Who will enjoy this brewery
- People looking for a sake brewery near Tokyo that they can walk to from a station (it is a 20–25 minute walk from Ebina Station)
- People who want to do a paid tasting at the brewery-owned shop before choosing their sake
- People who want to see a landscape where sake rice (rice suited to making sake) fields and a sake brewery stand side by side
- People who want to be guided around the sake rice fields and the rice polishing mill on a tour that requires booking (as of September 30, 2026, tours in English are not offered)
About Izumibashi Sake Brewery
Izumibashi Sake Brewery (泉橋酒造) is a sake brewery in Ebina (海老名市), Kanagawa Prefecture. It was founded in 1857 (the 4th year of the Ansei era), and its brand is “Izumibashi (いづみ橋)”. The company name and the brand both come from the same “泉橋”, but the brand is written “いづみ橋”, partly in hiragana.
Izumibashi Sake Brewery does everything itself, from growing sake rice locally to polishing the rice and brewing the sake. The brewery calls this approach “saibai jozo gura” (栽培醸造蔵, a “growing-and-brewing brewery”) and has registered the term as a trademark. All of the sake it makes is junmai-shu.
The brewery-owned shop on the brewery grounds, “Shuyu-kan (酒友館)”, can be visited at any ordinary time. Tours to see inside the brewery require booking (checked on September 30, 2026; see “Visiting the brewery” for details).
The plain of the Sagami River and the water of Tanzawa
Izumibashi Sake Brewery stands in the middle of a plain formed by soil carried by the Sagami River (相模川). The rice fields around here are called “Ebina Gochi” (海老名耕地), one of the leading rice-growing areas in Kanagawa Prefecture. The 橋場 family (橋場家), which runs the brewery, has grown rice on this land for more than 400 years, and in 1857 it set up the brewery and began making sake. Right on the north side of the brewery, the fields where the sake rice is grown spread out.
From the brewery you can see the mountains of Tanzawa (丹沢), including Oyama (大山), which has long been worshipped locally. The brewing water is underground water from the Tanzawa mountains, and it is hard water.
The brand name combines the Izumi River (泉川, Izumigawa), which once flowed on the north side of the brewery and served as an irrigation channel for the rice fields, with “橋場”, the trade name of the 橋場 family.
Bringing back rice growing that had stopped
Izumibashi Sake Brewery’s farming stopped for a time around the Pacific War. The brewery fully restarted growing sake rice in 1996. After that, it formed the “Sagami Sake Rice Study Group” (さがみ酒米研究会) with local growers, and in 1999 it formally began growing and brewing with the sake rice varieties Yamada Nishiki (山田錦) and Omachi (雄町). In 2000 it released its first product using locally grown Yamada Nishiki, “Megumi (恵) Blue Label Junmai Ginjo”.
As of the 2019 fiscal year, the Sagami Sake Rice Study Group grew the rice for the sake on about 46 hectares across Ebina, Zama and Sagamihara, and Izumibashi Sake Brewery grew about 8 hectares of that itself. The varieties grown are Yamada Nishiki, Omachi, Rakufumai (楽風舞) and 神力. All except 神力 are registered production-area varieties (産地品種銘柄) of Kanagawa Prefecture.
The symbol mark of Izumibashi is a red dragonfly. It shows the dragonflies that fly over Izumibashi Sake Brewery’s rice fields, and it is a sign of the brewery’s promise to grow its sake rice without pesticides or with reduced pesticides.
A brewing method that takes time and effort
Izumibashi Sake Brewery polishes all of its rice itself. It keeps the rice from each field separate, and changes the polishing method to suit the rice.
All of the rice koji (steamed rice on which koji mold has been grown) is made in small amounts using a traditional tool called a “koji-buta” (麹蓋).
For the shubo (yeast starter: yeast grown to start fermentation), half of the junmai-shu the brewery makes uses the traditional “kimoto” (生酛) method, and the other half uses a method called “sokujo-moto” (速醸酛). Kimoto is a method of growing yeast with the help of natural lactic acid bacteria. The brewery chose this split with food in mind: kimoto sake to go with red meat, seafood, and dishes made with soy sauce or miso; sokujo-moto sake to go with white meat, white fish, and dishes seasoned with salt or dashi.
