Sakagura (Sake) Tourism ~ Matsui Brewery in Kyoto city with

Overview

In this tour, we will visit Matsui Brewery in Kyoto city. It is only within ten minutes walk from Demachiyanagi station. Matsui Brewery has 300 years history as the brewery in the historic former capital of Japan. Around the brewery, there are many sightseeing spots including Kyoto Imperial Palace, Yoshida Shrine and University of Kyoto (one of the most prestigious universities in Japan). Among those, we will visit World Heritage site, Shimogamo Shrine after we taste the Japanese Sake at Matsui Brewery. Let us enjoy the Japanese Sake and a beautiful World Heritage Shimogamo Shrine in this ancient capital of Japan.

Meeting place

There is only one exit at Demachiyanagi Station.I carry the name board.

Route

1

MATSUI Brewery

Matsui Brewery was founded by Mr. Jiemon Matsui in 1726. The brewery is conveniently located in the center of Kyoto city close to Kyoto Imperial Palace.
The brewery owner himself brews sake with the assistance of a small team. Their signature brand is "Kagura" and you can taste wide variety of different style of "Kagura" from Junmai to Dai-Ginjo sake. Their sake is aim to maximize the “taste of rice” to create a unique blend of sweet, sour and bitter notes.
Mr. Shigeki Matsui became the 15th president of the company in 2019. Currently, Matsui Brewery is the purveyor to the many famous temples and shrines in Kyoto (as shown in the picture).
2

Shimogamo Shrine (World Heritage)

Kyoto’s two oldest shrines, collectively known as the Kamo shrines, lie in the upper reaches of the Kamo River. These are the Kamigamo-jinja and Shimogamo-jinja, the “upper” and “lower” Kamo shrines, respectively. Shimogamo shrine, northeast of the Kyoto Imperial Palace, is held to protect the palace from malign spirits coming from this direction, considered inauspicious according to onmyōdō, Japan’s traditional esoteric cosmology.
The creator and guardian of the city, Kamotaketsunomi-no-mikoto, is enshrined in the main sanctuary of the shrine, along his daughter Tamayorihime-no-mikoto, a mythical figure with her own repute. Together these deities welcome and protect all who visit the shrine, from Kyoto and beyond.
The Aoi Matsuri, formally known as the Kamo Matsuri, takes place every year on May 15. As the shrine festival for Kamigamo Shrine and Shimogamo Shrine, this is one of the three major festivals of Kyoto, along with the Gion and Jidai festivals.

Details

Location Kyoto
Languages English
Max participants Up to 4 people
Activity duration About 4 hours

Things to know

The Minimum number of the participants is two (2) for this tour.
Tour fee is included only the tasting and entrance fee at Matsui Brewery and guide fee.
Please book one month ahead of the tour date, or consult for the tour guide availability.

Any food and drink, and the transportation is NOT included.
( I could recommend some nice restaurants in the area).
Please let me know in advance if you have food allergies for the restaurant recommendation.
Please come with clean, comfortable and easy to move clothes.

Please refrain from eating natto and yogurt on the day of your visit.
Please refrain from smoking just before the tour. Please refrain from wearing excessive perfume.
Chewing gum, candy, etc. are not allowed in or out of the tour area.
Please wear a hairnet and shoe covers. (The brewery provide you with both.)

Keywords

History
Unesco World Heritage