In recent years, many breweries across Japan have held “brewery opening” events.
One such event is the “Ishichi New Sake Festival” at Kumaya Sake Brewery, Kurashiki’s oldest brewery.
The “Ishichi New Sake Festival” is one of the first events of its kind to be held in Okayama Prefecture, and it draws many sake fans every year. Last year (2024), around 3,000 people attended.
Many people look forward to this event every year. This year, it will be held on Sunday, February 9.
Although it was suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic, 2025 marks its 12th edition. Here is an introduction to the “Ishichi New Sake Festival,” an event that has become rooted in the local community.
The information presented was current when this article was published in January 2025. Please note that it may differ from current information.
About the Ishichi New Sake Festival
The Ishichi New Sake Festival will be held on Sunday, February 9, 2025, at Kumaya Sake Brewery Co., Ltd. in Hayashi, Kurashiki City.
Free shuttle buses will run from Chayamachi Station and JR Kurashiki Station on the day.
See the flyer below for details.
Getting to the venue
The following are directions to Kumaya Sake Brewery, the venue for the day. It gets extremely crowded every year, so we recommend taking the free shuttle bus.
Free shuttle bus (JR Kurashiki Station)
A large bus with seating for 60 will run from JR Kurashiki Station.
Free shuttle bus (JR Chayamachi Station)
Small buses will make continuous round trips from Chayamachi Station to the venue.
Local bus
At bus stop 6 at the south exit of JR Kurashiki Station, take the “Shimoden Bus Amaki Line bound for Kojima Station.”
Get off at the Kumano Shrine Entrance (Hayashi) bus stop. It is a 10-minute walk from there.
JR
Get off at Kimi Station on the JR Seto-Ohashi Line. It is a 20-minute walk from there.
By car
Two parking areas are available nearby (please follow the instructions of the security staff when using them).
Parking Area 1
From Okayama or Kurashiki, turn left at the Daiichi Nokyo-mae intersection (turn right if coming from Mizushima).
After driving for a while, Gounai Kindergarten will come into view on your right.
After passing Gounai Kindergarten, you will see a parking area (Hayashiyama Bamboo Park) on your left.
It is about a five-minute walk from here to the venue.
Parking Area 2 (closed in rainy weather)
From Okayama, take Prefectural Route 21 (Okayama-Kojima Line) toward Mizushima Interchange. Marugame Seimen Mizushima Interchange branch will come into view on your left.
A vacant lot just past it is open as a temporary parking area.
It is about a 10-minute walk to the venue, but a shuttle bus running directly to the venue is scheduled to stop here on the day.
Paid tasting corner
The “paid tasting corner,” a popular feature of the Ishichi New Sake Festival every year, offers a chance to sample sake recommended by the brewery.
Buy a tasting ticket (500 yen) at reception and exchange it at the paid tasting corner for a set of three recommended sake varieties. Start by comparing these.
The sake served for tasting is selected from among the new sake for its particularly high quality.
This year’s lineup will be announced on the day. They plan to offer six to seven varieties, ranging from flavors favored by connoisseurs to milder options likely to appeal to women.
Once you have finished, you can use an additional tasting ticket to choose three varieties of your choice to sample.
You can have another serving of a recommended sake, or try one of the other varieties.
Sales corner
Of course, there is also a sake sales corner.
Some people buy a sake they like here, then head straight to the dining area at the back to open and enjoy it.
Brewery-exclusive sake “Kanshibori”
Every year, the brewery-exclusive sake “Kanshibori” is released in limited quantities at the New Sake Festival.
Brewed to coincide with the New Sake Festival and bottled early on the day of the event, this sake is the Japanese equivalent of Beaujolais Nouveau.
Since it is only available once a year at the “Ishichi New Sake Festival,” many people may come specifically for the brewery-exclusive “Kanshibori.”
Barrel-drawn narazuke (limited quantity)
Narazuke made using sake lees produced during sake brewing is also a popular product, loved by many returning customers every year.
Melons from Tokushima Prefecture are pickled in Kumaya Sake Brewery’s sake lees for four years and left to mature. The elaborate production process makes mass production impossible, so it is offered in limited quantities.
They are sure to sell out, so please come early if you want some.
Free amazake corner
If you’re thinking, “Can I enjoy this if I don’t drink alcohol?” don’t worry.
Delicious amazake, rich in koji, is served free of charge.
This is also available only while supplies last, so please come early.
Food stall area
The food stall area is always well stocked. The following vendors are scheduled to participate in 2025.
- Niku no Nakayama “Chiyagyu Beef diced steak skewers”
- Garyu Tatsumi “Chinese noodles and fried chicken”
- Hiroshi Shokudo
- “Lotus root croquettes”
- Marugame Tsuboya “Bone-in chicken”
- Okonomiya “Akashiyaki and more”
- Deucecafe “Crepes”
- Umakatei “Fried octopus”
- Tsuboyaki “Stone-roasted sweet potatoes”
There is plenty of dining space, where you can use sake bottle crates as chairs and tables and enjoy your favorite sake.
