Sake from Kanagawa
Kanagawa sake is brewed with underground water from the Tanzawa mountains, carried by the Sagami and Sakawa rivers. Many small breweries make hand-crafted junmai sake.
The median price is ¥3,768 per 720 ml (2 bottles, as of 1 Oct 2026).
- Kanto region
How do water, climate and rice shape Kanagawa sake?
The Kanagawa Sake Brewers Association says breweries use underground water from the Sagami and Sakawa rivers, which rise in the Tanzawa mountains, and that breweries sit along those two rivers. The Shasui Falls in Yamakita and the Hadano basin springs are on the national list of one hundred famous waters. For rice, Izumibashi in Ebina brews with Yamada Nishiki grown in local fields.
What does Kanagawa sake taste like?
The association explains that although breweries are mostly small, the share of junmai sake in the prefecture is high by national standards, and the sake is hand-made and of high quality. Brewery notes describe clean sake with a refined sweetness and umami, and styles that work from chilled to warm.
A short history of Kanagawa sake
The prefecture says Shimizu Shuzo in Sagamihara, founded in 1751, has the longest history in Kanagawa. There is a brewery in Oi Town founded in 1789 and another in Ebina founded in 1857. A brewery founded in Chigasaki in the Meiji era is introduced as the one that remains in Shonan.
Where are the breweries?
The prefecture lists a little over a dozen breweries, in Sagamihara, Aikawa, Ebina, Atsugi, Isehara, Oi, Matsuda, Yamakita, Kaisei, Hadano, Chigasaki and elsewhere. Most lie along the Sagami and Sakawa rivers, which carry Tanzawa water.
Visiting and what to eat with it
Tours and shops depend on each brewery, so check their official sites. The prefecture's brewery notes suggest grilled white fish, seafood, sea bream carpaccio and seared bonito. Sagami Bay seafood and Odawara plum pickles are natural local matches.