Tako Town, Katori County, Chiba Prefecture, is located about 30 minutes by car from Narita Airport. Although it is in the Tokyo metropolitan area, it is a region rich in nature with a rural landscape that stands out from the urban areas.
The Workers' Cooperative Sake Sake Brewery, established in 2024, handles everything here with its own hands, from clearing the land to growing rice and brewing sake.
The first brewed sake, "Sake," was released in June, and Sake Brewery, which has just embarked on a long journey, aims for "freedom in sake brewing." We visited the brewery to find out more about their thoughts on this initiative.

I spoke to this person

Representative Director of the Workers' Cooperative Sake Brewery, Makoto Ohashi (right) and Managing Director, Naoko Ichikawa (left)

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<Ohashi> Born in Sapporo, Hokkaido. Moved to Tokyo to attend university, and after graduating got a job at a publishing company. While working at an izakaya, he became interested in sake and rice farming, and worked in sake brewing as a brewer and master brewer at companies such as Terada Honke Co., Ltd. and Iwase Sake Brewery Co., Ltd. <Ichikawa> Joined Ishii Foods Co., Ltd. in Funabashi City, Chiba Prefecture as a new graduate, and has experience in multiple departments including product development and public relations. He is a qualified registered dietitian and is also active as a bran pickle artist.

Like salmon swimming upstream, we bring abundance

Based in the warm, naturally rich town of Tako in Katori County, Chiba Prefecture, the Workers' Cooperative Sake Brewery was founded by five members in 2024. The name contains a number of unfamiliar words, so we first spoke to representative Ohashi about the organization's name.

A "Workers' Cooperative" is a legal entity in which the workers are both managers and investors. Because there are no hierarchical relationships, it is an organization in which everyone can play a leading role and work enthusiastically. There are currently five members (affiliated members) including Ohashi. Each of them has a unique background. "I want each person's aspirations to blossom. With this legal entity, I'm sure it will be possible," he says.

There is a handmade plaque at the entrance to the office.

Ohashi has been living in Tako for about 10 years. Originally, there were no sake breweries in the town, but the area is actually a thriving rice-growing region.

"Even though Tako has a lot of great rice, there was no way to utilize it. So when we said we would build a sake brewery here, the townspeople were very happy."

Although the name "Salmon Sake Brewery" is unique, the town is home to the Kuriyama River, which runs north to south through the town, and the water from this river supports rice cultivation in Tako.
The Kuriyama River is a river where salmon swim upstream, and is the southernmost of such rivers on the Pacific coast. In Tako, salmon have been cherished as "divine fish."
Ohashi saw the local rice farming, salmon, and the environment itself as all connected by the Kuriyama River. "Like salmon, we want to be a presence that enriches the earth," he said, hence the name Sake Sake Brewery.

Managing Director Ichikawa has now moved to Tako Town and is working as a member of the local revitalization team. At local PR events, people often ask, "Sake? Salmon?" when they hear the name "Sake Brewery," so it seems the catchiness of the name has made an impression.

The sake label also features salmon.

An unexpected path to sake brewing

For Ohashi, the decision to build a sake brewery was made possible by three unexpected factors.

The first was when, at the age of 28, he was told to "train here" at a famous sake izakaya in Kanda, Tokyo, where he began working. It was here that Ohashi became aware of the deliciousness of sake.

"It was at that izakaya that I discovered the wonders of sake and the joy of working there."

The second reason is that he started growing rice as a hobby and ended up harvesting too much rice.

He started growing pesticide-free rice with some friends, but he had so much fun that he ended up expanding the area too much, and ended up harvesting more rice than they could consume.
"What should I do...?" Ohashi headed to Terada Honke, a sake brewery in Kanzaki Town, Chiba Prefecture, which is well-known for its natural sake brewing.

"Terada Honke is a sake brewery that only uses pesticide-free rice. I thought that if I became a brewer there, they would surely buy our rice."

Although he had somewhat impure motives when he approached the sake brewery, Ohashi ended up becoming a brewer and was even offered rice. However, this was when he encountered the third unexpected event.