The journey so far and what lies ahead — Interview with Representative Director Haruo Ihoriya
We interviewed Haruo Ihoriya, Representative Director of Kumaya Sake Brewery Co., Ltd., about the 12th “Ishichi New Sake Festival” in 2025, asking what inspired him to start it, how it has developed over the years, and what he hopes for this year’s event.
We want people to learn about this historic area
What inspired you to start the “Ishichi New Sake Festival”?
Ihoriya (surname only)
About 30 years ago, I returned to my family’s brewery, Kumaya Sake Brewery, from a sake maker outside the prefecture. While exhibiting at sales events around the region, I was often asked, “Where is Kumaya Sake Brewery?”
The Gounai area, where Kumaya Sake Brewery is located, has the Mizushima Interchange on the Seto-Chuo Expressway, and the main roads are lined with roadside shops, so it’s a lively area.
But actually, not many people know about this area just off the main road.
This area has flourished since long ago, and many historic sites remain, including Nihon Daiichi Kumano Shrine. It has a feel like a little Kyoto in Kojima. I have long wanted people to learn about these cultural properties.
In the 2000s, breweries in Okayama Prefecture joined forces and began holding sake events in various locations.
One of those breweries had been holding a New Sake Festival for some time. We asked them about their know-how, and the idea of holding our own festival began to take shape.
February is actually a busy time for breweries, as it is the brewing season.
But we decided to hold it at a time of year when there are few other festivals, and held the first “Ishichi New Sake Festival” in February 2012.
As a result… things didn’t go well at first. We had about one-tenth as many visitors as we do now.
We promoted it in advance on the radio and elsewhere, but it didn’t attract as many people as we had hoped.
Since then, we’ve gone through trial and error, asking ourselves how we could make the festival enjoyable for more people. Perhaps those efforts paid off, as attendance grew with each event.
There are so many people waiting for the festival, saying things like, “Are you holding the New Sake Festival again?” and “I’m looking forward to it,” so we can’t stop now (laughs).
I think we’ve reached this 12th event through a combination of reflecting on what we could improve and the encouragement of so many people.
A Festival Everyone Can Enjoy
I understand that you want people who don’t drink alcohol and children to enjoy it too.
Ihoriya
I’d be happy if even people who don’t drink sake could enjoy the food stalls and atmosphere, and if it gave them a chance to become interested in sake.
Our amazake is also very popular with people of all ages, and the food stall area has crepes, cotton candy, and other treats that children love.
In recent years, this area (Gonai District) has also become increasingly residential, and the number of young families has grown. The number of elementary school students is steadily rising, too.
The road in front of Kumaya Brewery is on the route to the elementary school. I hope to hear schoolchildren say, “There’s a festival here!” as they walk to school.
Of course, we’d be even happier if families came to the festival.
Promoting Okayama’s Local Sake
Finally, what message would you like to share with our readers?
Ihoriya
Okayama sake is still not very well known nationwide, but its recognition has gradually grown in recent years through antenna shops and various events.
For example, sake made with Omachi rice, a sake-brewing rice variety that originated in Okayama, has recently become very popular, especially in major cities such as Tokyo and Osaka.
With that in mind, I hope that, as one of the local breweries, we can tell as many people as possible—including local residents—that “there’s lots of local sake in Okayama, and there are many breweries, too.”
Also, in 2024, sake (traditional sake brewing) is set to be registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. This is also a tailwind for the sake industry.
And through the New Sake Festival, I want people to learn that a brewery like ours exists.
Other breweries also hold similar festivals (brewery open days), tasting events, and sales events, so I’d be happy if you visited those as well.
From the Writer
Having grown up very close to Kumaya Brewery, the writer has attended the New Sake Festival almost every year since it first began, despite not being able to drink much alcohol.
Through the interview, I was reminded of the passion of Kumaya Brewery and local residents, including President Ihoriya, who want to invigorate the community (Gonai District) as a long-established brewery.
I also learned how challenging it is to hold an event in a limited space, but I believe that the people who look forward to the festival are what motivate the organizers to keep it going.
Rising prices for rice and materials mean that some price increases are unavoidable, but I was also struck by their determination to make sake that people will say tastes delicious.
I’m already looking forward to seeing the festival bustling with visitors on the day.
Ishichi New Sake Festival Information
| Name | Ishichi New Sake Festival |
|---|---|
| Date | Sunday, February 9, 2025 9:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. |
| Location | 705 Hayashi, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Admission (tax included) | Tasting tickets are available for a fee (500 yen) |
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