January and February are the coldest months of the year, and sake breweries across the region are busy brewing sake.
On Sunday, February 8, 2026, the annual “Ishichi New Sake Festival” was held at Kumaya Sake Brewery, the oldest brewery in Kurashiki City.
The strongest cold wave of the season hit that day, and snow flurried from time to time.
Here is a report on the event, where many people braved the cold to enjoy freshly made new sake and gourmet food.
The information presented here is current as of the article’s publication in February 2026. Please note that it may differ from current information.
About the Ishichi New Sake Festival
First held in 2012, the “Ishichi New Sake Festival” is now in its 13th year (2026).
It kicks off the annual brewery open-house events held throughout Okayama Prefecture, taking place on the second Sunday of February.
Kumaya Sake Brewery, the venue, boasts a history of more than 300 years as the oldest brewery in Kurashiki City.
Shrines and temples such as Nihon Daiichi Kumano Shrine and Goryu Sonryuin Temple stand near the brewery. The road in front of the brewery has long flourished as a pilgrimage route to Mt. Yuga, and the surrounding area has also been called “Kojima’s Little Kyoto.”
Brewery president Ihoriya Haruo says he hopes that holding the New Sake Festival will help promote the Gounai district, home to the brewery, and sake brewing in Okayama.
Brewery-exclusive sake “Kanshibori”
A highlight of the New Sake Festival is the brewery-exclusive sake “Kanshibori,” available for a limited time. As its name suggests, this freshly pressed sake is characterized by a crisp, dry flavor.
This year, too, a long line of people seeking the new sake stretched all the way outside the venue from early in the morning.
According to the brewery, it sold out in the 10 a.m. hour last year (2025), so they increased the number of bottles this year.
The long line had died down by around 11 a.m.
Tasting Corner
The annual tasting corner was bustling with visitors again this year.
Visitors bought a tasting ticket (500 yen) at the ticket booth by the entrance, then headed to the tasting corner inside the brewery.
The brewery offered tastings of the following six carefully selected varieties.
- Ishichi Junmai Daiginjo Muroka Nama Genshu (Omachi rice)
- Ishichi 55% Polished Junmai Ginjo (Yamada Nishiki rice)
- Ishichi Omachi 60 Polished Tokubetsu Junmai Muroka Nama Genshu (Omachi rice)
- Ishichi Junmai Ginjo, brewed with water from the Takahashi River headwaters, Muroka Nama Genshu (Asahi rice)
- Gounai Omachi Junmai Ginjo Muroka Nama Genshu (Omachi rice)
- Gounai Asahi Junmai Ginjo Muroka Nama Genshu (Asahi rice)
The writer recommends “1. Ishichi Junmai Daiginjo Muroka Nama Genshu (Omachi rice).” It had a very smooth, easy-to-drink flavor.
Brewery Direct Sales Corner
If you find a sake you like among the tasting selections, you can buy it at the direct sales corner. Regular visitors who come every year take their purchases to the dining area at the back and enjoy a feast.
In addition to sake, a variety of Ishichi original merchandise was on sale.
Alongside tote bags and acrylic keychains that were also sold last year, this year there were Ishichi-branded T-shirts as well. Drawn to the design that didn’t look like a brewery T-shirt, the writer bought one too.
Many people also lined up to buy the popular sake lees and narazuke sold every year.
HOIDA CRAFT
As a special guest this time, “HOIDA CRAFT” offered amazake tastings and sales.
HOIDA CRAFT was launched in October 2024 by Watanabe Nobuyuki, who served as president of Yoikigen, a sake brewery in Soja City.
At its workshop in the Hattori district of Mabi, where Yoikigen once had its brewery, the company produces and sells amazake and liqueurs, and also holds occasional events.
A Great Selection of Food and Drink Every Year
In addition to sake, there is also a great selection of food and drink stalls featuring a variety of vendors. Alongside the regular vendors who set up shop every year, there were also vendors making their first appearance this time.
Bambino Coffee Roaster
At Bambino Coffee Roaster, a coffee roastery from Okayama City, coffee made with brewing water drawn from the grounds of Kumaya Brewery was served using a siphon.
The novelty of the siphon caught the eye of many visitors.
Ichibaya
Ichibaya, making its first appearance this time, was selling seared bonito, perfect as a snack with drinks.
Niku no Nakayama
Niku no Nakayama also sets up a stall every month at the Kurashiki Sansai Market. The appetizing aroma of its Chiyagyu Beef steak skewers, grilled over charcoal, is irresistible.
This time, they also sold Chiyagyu Beef doteni for the first time. Its rich flavor makes it an ideal snack with drinks.
Garyu Tatsumi
Continuing from last year, Garyu Tatsumi was selling Chinese-style noodles and fried chicken.
The wild boar bone broth soy sauce ramen, enjoyed under the cold sky, is a warming bowl with soup that really hits the spot.
Ohakomiya
Ohakomiya sells piping-hot Akashiyaki every year. This time, too, its steaming-hot Akashiyaki was selling one after another.
By the way, this shop also sets up a stall alongside Kumaya Sake Brewery at “Enjoy Bitchu Jizake Fes SAKEbe!!,” held every year around June at the plaza of Geibunkan Hall.
Umakatei
A popular vendor with a wide range of customers, it offers crowd favorites such as deep-fried rockfish and deep-fried baby octopus, as well as cotton candy and French fries, which are especially popular with children.
This time, too, the products were flying off the shelves faster than they could be restocked.
The Dining Area
You can eat your purchases in the dining area at the back. Using sake bottle crates as chairs and tables is a touch unique to a brewery.
In various spots, people who had just met were starting up banquets, much like at Hirome Market in Kochi City.
From the Writer
At 9 a.m., shortly after the venue opened, Kurashiki City Mayor Kaori Ito arrived.
This year’s “Ishichi New Sake Festival” was held amid rapidly changing weather, with heavy snow beginning to fall shortly after noon due to a cold snap. Undeterred by the cold, the many sake fans who gathered brought the event to a lively close.
From now through May, breweries throughout the Takahashi River Basin are scheduled to hold brewery-open-house events. Each brewery has planned events such as special sales and tastings, so why not visit a few? See the flyer below for details.
Ishichi New Sake Festival Information
| Name | Ishichi New Sake Festival |
|---|---|
| Date | Sunday, February 8, 2026 9:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. |
| Location | 705 Hayashi, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Admission (tax included) | Tasting tickets are available for purchase (500 yen) |
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