The reason was that I just enjoyed making sake.

"It was really fun. Terada Honke's sake brewing is a bit unique, with almost no machinery used for sake brewing. The brewers work very physically. So every winter, all of them pull muscles. But it was really fun, and before I knew it, I was hooked."

Even after leaving Terada Honke, Ohashi moved to another brewery, and then another, and so on, moving from one brewery to the next, a total of three breweries.

"Then I thought, 'I've had enough of making someone else's sake.' I began to think I wanted to make my own sake, using rice I grew myself."

Fun and free sake brewing vs. the legal dilemma

However, a huge obstacle stands in the way of Ohashi's vision: the law.

Home brewing of sake has been prohibited for over 100 years. Furthermore, with some exceptions, new acquisition of a sake brewing license has not been permitted, and no new entrants have been allowed for over 70 years.

However, a turning point comes.

"I want to make my own sake..." It was while searching for this idea that Ohashi met Ichikawa.
Ichikawa worked for a food manufacturer and had a deep interest in fermented foods. The two of them happened to attend a seminar and were shocked.

"I had a fantastic talk with Shuhei Okazumi, the representative of Ine to Agave Brewery, a craft sake brewery in Oga City, Akita Prefecture. In just two years since the establishment of the brewery, he has opened a ramen shop and lodgings in addition to the sake brewery, developed mayonnaise from sake lees, and is now even trying to open an auberge. I was impressed by his drive and passion. I felt that craft sake brewers are completely different from the owners of traditional sake breweries."

Craft sake is made by adding some extra ingredients to the ingredients of sake (rice, rice koji, and water). Furthermore, craft sake can be produced by obtaining a "license to produce other brewed alcoholic beverages."

"Okay, let's go with craft sake!" the two decided.
Ichikawa left the company he had worked for for over eight years and set off to learn about craft sake at Rice and Agave Brewery.

On the other hand, Ohashi said, "I have a habit of thinking the opposite way...I thought that if we could provide a place where anyone could legally brew sake freely, it might be an opportunity."

Ohashi works hard to gather friends.
The group will be joined by three other members: Akemi Kawaguchi, a native of Tako who started a company to revitalize her hometown, with the desire to "revitalize her hometown"; Takahide Sato, a former Tako Town community revitalization volunteer who aspires to work in small-scale forestry; and Wataru Watanabe, a high school classmate of Ohashi. "All three of them are quite unusual," says Ohashi.

"Let's build a new sake brewery from scratch where anyone who wants to make sake can make sake, not just me."
And so Sake Brewery got started.

We want to express "the whole of nature" through sake

"As a sake brewery, we don't intend to create a formula for what our sake should taste like. This is because we believe that each brewer has the freedom to express themselves. I personally want to express the image of rice paddies."

Mr. Ohashi says this and continues to grow rice without pesticides in a natural environment.

"My rice paddies are a haven for living creatures. Swamp crabs frolic and fireflies dance. Every year, the number of living creatures increases, making the rice paddies more fertile. Instead of using herbicides, I release Aigamo ducks to eat the weeds. It takes a lot of work, but I'm happy to be able to grow rice in harmony with nature, and the autumn harvest is filled with joy. I'd be happy if I could express this rice paddy in its entirety. That's why I don't buy koji mold or yeast, but instead collect them from the rice paddy."

Release of first brewed sake "Kimoto Junmai Sake 'Sake'"

Sake Brewery raised funds through crowdfunding at the end of 2024, and released its first brewed sake, "Kamamoto Junmai Sake 'Sake'," in June 2025 as a reward for the support.

Some may be wondering, "Huh? Junmai sake? Isn't it craft sake?" In fact, Sake Sake Brewery does not currently have a sake brewery, and is currently clearing land in Tako Town for construction. For this reason, the first sake brewery was made by borrowing facilities from Moriya Sake Brewery in Sanmu City, Chiba Prefecture.

