Who will enjoy this brewery
- People who want to visit a brewery on a day trip from Tokyo and go inside the buildings where the sake is made (booking required; paid)
- People who want to stop at the brewery shop on the way to or from walking and hiking in the Tanzawa (丹沢) mountains
- People who want to try sake with the umami of rice that tastes good warmed
About Kanei Shuzoten
Kanei Shuzoten (金井酒造店) is a brewery in Horiyamashita (堀山下), Hadano (秦野市), Kanagawa Prefecture. In 1868 (the 1st year of the Meiji era), a woman, 佐野リキ, began making sake here. Its brand is “Shirasasa Tsuzumi (白笹鼓)”. The president and representative director is 椎野祐介.
Kanei Shuzoten accepts paid brewery tours by reservation (checked on October 29, 2026). The brewery has a shop, so you can buy its sake even on days when you are not taking a tour.
Spring water at the foot of the Tanzawa mountains
Hadano is a town in a basin surrounded by the Tanzawa mountains. The town has many springs, and the brewery recommends combining a walk around the springs with a tour. Kanei Shuzoten draws this Tanzawa underground water (water that flows beneath the ground) from beneath the brewery and uses it as its brewing water.
Beyond the brewery entrance you can see the Tanzawa range. Near the brewery is “Hadano Togawa Park (県立秦野戸川公園)”, on the banks of the Minase River (水無川), which flows down from Tanzawa, and there is also Kobo-yama (弘法山), which you can climb on foot from Hadano Station. The brewery invites people who come to Tanzawa for hiking or camping to drop in.
Everyday sake for the people of the town
Shirasasa Tsuzumi was originally sake for working people of the town to enjoy every day. The brewery still sees its role as sake that is easy to pick up and that you never tire of drinking.
- Shirasasa Tsuzumi Junmai (白笹鼓 純米) — A “junmai-shu”: made only from rice, rice koji and water. The brewery describes it as having the richness of rice and a full umami, with a flavor like freshly cooked rice. You can drink it chilled or at room temperature, but the brewery says the rice umami opens up when it is gently warmed. It recommends pairing it with Japanese dishes rich in dashi, such as grilled fish and simmered dishes
Other series besides Shirasasa Tsuzumi
Besides Shirasasa Tsuzumi, Kanei Shuzoten also makes newer series.
- ミライザケ Terroir Junmai Ginjo Shiika (ミライザケ テロワール純米吟醸 詩歌) — A sake made from the sake rice (rice suited to sake making) “Gohyakumangoku”, grown in Hadano with reduced pesticides, brewed with Tanzawa underground water drawn from beneath the brewery. It is 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. Both the rice and the water are from Hadano. The brewery describes it as a sake that recalls the warmth of home loved by 前田夕暮, a tanka poet from Hadano
- ササノメグリ Hekisasa (ササノメグリ 碧笹) — A sake that uses both yellow koji (long used for sake) and white koji (used for shochu). Its ingredients are only rice and rice koji. It is 12% alcohol, lower than ordinary sake. The brewery describes it as light, like a white wine, with a refreshing, fruit-like acidity and the sweetness of rice
The rice and the rice polishing ratio differ from product to product, so please check the label for the type.
Visiting the brewery
Brewery tours (booking required; paid)
Kanei Shuzoten accepts paid brewery tours by reservation (checked on October 29, 2026). There is no visitor walkway; you go right into the buildings where the sake is made. During the tour you can taste 5–6 kinds of sake, including the main brands and seasonal sake.
| Course | Time | Fee (excluding tax) | What you do |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Standard Course | About 60 minutes | 3,000 yen | A tour inside the brewery and tasting. Comes with a 1,000-yen shopping voucher valid on the day |
| 造り手しか知らない酒蔵案内 (“the brewery as only its makers know it”) | About 90 minutes | 5,000 yen | Guided by someone who has served as toji (the person in charge of sake making). Comes with tasting and a 1,000-yen shopping voucher |
- Booking: Apply through the booking form on the tour page of the official website. Check the tour dates on this page too. Bookings must be made at least two weeks before the tour
- Group size: Both courses can be booked from 2 people. Up to 15 people per group. Groups of 10 or more use the group form. You may share the tour with another group
- Children: Children of elementary-school age and younger cannot join
- The buildings: There are steps and stairs. Wheelchair and cane users should consult the brewery in advance
October to May is the sake-making season, and the brewery takes particular care with hygiene. During this period you cannot wear anything with a strong scent, such as perfume, hair products or fabric softener. On the day of your tour, please do not eat fermented foods such as natto, kimchi and yogurt. It is very cold inside the brewery, and some places are slippery. Please wear warm clothes and non-slip shoes, not heels or sandals. There are places inside the brewery where photography is not allowed.