All pressing of the moromi (the base of sake while it is fermenting) is done with a tool called a “fune” (槽).
Three representative products
Izumibashi has many products, and the ingredients and rice polishing ratio (seimai buai: the share of the rice that remains after polishing) differ from product to product. Please check the label for the type (checked on September 30, 2026).
- 恵 青ラベル 純米吟醸 (Megumi Blue Label Junmai Ginjo) — Uses only locally grown Yamada Nishiki. A “junmai ginjo”: made only from rice, rice koji and water, with 40% or more of the outer part of the rice polished away, and fermented slowly at a low temperature. The brewery has made it continuously since 2000
- 黒とんぼ 生酛純米酒 山田錦 — Local Yamada Nishiki brewed with kimoto and aged for 2 years. A “junmai-shu”, made only from rice, rice koji and water
- 純米大吟醸いづみ橋 山田錦 (Junmai Daiginjo Izumibashi Yamada Nishiki) — Uses 100% locally grown Yamada Nishiki. A “junmai daiginjo”: made only from rice, rice koji and water, with more than half of the outer part of the rice polished away
Visiting the brewery
The brewery-owned shop “Shuyu-kan”
Shuyu-kan is the brewery-owned shop, and you can visit without booking. On March 22, 2025, it moved to a new building converted from a warehouse. You can do a paid tasting of Izumibashi Sake Brewery’s sake and buy it. There is also terrace seating.
| Shuyu-kan (checked on September 30, 2026) | |
|---|---|
| Opening hours | 10:00–18:00 |
| Closed | During the Obon period, and from December 31 to January 4 |
| Tasting | Paid |
| Payment | Cash, credit cards, PayPay, etc. |
| Parking | 18 spaces. Large tour buses cannot enter |
People who came by car or bicycle cannot taste or drink. Go by public transport, or go with someone who will drive.
Brewery tours (booking required)
Izumibashi Sake Brewery accepts private tours for individuals and groups. Apply by email (info@izumibashi.com).
| Izumibashi Tour | Brewery Tour | |
|---|---|---|
| What you see | Rice fields and rice polishing mill (you do not go inside the brewery where the sake is brewed) | Rice fields, rice polishing mill and brewery |
| Booking period | All year (except December, January and February) | October–November, and March to mid-April |
| Contents | A talk using videos, a tour, and a tasting of about 5 kinds | Same |
| Time required | About 1.5 hours | About 2 hours |
| Group size | 1–24 people | 1–24 people |
| Price (tax included) | Flat 22,000 yen for up to 10 people, then 2,200 yen for each additional person | Flat 44,000 yen for up to 10 people, then 4,400 yen for each additional person |
Prices and conditions were checked on September 30, 2026. For the schedule of tours with fixed dates and limited places, please check the tour page on the official website (as of September 30, 2026, none was scheduled). Including the brewery in travel agencies’ group tours was difficult to arrange as of September 30, 2026.
As of September 30, 2026, tours in English are not offered. At Shuyu-kan you can watch an English video introducing the brewery’s sake rice growing and sake making.
The 2026 brewery open day (kura-biraki) was announced as a ticketed event. Please check the official announcements for the next dates.
Getting there
Address: 〒243-0435 神奈川県海老名市下今泉5-5-1
- It is a 20–25 minute walk from Ebina (海老名) Station. A taxi from the rotary at the station’s east exit takes about 5 minutes
- For local bus routes, please check the access page on the brewery’s official website
Opening days and tour arrangements may change. Please check the brewery’s official information before visiting.
The brewery-owned restaurant near Ebina Station
Izumibashi Sake Brewery runs a brewery-owned restaurant, “サケとアテ 蔵元佳肴 いづみ橋 (Sake to Ate Kuramoto Kako Izumibashi)”, on the west exit side of Ebina Station. The restaurant marked its 10th anniversary on July 7, 2026. It serves almost all of Izumibashi’s products, along with dishes made with the brewery’s miso, koji, sake lees (sake kasu) and more. Sake and sake vessels are also sold at the entrance. The address is 神奈川県海老名市扇町12-33 フィールズ三幸 1階, the opening hours are 17:00–22:00, and it is closed on Sundays and Mondays (when a Monday is a public holiday, it is closed on Monday and Tuesday; checked on September 30, 2026).
