Chiba Prefecture, next to the capital Tokyo, is a surprising sake-producing region with 38 sake breweries within the prefecture.
The area around Narita City, where Narita Airport, Japan's gateway to the skies, is located, is rich in tourist attractions, and attracts large numbers of domestic and international tourists every year.

The Naritasan Omotesando area is a particularly recommended spot that can be visited both in the air and on land. There is a wide selection of non-alcoholic drinks and sweets, so you can enjoy a relaxing trip with family and friends who don't drink alcohol, but we will also introduce a course where you can enjoy local sake while strolling.

The travel time from JR and Keisei is almost the same ~ Naritasan Omotesando ~

Narita Station is served by two lines, JR and Keisei. The entrance to Naritasan Sando is located exactly in the middle of both Keisei stations, and the journey takes roughly the same amount of time.

From either station, follow the statue of a kabuki actor as you enter Omotesando. You'll pass a row of restaurants and an entrance designed with inbound tourists in mind, then continue walking for about 5-6 minutes.

Near the entrance to the approach

1: The only sake brewery direct sales store on the approach to Naritasan - Chomeisen

The first spot is Chomeisen, a direct sales store run by Takizawa Honten (established in 1872), the only sake brewery on the approach to Naritasan.
Takizawa Honten is said to have begun brewing sake in the area after its first head, Eizo Takizawa, received a message from Fudo Myo-o in a dream during a pilgrimage to Naritasan. "Chomei-sen" is the brewery's signature brand, and it was named after the nearby well water, which was of such high quality that it earned the brewery a reputation for curing illnesses and prolonging life.

The sake brewery is located directly behind the store, and you can purchase not only sake, but also sweets made with sake and sake lees, and even try tastings using a server, which is a key feature of the store.

In addition to the standard sake selection, there are also seasonal limited edition products, of which around 10 are released each year. At the time of our visit (in May), the recommended product on sale was "Shogokyu Ginjo Junmai Ichi-ichi-hiire."
The bottles are displayed in P-boxes, which are returnable boxes used to transport liquor and beer bottles, giving the shop a unique "feel." This is sure to be a hit with foreign visitors.

For those who find it difficult to carry home a 180-cup bottle, there are also small 300ml and XNUMXml bottles, and small gift sets in drawstring bags that come with snacks, so there is a wide selection of products to suit your needs.

For those who love sweets, sake jelly, sake cube cakes, and karinto made with sake lees are also recommended. According to Executive Vice President Chikako Takizawa, sake lees rusks are also excellent as a snack to go with alcohol.

The cute cider and gummy candy are highly recommended for those with children. The cider is "Sora no Cider," a local cider supervised by Takizawa Honten. It can be drunk as is, or used as a mixer for sake or shochu.

The most enjoyable thing about Chomeisen is the "sake tasting" corner, where you can sample sake using a coin-operated sake server. Purchase a coin for the server at the register, choose your favorite sake, and pour it yourself to sample.

The brewery set up the booth with the belief that "allowing people to 'experience' sake" is the most important thing. Sake tasting is available for products sold exclusively at the store, limited seasonal products, and sake that has won awards at competitions. The coordinate axis also shows the aroma and flavor, making it easy to understand even for foreigners and those who are not familiar with sake. You will find yourself wanting to try everything.

On weekends, they also sell sake in cups at the storefront, which they call "brewery corner drinking." The cups are large enough to hold about one gou (approx. 180ml), and many customers share them. Some heavy drinkers say they have one cup on the way there and another on the way home, so there are many different ways to drink sake.

Those who can't drink alcohol can also enjoy the Narita Koji Stand, which is attached to the store. The menu here offers a wide variety of flavored koji amazake, light meals such as fried foods and yakitori, as well as "brewery curry rice" and "mini eel bowl." You can also sit on the bench next to the stand and take a break while eating.

This time, I ordered the strawberry koji amazake, which looked beautiful with its two layers of milky amazake and red strawberry. The rich sweetness of the amazake was complemented by the fun textures of strawberry flakes and jelly. I would definitely recommend it to health-conscious women!

For those who think "Sake is a bit strong for the day, but I'd like to drink something lighter," we highly recommend sake cocktails made with the undiluted sake of "Chomeisen." Try some sake arrangements that are perfect for the hot season, such as the classic lemon, matcha, or pear.

Please note that prices will be revised from July 7st, so they may differ from the prices displayed at the time of the interview. Please check in-store for details.