The sake rice used is Nakate Shinriki, a native variety of rice cultivated in Chiba Prefecture during the Meiji and Taisho periods. It is grown by Ohashi without pesticides. The rice is polished to just 90%, roughly the same level as rice for eating.

"If we made it normally with this rice polishing ratio, the taste would naturally be harsh. That's why we fermented it slowly over a long period of time at a lower temperature than for Daiginjo. The mash took 43 days. The starter yeast was made using kimoto yeast. Kimoto yeast is the most interesting thing."

Traditional kimoto sake has a rich, full-bodied flavor that is different from the current trend.
This time, instead of grinding the steamed rice, koji, and water together, which is called "motosuri," they chose to place them in a plastic bag and let them dissolve slowly over time.

He says he "hardly ever did" the stirring. He says he learned this at Saiya Sake Brewery in Akita Prefecture, famous for its "Yuki no Bosha" sake, and instead trusted in the yeast and simply waited patiently.

"Doing nothing may seem easy, but it's actually quite difficult. As a creator, you can't help but want to put in some effort. But you have to resist that urge."

After waiting for 43 days, the pressed sake was bottled and pasteurized once, and "Kimoto Junmai Sake 'Sake'" was born. Brewing sake using unfamiliar equipment from another company meant that some aspects did not completely match his own ideas, but he still thought, "I've made a really wonderful sake."

While retaining the aroma characteristic of lightly polished sake, this sake has a refreshing acidity and a body that is not too heavy, making it a pleasant drink. Whether you drink it chilled or warm, you can enjoy different flavors.

However, according to Ichikawa, the 600 bottles produced this time were sold out by the end of June, less than a month after they went on sale.
"We plan to brew our second batch of sake at a different brewery next season," he said.

Kimoto Junmai Sake "Salmon"
Contents: Sake 500ml/bottle
Rice polishing rate: 90%
Raw rice: Nakao Shinriki (produced in Tako Town, Chiba Prefecture, using the Aigamo farming method) Additional information: However, according to Ichikawa, the 600 bottles produced this time were sold out by the end of June, less than a month after they went on sale.
Alcohol power: 15 degrees
Price: XNUM X yen (tax included)
purchase:https://salmonbre.official.ec/items/all

Making the entire region a common asset

Sake Sake Brewery is continuing with land clearing and rice cultivation with the goal of opening a sake brewery in 2029.
They don't just brew sake themselves, but also open their doors and provide a space for anyone who wants to try brewing sake, and if there are people who want to know how to make it, they want to make their know-how public. Sake brewing has a strong image of being kept secret from outsiders since ancient times, but their ideal is to open up information to the extent that it doesn't cause trouble to other breweries. This comes from the idea of "freedom in sake brewing," which was the trigger for starting the brewery.
Furthermore, the company's vision for the future is to eventually involve not only sake brewing but the entire local community as well, and turn the brewery and the surrounding area into a common (shared property).

"If you have money in Tokyo, you can have lots of fun, but if you don't have money, it's no fun at all. On the other hand, when you come to the countryside, there is truly affluence. In Tokyo, there are so many expensive things that you can't help but think, 'Someone give me some!' (laughs) I love that affluence, so I want to create an area where people can enjoy it to the fullest."

Natural rice cultivation with the help of ducks

Just behind the office we visited this time is the rice paddy where Sake Brewery cultivates rice, teeming with ducklings that have been released into the fields using the Aigamo farming method. Seeing this living, circulating natural environment before our eyes, we can almost imagine the future vision envisioned by Sake Brewery.

Writer: Arika Mito
Living in Tokyo / Sake/Japanese writer, Japanese teacher, Sake taster
A writer and teacher who is active in the "two (Japanese) pillars" of Japanese and sake. Her favorite brand is ``Yamato Shizuku'' and she has a strong love for Akita Prefecture.
Other than alcohol, my hobbies are fashion and perfume. Qualifications: SAKE DIPLOMA, Sake Studies Instructor, Sake Master, Japanese Language Teaching Proficiency Test