The Fushimi Sake Brewers Association (伏見酒造組合) in Kyoto will hold the fourth "FUSHIMI SAKE FES. 2027" (伏見 酒フェス) on Saturday, March 13, 2027. The festival was first held on Saturday, March 2, 2024, to share the appeal of Fushimi's sake.
Held in Fushimi, Kyoto, one of Japan's leading sake-producing areas, the event takes place at Gekkeikan Showa Kura (月桂冠昭和蔵) at 300-1 Katahara-cho, Fushimi Ward, Kyoto. Paid tastings (advance reservation only, sold as e-tickets) feature fine sake from Fushimi's breweries, and food booths from local restaurants line the venue, so visitors can enjoy both sake and food.
This fourth edition has been refined to improve the visitor experience. Brewery owners now exhibit and serve in person, each brewery may present up to two brands, and free "yawaragi-mizu" (chaser water) is provided. The brewery open-house events (kurabiraki) are held on separate dates from late March to early April, as part of a monthly promotion to liven up the entire Fushimi area in spring.
Highlights of the Festival
1. Brewery Owners Serve Sake Face to Face
At each booth, the breweries serve their sake themselves, so visitors can also chat with the brewery owners.
2. Premium Sake in Addition to Recommended "Good Sake"
Along with the recommended "good sake" (ええお酒) that can be enjoyed for one sake ticket, "premium sake" is available for two sake tickets, allowing a comparison tasting of both.
3. Special Price for Session 1 (¥1,800) and Free "Yawaragi-mizu" for All Visitors
To ease crowding and create a comfortable tasting environment, Session 1 (from 9:40 AM) is sold at a special price of ¥1,800 (Sessions 2 to 5 are ¥2,000). So that visitors can enjoy sake safely, a bottle of "yawaragi-mizu" (chaser water) is given free to every visitor.
4. FUSHIMI SAKE FES. and Brewery Open Houses on Separate Dates
On the day of FUSHIMI SAKE FES., the event is held on its own at Gekkeikan Showa Kura, where visitors can take their time with the tastings. The brewery open-house events (kurabiraki) of each brewery are spread over separate dates (planned for late March and early April). Starting with the sake festival, the whole Fushimi area becomes a monthly event running through April, encouraging visitors to tour around the area.
5. Covered Venue Even Though It Is Outdoors, with Food Booths and Bottle Sales
The venue, Gekkeikan Showa Kura, is a factory site that is outdoors but has a large roof. The rest areas are covered as well. Many popular local Fushimi restaurants will run food booths selling their specialties, and a retail booth will let visitors buy the sake they liked during the tasting.
Starting with FUSHIMI SAKE FES., brewery open-house events at each brewery from late March through April and a promotion for touring the Fushimi area in spring will make this a period that families, not only adults, can enjoy for a long time. The venue, Gekkeikan Showa Kura, hosts a total of 5,000 people, but organizers hope that people who are not attending the festival will also visit the Fushimi area during this period and experience the character of the town, including its sake breweries.
About Fushimi
Kyoto Prefecture is the second-largest sake-producing prefecture in Japan, and Fushimi Ward in Kyoto City produces the majority of it. All 21 breweries sit within a 1.5 km radius, and the area is known nationwide as a "town of sake breweries."
Fushimi has a history, scenery and culture that differ from central Kyoto, including Fushimi Castle built by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, traces of the late Edo period such as Teradaya, and a townscape of sake breweries. Three railway lines and seven stations are packed into the area, and it is easy to reach from Kyoto Station, central Osaka and central Nara.
Fushimi Inari Taisha, in the same ward, draws many tourists, but many visitors leave after seeing only the shrine, so relatively few visit the area around the sake breweries. The Fushimi Sake Brewers Association therefore launched FUSHIMI SAKE FES. as an opportunity to rediscover the appeal of Fushimi. The association hopes to keep growing it into an event loved by the local Fushimi community, with a fifth edition, a tenth edition and beyond.
Event Details
FUSHIMI SAKE FES. 2027 (伏見 酒フェス)
Fushimi's breweries present their signature brands. Visitors use sake tickets to choose and taste a variety of sake. A retail booth also sells the sake you liked during the tasting.
- Date: Saturday, March 13, 2027 (held rain or shine)
- Venue: Gekkeikan Showa Kura (300-1 Katahara-cho, Fushimi Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture)
- Admission: Session 1: ¥1,800 / Sessions 2 to 5: ¥2,000
- Includes 4 sake tickets (about 55 to 60 ml per glass, 4 glasses) and a bottle of yawaragi-mizu (chaser water)
- Refill tickets (a set of 3 tickets for ¥1,000) are also sold at the venue
- Sessions:
- Session 1: 9:40 AM to 11:00 AM
- Session 2: 11:15 AM to 12:35 PM
- Session 3: 12:50 PM to 2:10 PM
- Session 4: 2:25 PM to 3:45 PM
- Session 5: 4:00 PM to 5:20 PM
- Participating breweries (16, in Japanese syllabary order): Kizakura (黄桜), Kitagawa Honke (北川本家), Kyohime Shuzo (京姫酒造), Kinshi Masamune (キンシ正宗), Gekkeikan (月桂冠), Saito Shuzo (齊藤酒造), Shotoku Shuzo (招德酒造), Takara Shuzo (宝酒造), Tamanohikari Shuzo (玉乃光酒造), 豊澤本店, Higashiyama Shuzo (東山酒造), Masuda Tokubee Shoten (増田德兵衞商店), Matsumoto Shuzo (松本酒造), Matsuyama Shuzo (松山酒造), Miyakotsuru Shuzo (都鶴酒造), Yamamoto Honke (山本本家)
- Capacity: 5,000 people in total
- Ticket sales: Scheduled to start on Thursday, November 12, 2026 on the official sales page (STORES): https://kyoto-fushimi-sake.stores.jp
- Organizer: Fushimi Sake Brewers Association (伏見酒造組合)
- Supported by: Agency for Cultural Affairs, Osaka Regional Taxation Bureau, Kyoto Prefecture, Kyoto City
- Cooperation: Keihan Holdings Co., Ltd.
- Official website: https://www.fushimi.or.jp/sakefes/
Drinking is for those aged 20 and over. Please drink in moderation, and never drink and drive. Drinking during pregnancy or breastfeeding may harm the development of the fetus or infant.