Brewery Direct Sales Store "Chomeisen"
Address: 〒286-0032
TEL: 0476-22-8417
10:00 - 18:00
Closed: None (open all year round)
Official HP:Narita Meijo "Chomeizumi" Brewery Official Online Store

2: "Jinyu/Fudo" Brewery [Nabeten] Directly Managed Store ~Nabeya Gengoemon~

Leaving Chomei-sen behind, continue walking straight along Omotesando for about 8 minutes and you will see the main gate of Naritasan Shinshoji Temple.

The main gate of Naritasan Shinshoji Temple can be seen just ahead.

If you continue walking for another minute, you will come to the next spot, Nabeya Gengoemon. This shop is directly managed by Nabeten Co., Ltd. (established in 1), which owns a sake brewery in Katori County, Chiba Prefecture.

The name Nabeten, which was founded in front of the gates of Naritasan Shinshoji Temple, is said to have originated from the fact that the shogunate granted the company the right to manufacture iron, one of the "za" (seats) at the time, and the "tana" (store) meaning a long-established store. Currently, the company's core brands are "Jinyu," which is sold in mass retailers and other general markets, and "Fudo," a limited distribution brand sold to authorized dealers.

According to the store manager, Shinbashi Eishi, many of the "Jinyu" sakes are relatively refreshing and easy to drink, while "Fudo" sakes are rare and only available at authorized dealers, and many of them allow you to enjoy the rich flavor and richness of the rice itself.

At the center of the store are limited edition sakes that are only available in that season. At the time of our visit, the lineup included summer sakes such as "Fudo" summer ginjo and "Jinyu" light junmai sake.

The entire store is stocked with a considerable number of varieties of both brands, which is quite overwhelming.

To be honest, you might have a hard time deciding which one to choose, but you can sample the main brands, so if you're unsure, we recommend asking the staff.

During the tasting, staff will explain the sake to you (pictured is store manager Eiji Shinbashi).

Some of the drinks we were able to sample that day.

They also carry a wide variety of alcoholic beverages and foods made from by-products of sake brewing. They have a wide selection of excellent items that pair well with alcoholic beverages, including amazake made with koji, truffle chocolate made with long-aged undiluted sake, and kasu-zuke (frozen food) made from loin meat, silver cod, and salmon pickled in Jinyu's sake lees.

The manager, Mr. Shinbashi, recommends pairing it with Nara pickles made with "Jinyu." He says that if you chop the Nara pickles finely and mix them with cream cheese, it makes an excellent snack.

It is said that this goes well with Jinyu's Junmai sake or Junmai Ginjo sake, so it would be interesting to try a comparative pairing with the souvenir "3-bottle drinking comparison set"!

Nara pickles and 3 bottles of "Jinyu" tasting set

Nabeya Gengoemon also has a hand-baked rice cracker shop called Raijindo Naritamonmae Branch. It's great that even people who don't like alcohol and children can enjoy the rice crackers. You can eat them as a snack on the spot, or take them home as a gift to enjoy with your evening drink.

Nabeya Gengoemon, a directly managed hotpot restaurant, is located in front of the temple.
Address: 〒286-0026
TEL: 0476-22-2847
営業時間：9:00〜17:00（1月～5月・10月～12月）/ 9:00～16:00（6月～9月）
Closed: Wednesday
Official HP:Nabeten Co., Ltd.(Official sake brewery information)

<Special Edition> Craft Beer from Narita Airport as a Souvenir ~ Nagomi no Yoneya Monzen Branch ~

At the end of your walk, we will introduce you to a shop where you can purchase some special souvenirs.

If you walk about three minutes down the road from Nabeya Gonzaemon, you will come across a long-established Japanese confectionery shop called Nagomi no Yoneya Monzenten. This shop is popular for its Chiba specialty, Peanut Monaka, and of course it's a great place to buy Japanese sweets as souvenirs, but you can actually buy some unexpected items here.

The product in question is "Narita Airport Ale," a craft beer that is "seriously made by Narita Airport."

The lineup includes two types: a gorgeous Saison style beer that evokes the image of departure, and a relaxed and mellow amber ale that evokes the image of arrival. The red and white label design, depicting planes taking off and landing, makes it the perfect "end point" for a stroll around Narita.

Please note that Narita Airport Ale can only be purchased at a limited number of places outside of Narita Airport, with Nagomi Yoneya Monzen Branch being a rare store within Narita Station. Beer lovers should definitely give it a try. By the way, on your way back, it's easiest to either return to Narita Station on the original route, or walk around Shinsando to the station.

Nagomi rice shop
Address: 〒286-0025
TEL: 0476-22-2801
営業時間：9:00〜18:00（元日は0:00～18:00の営業。1月2・3日は8:00～18:00の営業）
No regular holiday
Official HP:Nagomi rice shop

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

A map of the entire walking course along the Naritasan approach