Here are three places where you can casually enjoy Japanese sake in Hachinohe, Aomori! Hachinohe Sake Brewery, Hachinohe Sake Brewery, and Eki-naka Sake Shop 62371◎

  • Aomori
  • Eating
When you go on a trip, you want to taste the local food, don't you? Sake is one such drink that you can enjoy the unique local flavor. In Aomori, you can enjoy a variety of unique Aomori alcoholic beverages such as local beer, wine, and apple cider, but this time we will introduce three places in Hachinohe where you can casually enjoy Japanese sake!

Enjoy tastings in the city center of Hachinohe! Hachinohe Sake Brewery Co.

First, we would like to introduce the Hachinohe Sake Brewery, where you can stop by and enjoy some sake while sightseeing!

The brewery is located about a 10-minute walk from the south exit of JR Hachinohe Station. The area is surrounded by restaurants, the Hachinohe Book Center, and the Hachinohe Portal Museum "Hacchi," making it a great place to stop by while sightseeing.
Hachinohe Sake Brewery's brewery direct sales shop with a nice exterior.
The stylish, retro-style direct sales office built in the Taisho era (1912-1926) was originally used as an office. When you think of sake, traditional Japanese architecture comes to mind, but the combination of western stained glass and cedar beads on the exterior of the building is a nice touch.

You will want to taste the sake right away, but first you will want to take a tour of the brewery. Guided tours are currently suspended, but they offer free tours. After informing the direct sales office that you would like to tour the brewery, go to the left of the front of the direct sales office building and proceed to the back of the building.
If you look closely, you can see a sign that reads "↑Look around the brewery
After excitedly passing between buildings that look like a passageway for related parties, you will see an atmospheric warehouse on your left.
Passing through buildings that cats seem to like.
This is the brewery you can tour, marked by a cedar ball.
Open the heavy door and go inside. The main exhibition is on the second floor, so take off your shoes and go up the stairs. There are displays of sake making tools, panels explaining how sake is made, videos (about 17 minutes in total), and other exhibits where you can learn about the sake making process.
Go up the stairs to the second floor.
Tools actually used in the brewery are on display.
After the brewery tour, the next step is to enjoy a sake tasting!

There are two types of sake tastings: free tasting and paid tasting. The free tasting is indicated by a sign near the sake for sale, so check the sake you are interested in first.
Sake on sale in the store
Komomaki sake, available only at the store
I was interested in the "ice temperature storage Junmai Ginjo" straw-wrapped sake (Hachitsuru and Jyokuu), which is sold only at the direct sales counter, and the pink-colored "Jyokuu Pink Dombelli Junmai Nigori Sake," and was allowed to sample these for free!
Two types of Komomaki Sake
Dombelli, a pretty pink color (Dombelli means "doburoku" in Japanese)
While checking the difference in color, I first smelled it.
Oh, it smells good! Nice aroma! But this one smells good too. But this one smells good, too...or maybe this one is better? I enjoy the aroma by myself and taste it. Do I like this one better? No, this one is quite good too..." As I was comparing the two, they were gone in no time at all.

Both of the straw-wrapped sake were rich in aroma and easy to drink, making it hard to choose one over the other. The pink Donbei is a cute looking sake with a strong sake taste, so it would be a nice gift to bring to a Hanami party where many sake lovers gather. Pink sake while watching cherry blossoms... recommended!

Since we were there, we decided to try another sake for a paid tasting. The sake tastings are located near the counter.
Paid tasting corner
I was offered the "TSURU Label Junmai Ginjo Habukiyuki," which was recommended to me as a "new sake.
Paid tasting is available for one drink!
Please pass this card and ask for a tasting!
The TSURU label is a regional sake (only available at selected liquor stores in Aomori Prefecture). Moreover, the type of rice used differs depending on the time of year, giving it a special flavor that can only be enjoyed now. The label also has a cute design with eight folded paper cranes (= eight cranes), which is unusual for sake.

The taste has the flavor of rice, but is fresh and easy to drink, as is typical of new sake! Since we were there, we also had some snacks to go along with it.
The snacks I ordered!
The savory taste of the snacks made the sake go further. We had some leftover snacks, so we asked for a bottle of "Hachitsuru Tokubetsu Junmai Shimamori" with a cute label.
The cute "Shimamori" label!
This one is made from "Mashigura" Aomori rice grown without agricultural chemicals in the Shimamori district in Hachinohe City. The rice is hand-planted by students and citizens of Hachinohe Institute of Technology as part of their SDGs project. It has a gorgeous taste in the mouth and is easy to drink with no peculiarities and a gentle flavor! It goes perfectly with snacks.

