Sake and shochu from Tokyo

How do water and climate shape Tokyo's drinks?

The Tokyo Sake Brewers Association lists one sake brewery in the 23 wards and nine in the Tama area. Water sources differ by brewery: for example a 150 m deep underground stream in Higashimurayama, spring water from Shiroyama in Akiruno, and Musashino plateau groundwater in Komae. On the Izu Islands, distillers use small rivers and groundwater on small volcanic islands, and the water is mostly soft.

What does Tokyo sake taste like?

Tokyo sake is a matter of each brewery's own character. For Tokyo Shimazake, the National Tax Agency's standard describes the toasty aroma of barley and a fresh, plant-like note, with a soft, light finish that still carries body and umami.

A short history of Tokyo's drinks

The association says that in 1790 the shogunate called in 11 leading brewers of Edo and ordered them to make quality sake, and Edo brewing developed further from then. In Ome in Tama, one brewery was founded in 1702. On the islands, Tanso Shoemon, a Satsuma merchant exiled to Hachijo in 1853, is said to have taught how to make sweet-potato shochu.

What is the GI "Tokyo Shimazake"?

It was designated on 13 March 2024 for shochu made on the Izu Islands (single-distilled). It uses only Japan-grown sweet potato, barley koji and water taken on the islands. Fermentation, distillation, storage and bottling must all take place on the islands, and the GI Tokyo Shimazake Management Committee checks each product. There are three types: sweet potato, barley, and a blend of the two.

Where are the breweries?

In Tama, breweries are in Ome, Fussa, Akiruno, Hachioji, Higashimurayama and Fuchu, and one is in Minato ward. On the Izu Islands, Hachijo has four distilleries, and others are on Miyake, Kozu and Aogashima among other islands.

Visiting and what to eat with it

Ishikawa Shuzo in Fussa offers tours by reservation, and the Tokyo association runs a shop near Tachikawa station. The tax agency's standard suggests pairing Tokyo Shimazake with sashimi of Izu fish, kusaya and dishes with ashitaba.