We set off to get our fill of spring with a trip to the cool air and abundant nature of Ome and Fussa in the western Tokyo metropolis. The trip's big themes are sake and Japanese
culture. We visit a sake brewery, feel the enchantment of traditional Japanese beauty... A brilliantly colorful landscape of plum and cherry blossoms, azaleas and other flowers
awaited us.
Our destination is about an hour-and-a-half from Shinjuku Station by train. Our first stop: the Ozawa Brewery next to the pristine waters of the Tama River. Founded
in 1702, the brewery has been brewing sake in the Ome region for more than 300 years.
The trip begins with a visit to the Ozawa Brewery, brewer of Sawanoi, to experience the charm of sake, a drink truly unique to Japanese culture. The clear waters of the Tama River flow through the Sawai district in the town of Ome where the brewery is located. With captivatingly beautiful scenery across all four seasons, the area is said to be a favorite of many artists.
The brewery offers free tours. While walking around the brewery filled with casks used for sake brewing and maturing sake you will learn about the sake brewing process, as well as
its history and culture. At the end of the tour you can also enjoy a sake tasting.
The main secret to the uniquely delicious taste of Ozawa Brewery is the water. The
entire brewing process uses clear, beautiful natural water drawn from two wells, one on the site and another in the mountains.
If there isn't enough sake for the sake tasting at the end of the tour, be sure to head to the brewery's "tasting bar". There, amid the fresh green of beautiful early spring you can imbibe around ten varieties of sake while admiring the abundant nature along the Tama River. Some selections are seasonally limited, so be sure to try the Hanami Shinshu, which is available in the early spring.
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770 Sawai 2-chome, Ome, Tokyo 198-0172
http://www.sawanoi-sake.com/en
*Brewery tours: Held 4 times
daily. (Advance reservations recommended. 11am, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm/Closed Mondays, except when Monday is a holiday, in which case it will be closed the following Tuesday). Tasting bar
charge starts at 200 yen per cup (including the take home cup).
After experiencing Japanese culture at the Ozawa Brewery we visited the Kushi Kanzashi Museum dedicated to the accessories that women use to adorn their hair.
The museum's collection of some 4,000 pieces focuses on combs and hairpins from the Edo period through the Showa era along with a great variety of other items, including beniita (antique portable makeup sets), hakoseko (a box-shaped accessory for holding paper, mirrors, and the like that can be put in a purse), and yatate (a portable writing tool).
Every piece is made of the finest materials, such as gold and silver, amber, ivory, and tortoiseshell, and every piece is a work of traditional craftsmanship, such as woodwork, metal work, and lacquer work. The splendor and subtlety of these pieces embodies the essence of the unique Japanese aesthetic.
We hope you will visit the Kushi Kanzashi Museum and experience the beauty of handcrafted personal accessories that crystallize the superb craftsmanship of our ancestors.
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764-1 Yugimachi 3-chome, Ome, Tokyo 198-0064