There are counter seats and table seats in the store, so you can sit at your favorite seat and enjoy your drink, and there is also brewed water to savor.
Counter seating, the lights are retro and stylish
Brewing water
The store also sells other original goods such as T-shirts and canvas sake bags perfect for holding two bottles of 720㎖ sake, as well as sake containers and original snacks.

Incidentally, the characters on the label of the main brand "Hakutsuru" were written by Taikan Yokoyama, a master of Japanese-style painting.
T-shirts and front hangings to show your love for sake
Sake cups, etc. and a solid sake bag
I was so distressed that I bought a variety of souvenirs.
Sake, snacks, sake bags, and sake containers
A solid canvas sake bag of an unlikely size would be convenient for purchasing and carrying sake! I bought it. The cute crane pattern makes it a good souvenir for foreigners. They would be a great souvenir to give to sake lovers as a set with sake. The sake cups are also inexpensive and cute, and I bought three of them. The small sake cups also have a small "Hakutsuru" written on them.

It is also nice that you can ask for shipping, so you can buy without worrying about weight or refrigeration time. Please visit them when you visit Hachinohe City Museum of Art, Hachinohe Book Center, or other places in the city center.
Hachinohe Sake Brewery Company Official website is here:

Take a brewery tour with tasting at a sake brewery near the sea! Hachinohe Sake Brewery Co.

Next we will introduce another sake brewery in Hachinohe, Hachinohe Sake Brewery Co. Hachinohe Sake Brewery is located about a 10-minute walk from Mutsu Minato Station on the JR Hachinohe Line.
The quaint exterior of the Hachinohe Sake Brewery
Located along the Araida River, which flows to the nearby sea
Hachinohe Sake Brewery allows visitors to tour the brewery by making a reservation in advance through its official website. The brewery also holds other events, so it is recommended that you check the official website before you go.
Hachinohe Sake Brewery Official website is here:
This time we participated in the brewery tour! When you arrive at the site, first tell them that you have made a reservation for a brewery tour. If you are able to drink sake, we definitely recommend it!

First, watch the screen and listen carefully to the explanation of the sake brewing process. You will enjoy learning about sake brewing through the light-hearted and friendly tone of the narrator.
Explanation about sake brewing on a screen
After deepening your knowledge, it is time for tasting before the brewery tour! The person in charge decides which brands to sample each day, so even if you visit on consecutive days, there is a possibility that you will be able to sample a different brand of sake. It is up to you to decide which brand of sake you would like to try on the day of your visit, but during my visit I was able to taste three different types of sake plus one limited-time-only type. (We were told that photography was allowed, but not for publication, so you will have to wait until you visit to see what the tasting was like!)

After getting into a good mood from the tasting, we headed for a tour of the brewery. While listening to trivia about sake, you can take a peek at the old ledgers and see where the sake is stored. If you have any questions or want to know something, you can actively ask the staff.â
A tour of the brewery
Display of old account books, etc.
After the tour, it was time for shopping. Hachinohe Sake Brewery offers not only sake but also a variety of other products such as "AOMORI JUICY LAB," a series of fruit wine made from Aomori apples and General Leclerc pears, and the "MINATO DISTILLERY" series of spirits made from local apples and sansho (Japanese pepper) in original wooden barrels made from oak or Aomori hiba (cypress). The variety of products is a bit overwhelming.

There are also sparkling sake and limited edition sake that can only be purchased at this brewery.
Sake and other items for sale
This is MINATO DISTILLERY
Of course, you can ship your sake, even if it needs to be refrigerated. Many of the people who participated in the brewery tour with us also made purchases.

In addition to sake, there are many original goods that are unique to the brewery!
Original and Tsugaru-biidoro sake cups
Stylish tenugui (hand towel) is also available.
Please take your time to examine the sake containers and original goods that you may want to purchase as a souvenir of your visit.

Here is what I bought as a souvenir this time!
A quick shot in front of the Hachinohe Sake Brewery
Bon Serve Strawberry Yogurt Liqueur. It is a collaboration product between Bon Serve, a milk factory in Aomori Prefecture, and Hachinohe Sake Brewery's sake "Hachisen!

