Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Puglia Italy - Matera
Italy • 8 days, 7 nights
Southern Italy: Castles, Caves & Coastal Treasures in Puglia
from
Turkmenistan Gates of Hell Darvaza crater
Turkmenistan • 10 days, 9 nights
Turkmenistan & the Gates of Hell
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Pinal Airpark
Note the chrysanthemum crests.
Hachiman Bridge
Clarendon War Memorial.
Clarendon War Memorial
This fried chicken is one of Bangkok’s most famous.
Gai Tord Jae Kee
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
This fried chicken is one of Bangkok’s most famous.
Gai Tord Jae Kee
Chefs Aruss Lerlerstkull and Atcharaporn Kiatthanawat lean into regional traditions.
Charmgang
The khao soi at Gedhawa comes with a rich, coconutty broth.
Gedhawa
At Nai Mong Hoi Thod, the oyster omelet is worth waiting for.
Nai Mong Hoi Thod
In this deceptively simple dish, top-quality ingredients are paramount.
Kor Panich
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Haleakalā National Park’s summit region, shrouded in the pre-dawn fog.
Beware the Legends Behind These National Park Souvenirs
4 days ago
For Aguilar-Carrasco, nature is a powerful reminder of the interconnectedness of all life.
How Can National Parks Be Made Accessible to All? AO Wants to Know.
4 days ago
Podcast: Finding ‘The Great Gatsby’ in Louisville
5 days ago
Here’s which treats you can safely lug home without risking a fine.
Dear Atlas: What International Food Can I Legally Bring Into the U.S.?
6 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Japan Nikko Katayama Shuzo
Gastro Obscura

Katayama Shuzo

Founded in 1880, this humble brewery still practices a disappearing technique of sake-making.

Nikko, Japan

Added By
JoeWhiteNoise
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
The press for extracting liquid from the fermented rice mixture.   JoeWhiteNoise / Atlas Obscura User
The press for extracting liquid from the fermented rice mixture.   JoeWhiteNoise / Atlas Obscura User
  JoeWhiteNoise / Atlas Obscura User
  JoeWhiteNoise / Atlas Obscura User
The brewery’s exterior (façade currently under renovation).   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Founded in 1880, the family-run Katayama sake brewery has been making absurdly delicious, artisanal sake over six generations.

Every batch of sake at Katayama begins with water drawn from an underground mountain spring. Flowing from the Nikkō Mountains, it was this water that the brewery's founder sought as he traveled from Kashiwazaki, more than 120 miles away.

After allowing the rice to ferment, brewers strain liquid from the mash using a centuries-old shibori (pressing) technique. While most sake producers use an automated press, in this fading traditional approach, brewers stuff the mash into cloth bags, then stack them in a wooden crate. Weights on top of the crate, coupled with gravity and the added weight of the bags on top of one another, helps slowly and gently extract the liquids. It’s a far less efficient process, but is said to yield a purer sake.

The brewery specializes in genshu sake, a form of undiluted sake that hovers around 16 to 20 percent alcohol. Those who visit in the winter can observe (and smell) the brewing in action. In off months, Katayama-san is still happy to provide tours (in fairly good English) and explain the production process, as well as sell bottles of sake and sake-soaked cakes.

Related Tags

Alcohol Breweries Tradition

Know Before You Go

The Katayama brewery can be fully experienced in less than an hour. If possible, phone ahead to ensure that Katayama-san will be available to give the full tour.

You can find the brewery within walking distance from Kami-imaichi Station, which is about a 5-minute train ride from Tōbu-Nikkō Station.

Atlas Obscura Adventures

Hidden Japan: Sado Island, Nara & Kyoto

Explore a different side of Japan.

Book Now

Community Contributors

Added By

JoeWhiteNoise

Edited By

Fred Cherrygarden

  • Fred Cherrygarden

Published

October 21, 2019

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.nada-ken.com/main/en/index_s/314.html
  • https://www.bworldonline.com/discovering-craft-sake/
  • https://www.urbansake.com/sake-101/sake-glossary/shibori/
  • https://www.sakesocial.com/blogs/beau/3056812-genshu-the-undiluted-brew
  • http://nikkofan.jp/topics/topics.php?id=211
  • https://vinepair.com/articles/how-to-order-sake/
Katayama Shuzo
146-2 Segawa
Nikko, 321-1263
Japan
36.727951, 139.686202
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Cedar Avenue of Nikkō

Nikko, Japan

miles away

Abandoned Western Village

Nikko, Japan

miles away

Three Wise Monkeys of Tōshōgū Shrine

Nikko, Japan

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Nikko

Nikko

Japan

Places 8

Nearby Places

Cedar Avenue of Nikkō

Nikko, Japan

miles away

Abandoned Western Village

Nikko, Japan

miles away

Three Wise Monkeys of Tōshōgū Shrine

Nikko, Japan

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Nikko

Nikko

Japan

Places 8

Related Places

  • South African hops add their own distinctive character to the beers here.

    London, England

    Eko Brewery and Taproom

    Named for the Yoruba word for Lagos, this craft brewery draws on European beer-making and West African palm wine-fermenting techniques.

  • Marrickville, Australia

    Wildflower Brewery

    Inventive brewers use NSW ingredients to dream up flavorful beers made with local honey, native raspberries, and Mariposa plums.

  • Arizona Sake is easy to miss.

    Holbrook, Arizona

    Arizona Sake

    One man handcrafts "the best sake made outside of Japan" in a tiny desert town on Route 66.

  • Baltimore, Maryland

    Ministry of Brewing

    An abandoned church gets a second life as a massive beer hall and event space.

  • Vittangi Snaps Pine.

    Kiruna, Sweden

    Vittangi Snaps Pine

    Few remain of these distinctive old trees that once served as natural landmarks for travelers on the road.

  • Zurich, Switzerland

    Oepfelchammer

    A 200-year-old tavern challenges guests to finish a glass of wine while hanging from a ceiling beam.

  • A picture of a picture of a mouse drinking sherry.

    Jerez de la Frontera, Spain

    Sherry-Drinking Mice of Tío Pepe

    A complimentary beverage is offered to the bodega's resident rodents every day.

  • The old Adam Scheidt Brewing Company in Philadelphia.

    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

    Old Adam Scheidt Plant

    This forgotten building was one of the few Philadelphia-area breweries to survive Prohibition.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.