When someone asks, “What local sake do you recommend?”, do you have a local sake you can confidently recommend?
In December 2024, Japan’s “traditional sake brewing” was designated an Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO, bringing the country’s SAKE culture into the global spotlight. In this context, I think it would be great to be able to recommend the local sake from the area where you live.
In fact, the Bitchu region, including Kurashiki, is home to many sake breweries, but they are not very well known.
One reason may be that sake and other alcoholic beverages come in large bottles, so there are few opportunities to “just try a sip.”
For anyone who wants to try a variety of drinks from local breweries and find a favorite, the perfect event will be held over two days, Saturday, June 7 and Sunday, June 8, 2025, at the plaza of Geibunkan Hall.
The information provided is as of the article’s publication in June 2025. Please note that it may differ from current information.
What is the “5th Enjoy Bitchu Jizake Fes SAKEbe!!”?
EnJoy Bitchu Local Sake Festival SAKEbe!! is a paid tasting event where people can discover and enjoy local sake from Bitchu.
Over two days, Saturday, June 7 and Sunday, June 8, 2025, 15 breweries and distilleries from the Bitchu region, including Kurashiki, along with 15 food vendors, cake and crepe shops, coffee vendors, and shops selling sake cups will gather at the plaza of Geibunkan Hall.
Note that the event hours differ: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the first day and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the second.
Admission is free on both days.
There will also be stage performances, so you can enjoy the music while swaying along with a delicious local sake or food in hand.
At the food and drink booths, you can only enjoy sake served in tasting cups. Please take home any bottles you purchase.
Scenes from the 4th Enjoy Bitchu Jizake Fes SAKEbe!!
This will be the fifth EnJoy Bitchu Local Sake Festival SAKEbe!!
The 4th EnJoy Bitchu Local Sake Festival SAKEbe!!, held in 2024, reportedly drew around 5,500 people over two days.
There were sweets and stage performances, so families attended, and since it was an outdoor event, some visitors brought their dogs along in carts.
Interview with event organizer Nakahara Kazuo
We asked event founder Nakahara Kazuo about the highlights of this year’s event.
Could you tell us about the purpose of the EnJoy Bitchu Local Sake Festival SAKEbe!!?
Nakahara (surname only)
We hold this event because we want local people to learn about the sake breweries in the Bitchu region.
Japan’s “traditional sake brewing” has been registered as an Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO. But are there people who don’t know about the sake from the area where they live?
If so, I think that’s a real shame.
The plaza at Geibunkan Hall is easy to reach from JR Kurashiki Station and the Bikan Historical Area, so we want people who might find it a little daunting to attend an event hosted by a brewery to feel welcome.
If you find a brewery you like at this event, try buying its sake or attending events it organizes.
We want local people to take an interest in local breweries. That is our main goal.
Since it’s a “local sake” event, will there be vendors selling things other than sake?
Nakahara
Of course.
Local beer is also a kind of local sake. “Local sake” includes shochu and liqueurs, as well as sake.
Senoo Shuzo Honten, participating for the first time this year, is a brewery that makes barley shochu and mirin.
When you buy mirin at a supermarket, they check your age, right?
That’s because mirin is an alcoholic beverage.
Senoo Shuzo Honten is a small operation, so it doesn’t hold its own events, but we hope this will also be an opportunity for people to learn about a shop that local residents have cherished for generations.
How can people enjoy the event?
Nakahara
On the day, you can sample local sake from various breweries starting at 300 yen per cup, in servings of about 60 cc—less than a regular ochoko sake cup.
There will also be plenty of food vendors from the same areas as the breweries, so try comparing different drinks to find your favorite.
We also recommend buying a bottle to take home if you enjoy something you try at the event.
If you’ve attended in previous years, please invite someone who has never been to the event before.
Have fun together, share some laughs, and discover what makes local sake special.
Do you have a message for our readers?
Nakahara
Brewers making sake in the Bitchu region will gather at the event.
We’re holding it because we want local people in particular to support local sake! Please come along with your family and friends.
We look forward to seeing you there.
From the Writer
I also attended last year’s 4th EnJoy Bitchu Local Sake Festival SAKEbe!!
I was amazed by how many breweries there are in Bitchu, and also by how generous and cheerful all the vendors were. It’s an event where vendors and visitors alike can enjoy themselves together in a friendly, lively atmosphere.
Along with sake and food, the venue was lined with lots of sake cups made by artists, including students from Kurashiki University of Science and the Arts. I had a wonderful time thinking about how I would enjoy the sake I bought.
I hear there will be a section selling sake cups again in 2025, so I’m already looking forward to it.
June has no public holidays, so I feel like having a drink to enjoy at home would help me keep going.
Why not visit the plaza at Geibunkan Hall on June 7 or 8 to find your favorite local sake?
5th Enjoy Bitchu Jizake Fes SAKEbe!! Information
| Name | 5th Enjoy Bitchu Jizake Fes SAKEbe!! |
|---|---|
| Dates | June 7, 2025 (Sat.), 11:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. June 8 (Sun.), 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. |
| Location | 1-18-1 Chuo, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Admission (tax included) | Free admission |
| Website | Official Instagram |
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