Even though Tokyo is a city with endless possibilities, after a few days, I often get the feeling of wanting to escape to a place which is a lot less busy, and preferably also has a lot less concrete. Thankfully, only about 30 minutes by train from Ikebukuro, there is Kawagoe. Also known as Little Edo, with many of it’s old buildings, it’s not hard to imagine how it might have felt like walking down those streets a couple of hundred years ago. Just try to imagine away the cars.
With it’s temples, warehouse district and Candy Alley, this town can make a nice day-trip from Tokyo. And in this town, there is also a very nice place to try out some local sake! Koedo Kurari, also known as the Kawagoe Industrial City Tourist Center, is a former brewery that found new life as a hot spot to try local Saitama products. In this post we are focussing on Shōwagura, it’s sake shop and tasting area.
Koedo Kurari is conveniently located quite close to the famous tourist spots, but it is missable if you are not paying attention. The store uses sake dispensers. For 500 yen you can get 4 coins, and choose from 40 sake! With instructions in both Japanese and English, it’s very accessable for Non-Japanese speakers. Grab a coin and choose a sake!
For those having trouble with choosing, there is help! There are cheatsheets located near the vending machines that describe all the available sake. I really appreciate the fact that they bother to list both the SMV and Acidity of the sake. As a data-enthousiast, this made me really happy! If they add the polishing rate as well some day, that would make this sheet even better.
Don’t be fooled by the amount of Junmai and Honjozo sake you see on the picture above. There are more variaties available, and there was also a namazake! I did wonder how long it had been openend for, that one didn’t felt fresh to me. I wrote down some notes as well, and in no particular order, here were my favorites:
- Koedo Junmai Genshu Gohyakumangoku: fresh, easy to drink and quite fruity
- Azumashiragiku Honjozo Hiyaoroshi: smooth, lot’s of flavor and mild for an Autumn sake
- Ka-to-hare Junmai Ginjo Red Wine Yeast: not your typical sake. Lot’s of grape flavor, I like it!
- Kinmon Ginjo Genshu Hiyaoroshi: very sweet, easy to drink. Dangerous!
When I was there, there weren’t that many people, so I could take my sweet time trying a couple of these sake. The employees working there were very friendly, and we had a long and interesting chat about sake. Since it’s a store, there is of course the possibility to buy some sake as well. I picked up some small bottles, and later that evening I decided to open the Arroz sake.
Overall, a nice experience to try sake. I think you can find something for everyone, and it’s very accessable for the average tourist. So, if you are ever in Kawagoe, try visit this place as well. And if you don’t like the sake, you can always get some nice sweets at Candy Alley.
Koedo Kurari
〒350-0043
Saitama, Kawagoe, Shintomicho, 1 Chome−10-1
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