Where to buy Izumibashi Sake Brewery’s sake
The brewery’s own sales points
- Shuyu-kan (on the brewery grounds) and the sales counter at the entrance of サケとアテ 蔵元佳肴 いづみ橋 (see “Visiting the brewery” above)
- Izumibashi Sake Brewery’s official online store (shop.izumibashi.com). Shipping fees are listed only for regions within Japan, and payment is by credit card or cash on delivery. Whether you can receive an order at your hotel during your stay should be checked with the brewery before ordering
Stores that carry Izumibashi
The brewery publishes a list of stockists on its official website. It lists just over 270 stores in Japan, from Hokkaido to Kumamoto, with especially many in Kanagawa and Tokyo. From that list, we have chosen stores that are easy to drop in on during a trip (checked on September 30, 2026).
| Area | Store | Address |
|---|---|---|
| Ebina | 三河屋 ViNA GARDENS PERCH店 | 神奈川県海老名市めぐみ町3-1 ViNA GARDENS PERCH 3階 Open in Google Maps |
| Yokohama | 横浜高島屋 | 神奈川県横浜市西区南幸1-6-31 Open in Google Maps |
| Yokohama | そごう横浜店 | 神奈川県横浜市西区高島2-18-1 Open in Google Maps |
| Kamakura | 鎌倉山田屋 | 神奈川県鎌倉市雪ノ下3-8-29 Open in Google Maps |
| Odawara | 東海キヨスク 小田原駅内 | 神奈川県小田原市城山1-1-1 Open in Google Maps |
| Hakone | 箱根ロープウェイ 大涌谷 駅の店 | 神奈川県箱根町仙石原1251 大涌谷駅1階 Open in Google Maps |
| Tokyo Station | はせがわ酒店 東京駅GranSta店 | 東京都千代田区丸の内1-9-1 Open in Google Maps |
| Tokyo – Ginza | IMADEYA GINZA | 東京都中央区銀座6-10-1 GINZA SIX 地下2階 Open in Google Maps |
| Tokyo – Shinjuku | 伊勢丹 新宿店 | 東京都新宿区新宿3-14-1 地下1階 Open in Google Maps |
| Tokyo – Oshiage | はせがわ酒店 東京スカイツリータウン・ソラマチ店 | 東京都墨田区押上1-1-2 ソラマチ商店街 1階 Open in Google Maps |
| Osaka | 大阪タカシマヤ | 大阪府大阪市中央区難波5-1-5 地下1階 Open in Google Maps |
| Kyoto | タキモト | 京都府京都市下京区六条通高倉東入る |
For the other stores and each store’s phone number, please check the list.
Before you buy
- Whether a store carries the sake, and its stock, differ from store to store. Limited and seasonal products may not come in, so please check with the store before visiting.
- If you are taking sake home abroad: Bottles over 100 ml cannot go in your carry-on bag before security screening. Put them in your checked baggage, or buy them at a duty-free shop after security screening. Please check in advance what applies if you have a connecting flight, and the import limits of the country you are arriving in. → Travel tips
Brewery facts
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Brewery | 泉橋酒造株式会社 (Izumibashi Sake Brewery Co., Ltd.) |
| Founded | 1857 (the 4th year of the Ansei era) |
| Representative | 橋場友一 (sixth-generation brewery owner) |
| Address | 〒243-0435 神奈川県海老名市下今泉5-5-1 Open in Google Maps |
| Phone | 046-231-1338 (fax 046-233-1452) |
| Main brand | Izumibashi (いづみ橋) |
| Brewing water | Underground water from the Tanzawa mountains (hard water) |
| Official website | https://izumibashi.com/ |
| Brewery tours | Paid tours, booking required (tours in English are not offered as of September 30, 2026) |
| Brewery shop | Shuyu-kan (10:00–18:00; closed during Obon and from December 31 to January 4; paid tasting available) |
| List of stockists | Published on the official website (just over 270 stores in Japan; checked on September 30, 2026) |
| English support | The official website has English pages. An English introductory video is shown at Shuyu-kan |