If you are driving, please do not taste. In Japan, drunk driving is prohibited by law.
Brewery shop
The brewery’s shop sells Kanei Shuzoten’s sake.
- Opening hours: Monday to Saturday and public holidays, 10:00–16:00
- Closed: Closed on some Sundays (irregular)
If you choose in-store pickup (“店頭受取”) when ordering from the official website’s online shop, you can collect your order at this shop (checked on October 29, 2026).
Getting there
Address: 〒259-1304 神奈川県秦野市堀山下182-1
- By train and bus: From Hadano Station on the Odakyu Line, take a bus bound for Shibusawa Station North Exit (bus route 秦08) for about 20 minutes, get off at the 文化会館前 stop, and walk 1 minute. From Shibusawa Station on the Odakyu Line, take a bus bound for Hadano Station (bus route 秦08) for about 10 minutes and get off at the 文化会館前 stop. Please check train times on the Odakyu Electric Railway website. Please check the bus times for both the outward and return journeys before you set out
- By car: About 15 minutes from the 秦野中井 Interchange on the 東名高速道路 expressway. There is room for about 5 cars on the brewery grounds. The parking lots on either side are not the brewery’s
Travel times are estimates given by the brewery (checked on October 29, 2026).
Opening days and tour arrangements may change. Please check the brewery’s official information before visiting.
Where to buy Kanei Shuzoten’s sake
The brewery publishes a list of stockists on its official website. It lists 40 shops in Kanagawa Prefecture and Tokyo, and the brewery notes that it is “not a complete list of all retailers” (checked on October 29, 2026). The main shops that are easy for travelers to visit are below.
| Area | Shop | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Hadano | はだのじばさんず | 神奈川県秦野市平沢 |
| Hadano | 小田原百貨店 渋沢店 | 神奈川県秦野市柳町 |
| Yokohama | そごう横浜店 (department store) | 横浜市西区高島 |
| Yokohama | 三河屋かみや CIAL横浜ANNEX店 | 横浜市神奈川区鶴屋町 |
| Yokohama | 元町 愛知屋 坪崎商店 | 横浜市中区元町 |
| Kamakura | 清水屋食料品店 | 神奈川県鎌倉市雪ノ下 |
| Kamakura | 山田屋本店 | 神奈川県鎌倉市雪ノ下 |
| Hakone | 佐藤商店 | 神奈川県足柄下郡箱根町宮城野 |
| Odawara | 箱根屋酒店 | 神奈川県小田原市本町 |
| Tokyo | WASAKE Sake Experience | 東京都台東区浅草 |
| Tokyo | 和酒の店 藤小西 | 東京都世田谷区北沢 |
Each shop stocks different products, and stock changes. Seasonal and limited products may not be available, so please check with the shop.
You can also order from the brewery’s official website.
Before you buy
- 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
Other breweries in Kanagawa Prefecture are gathered on our Kanagawa Prefecture page.
Brewery facts
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Brewery | 株式会社金井酒造店 (Kanei Shuzoten) |
| Founded | 1868 (the 1st year of the Meiji era) |
| Representative | 椎野祐介, President and Representative Director |
| Address | 〒259-1304 神奈川県秦野市堀山下182-1 Open in Google Maps |
| Phone | 0463-88-7521 (fax 0463-87-4219) |
| Main brand | Shirasasa Tsuzumi (白笹鼓) |
| Official website | https://www.kaneishuzo.co.jp/ |
| Brewery tours | By reservation; paid (about 60 minutes 3,000 yen / about 90 minutes 5,000 yen, both excluding tax, from 2 people). Not open to children of elementary-school age and younger (checked on October 29, 2026) |
| Brewery shop | The brewery’s shop. Monday to Saturday and public holidays 10:00–16:00, closed on some Sundays (irregular) (checked on October 29, 2026) |
| List of stockists | Published on the official website (40 shops in Kanagawa Prefecture and Tokyo) |
| Online sales | Official website |