I tried it as soon as I got home! Drinking it straight, you can taste the mildness of yogurt and the subtle sweetness of strawberries, followed by the delicious taste of sake. I was told that you can also freeze it for ice cream or pour it over frozen fruit, so I gave it a try!
Freezing and serving with fruits
Frozen in an ice maker, it is delicious eaten as is, but it is also delicious chilled when added to straight sake in place of ice! For eating as is, you could try putting cut up fruit or nuts on top. The one over frozen fruit is recommended for those who like sweet cocktails. Both of them look cute and will be appreciated when you prepare them when you get together for a drink.

Please try to find your favorite drink when you visit us...

Let's have a little drink at the station!

Lastly, I would like to introduce "Eki-naka Sake Shop 62371◎ (Mutsu Minato)" located on the first floor of JR Mutsu Minato Station. The best feature of this bar is its proximity to the station! It is a great place to stop by while waiting for your train to arrive.
The stairs of the station is in the back.
Cute blackboard art signboard
The restaurant is open from morning to evening (open at night on Fridays and Saturdays), so you can have a drink in the morning, a drink in the afternoon, or a quick drink at any other time of day.

The restaurant has only counter seats, and the atmosphere is cozy and homey.
The way they put up the menu also creates a nice atmosphere
After securing a seat, take a look at the many menus posted on the wall and place your order. I want to eat a variety of side dishes at lunch time! But I also want a good amount of food! For those who want a variety of side dishes at lunch time, we recommend the "Eki-naka Teishoku" (set meal). You can choose four of your favorite side dishes from the "☆Ekinaka side dishes" on the day's menu to create a set meal of your choice.
Choose 4 kinds of side dishes from the blackboard menu.
Your own set meal is ready!
This time I ordered four kinds: "ika Matsumaezuke (squid pickled in pineapple)," "sujiko and tarako (cod roe)," "ika karaage (fried squid)," and "sake kasu karaage (fried fish cake). The set comes with rice and Hachinohe senbei soup, so it is a hearty meal. The Hachinohe senbei soup, a local delicacy, is a relaxing dish with soft rice crackers and the gentle aroma of soup stock. The Sake Kasu Karaage is made with sake lees from Hachinohe Sake Brewery's "Hachisen" sake. It is crispy, juicy, and delicious!

Side dishes can be ordered separately, so you can order extra if you like, or you can take them home with you. You can even take out your favorite side dish and eat it on the bullet train.
Take out for dinner!
Sake Kasu Karaage and Aji Nameko Fried Fish, both delicious!
As the Hachinohe area is known for its delicious seafood, we also recommend the Kaisen-don (fresh seafood on top of a bowl of rice).
All of the "eki-naka de donburi" look delicious!
The pickled sea bream rice bowl was excellent!
And of course, you can drink alcohol!
Three types of sake to compare
You can order individual sakes as well, but I ordered the recommended "3 types of sake" to compare. Hachisen Special Junmai" and "Mutsu Otokoyama Super Dry" are fixed, and the third one is a choice of anything you like. I chose the "Mutsu Hachisen URARA label" which I had seen at the Hachinohe Sake Brewery and was curious about. (*From the second order, you can choose any one you like!)

Hachisen Special Junmai" has a nostalgic taste that would go well with any dish. The "Mutsu Otokoyama Super Spicy" is crisp and dry as its name suggests, and the "URARA Label" is refreshing and clean.

Although not sake, there was a cocktail I was interested in, so I ordered this one as well!
Shocking cocktail name
Speaking of cacciatore in Mutsu Minato, here is Isaba's cacciatore (cacciatore = mother)
It is a brandy and ginger ale made with Aomori apples, so it is sweet and easy to drink, so I recommend it to those who usually like sweet drinks such as cocktails.

Finally, I also introduced dessert! A set of homemade ice cream and coffee made with Hakusen's sake lees.
You can order ice cream and coffee separately, but the set is a good deal!
The combination of the subtle aroma of sake, the just-right sweetness of the ice cream, and homemade apple jam is irresistible! When the ice cream is served on top of the rice cracker, the crispiness of the rice cracker and a hint of saltiness marry nicely with the ice cream. The hot coffee (can be made into iced coffee as well) is also surprisingly delicious, just like at a coffee shop. The dessert set was recommended for both those who like alcohol and those who do not.

If you visit Mutsu Minato, please visit this place too!
Eki-naka Sake Bar 62371◎ Official website is here:

Let's enjoy drinking in Hachinohe!

How were the places where you can enjoy drinking? Please be sure to enjoy the local sake while sightseeing.

Interaction with local people

The owner of the Eki-naka Sake Shop will respond to your note, so please look forward to it when you return...!
62371◎Note by Eki-naka Brewery

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