and an NPO, we aim to combine the ‘logging forestry’ which cedar and cypress and the ‘non-logging forestry’ which maple sap, to create a forest that will lead to the future. The café from Maple Base were also provides homemade maple and pancakes.
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.
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.
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.
the sake brewing traditions from that era are known to produce smooth, delicate flavors.
Please enjoy the local sake brewed with brewer’s rice and the underground water from the Oi-River basin originating in the Southern Alps, which is also popular overseas.
