Sasaichi Brewery and Dan: A Private Visit to a 360-Year-Old Brewery in Yamanashi

Yamanashi is known for wine. Yet at the gateway to the prefecture, in the town of Otsuki, there is a brewery that has been making sake for more than three and a half centuries.

Since 1661

Sasaichi Brewery (笹一酒造) stands in Sasago, in Otsuki City, at the entrance to what is sometimes called Yamanashi's sake road. It was founded in 1661 under the name Hanadaya and took its present name in 1919. The brewery uses natural water from the Mt. Fuji area and rice grown in Yamanashi. Dan is among the sake labels associated with the brewery.

Sake and Wine Under One Name

Sasaichi is unusual for making both. In addition to sake, the company has produced wine since 1953, under the label OLIFANT. It is a reminder that in Yamanashi the two crafts sit side by side. If you are building a Yamanashi day, our guide to Yamanashi winery tours shows how the pieces fit, and Shichiken offers a second sake brewery in the prefecture.

The brewery also has a shop and a restaurant on site, with tasting available, according to public tourism information.

Visiting With Wintage Tour

A Wintage Tour visit to Sasaichi Brewery is arranged privately and in English. What can be experienced depends on the season and on what the brewery is doing on the day — so each visit is shaped around the time of year, and we offer as many experience elements as that moment allows.

Depending on the timing, a visit may include time to see where the sake is made, a tasting, and, where possible, a conversation with someone from the brewery. Details are agreed beforehand and confirmed with you before you travel; schedules can change with weather and the brewing calendar, so nothing can be guaranteed in advance.

On the Way to Wine Country

Otsuki lies on the route between Tokyo and the Kofu Basin, which makes Sasaichi a natural stop before or after a winery such as Kisvin or Katsunuma Winery. Our notes on the best time to visit Japan for sake and wine tours may help with timing.

To begin planning, get in touch.