Asahikawa has another brewery you can visit besides Otokoyama, so after finishing up there, I headed back towards the city center of Asahikawa, and visited the Takasago brewery.
This brewery has a very good location for you average tourist, since it can be reached in about 15 minutes on foot from Asahikawa train station. I was a little bit late with reserving a tour, so this time I will only check out their store and tasting area.
I did not expect to first get a nice blast from the past. Entering the hallway towards the shop, the brewery has set up some small public displays telling passersby about the brewery and its history. Everything is written in Japanese, but thankfully with the help of QR-codes posted by the displays, it’s also possible to read them on you smartphone in English.
A lot of advertising posters from the 50’s and 60’s were put up as well, and I always have a soft spot for those. I could have just seen the posters and be content with myself.
The tasting area is in the brewery store. It’s very easy to miss, but after asking the staff I was directed towards a small area near the cash register. The tasting was free, which is always a plus, and it had 3 sake and an umeshu to try. The sake where all very nice. The middle sake was made with a white koji, which gives the sake a lot of acidity. Almost similar to a white wine.
At the shop you can get some sakekasu amazake as well. Since it was a very cold day, this was a nice way to stay warm while returning towards Asahikawa station.
Even though I didn’t do the tour, this was a nice experience. I don’t know when I will return to Asahikawa in the future, but when I do, I will return here for a tour.
Takasago Shuzou
〒070-0030
17 Chome-Migi1Gou Miyashitadori, Asahikawa, Hokkaido
15 minute walk from Asahikawa Train station, 10 minute walk from Asahikawayojo train station
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