Who will enjoy this brewery
- People who want to book a tour of a small brewery in the hills, close to Tokyo (brewery tours are suspended from October 2026 to March 2027; the brewery shop is open every day of the year)
- People looking for a sake for meals with the umami of rice, which can be drunk chilled or warmed
- People who want to buy sake at a brewery shop in a corner of a 160-year-old traditional house
About Kubota Shuzo
Kubota Shuzo (久保田酒造) is a brewery in Negoya (根小屋), Midori-ku, Sagamihara (相模原市緑区), Kanagawa Prefecture. It was founded in 1844 (Koka 1). The brand of the sake it makes is “Sagaminada (相模灘)”.
There is a sake called “Kubota (久保田)” in Niigata Prefecture, but that is a brand of a different company in Niigata Prefecture (Asahi Shuzo, 朝日酒造). The sake of Kubota Shuzo in Kanagawa Prefecture is sold under the name “Sagaminada”.
Kubota Shuzo offers brewery tours if you make a reservation. However, from October 2026 to March 2027 the tours are suspended so that the brewery can concentrate on making sake (checked on October 27, 2026). The brewery shop in the main house next to the brewery is open every day of the year.
A cold valley along a tributary of the Sagami River
Kubota Shuzo is about 10 km into the hills from the center of Sagamihara, along a tributary of the Sagami River (相模川). Within the Kanto region, it is a cool place in the mountains. A dense forest grows on the south side of the brewery, so direct sunlight does not reach the brewery at any time of year. In spring, bamboo shoots and wild mountain vegetables can be gathered, and in summer fireflies fly.
In the same Negoya district as the brewery is the Negoya area of Tsukui Lake Shiroyama Park, a Kanagawa prefectural park. It lies at the southern foot of Shiroyama (城山), where the remains of “Tsukui Castle (津久井城)”, a mountain castle of the Sengoku (Warring States) period, survive, and it has been laid out as a park.
A wooden brewery from the time of the founding, brewing only in winter
Kubota Shuzo uses wooden brewery buildings from the time of its founding. For this reason it does not brew all year round, and continues the traditional “kanzukuri (寒造り, brewing in the cold season)”, brewing sake only in the cold months from October to March. From December to February, temperatures usually fall below freezing.
The brewing water is spring water from the Tanzawa Mountains (丹沢山系) that wells up from the hill behind the brewery. It is “moderately hard water (中硬水)” containing a moderate amount of minerals.
The brewery uses three sake rices: mainly “Miyama Nishiki” from Nagano Prefecture, along with “Omachi” from Okayama Prefecture and “Yamada Nishiki” from Hyogo Prefecture. All the rice koji is made by hand in boxes, by the method called “hako-koji (箱麹)”. For the yeast of the “shubo (酒母)”, the starter for fermentation, the brewery uses “No. 9 yeast (9号酵母)” in every case.
Chilled or warmed
What Sagaminada aims for is “a well-balanced sake for meals that makes the most of the rice’s umami” (from Kubota Shuzo’s official website). Its ideal is a sake that can be drunk at a range of temperatures to suit the food, from chilled “reishu (冷酒)” to warmed “kanzake (燗酒)” (→ Kanzake and reishu). The aroma is gentle, and when you take it into your mouth, there is a natural ginjo-like aroma.
The standard products include the following types.
- “Junmai daiginjo” — made only from rice, rice koji and water, with half or more of the outer part of the rice polished away
- “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. There are three kinds: Yamada Nishiki, Omachi and Miyama Nishiki
- “Tokubetsu junmai-shu” — made only from rice, rice koji and water, with 40% or more of the outer part of the rice polished away (or made by a special production method)
- “Tokubetsu honjozo” — with a small amount of brewer’s alcohol added and 40% or more of the outer part of the rice polished away (or made by a special production method)
In May 2026, the brewery released “Sagaminada Sagamihara × Yamada Nishiki Junmai-shu (相模灘 相模原×山田錦 純米酒)”, made only with Yamada Nishiki grown in Midori-ku, Sagamihara.
Visiting the brewery
Brewery tours (reservation required; suspended from October 2026 to March 2027)
From October 2026 to March 2027, brewery tours are suspended so that the brewery can concentrate on making sake. The usual tour details are as follows (checked on October 27, 2026).
| Brewery tour | |
|---|---|
| Reservation | Required. Apply by the day before, by email (kubota@tsukui.ne.jp) or phone (042-784-0045) |
| Times | Twice a day, from 10:40 and from 14:40. If you come by car, the time can be discussed |
| Duration | About 1 hour (about 30 minutes inside the brewery and about 30 minutes of tasting) |
| Fee | 1,000 yen per person (tax included). Free for people under 20 |
| Group size | From 2 up to about 30 people. Several groups may be guided together |
| Closed | October 2026–March 2027. In usual years, also closed from mid-November to the end of December. Tours may not be possible depending on the season or the brewery’s circumstances |
- On the day of the tour, please do not eat natto (納豆, fermented soybeans)
- Some places inside the brewery have poor footing, so please come in clothes and shoes that are easy to walk in
- You may take photos inside the brewery, but you may not take videos
- People under 20 and people who are driving cannot take part in the tasting. In Japan, drunk driving is prohibited by law
The brewery shop
The brewery shop is in a corner of the main house, a 160-year-old traditional house next to the production brewery. It is open every day of the year, 10:00–17:00, and payment is cash only (checked on October 27, 2026).
Getting there
Address: 〒252-0153 神奈川県相模原市緑区根小屋702
- By bus: From bus stop 2 at the north exit of Hashimoto Station (JR Yokohama Line, JR Sagami Line, Keio Sagamihara Line), take a Kanagawa Chuo Kotsu bus on route 橋07 bound for 鳥居原ふれあいの館. Get off at “Muryoan (無料庵)”, about 30 minutes away, and walk 1 minute. Buses are very infrequent, so please check the times both there and back (including the last bus back) on Kanagawa Chuo Kotsu’s official website. There are no facilities near the brewery where you can pass waiting time
- By car: Exit at the Sagamihara Interchange on the 圏央道 expressway (not the Sagamihara-Aikawa Interchange). For the route from there, please see the company information page of the brewery’s official website. There is parking for about 10 cars
The bus travel time is an estimate (checked on October 27, 2026).
Opening days and tour arrangements may change. Please check the brewery’s official information before visiting.
Where to buy Kubota Shuzo’s sake
Sagaminada is sold at liquor stores across Japan that carry local sake. The brewery does not publish a list of stockists (checked on October 27, 2026). For stockists, please contact the brewery by phone or email.
| Where to buy | Details (checked on October 27, 2026) |
|---|---|
| The brewery shop | 相模原市緑区根小屋702. Open every day of the year, 10:00–17:00, cash only |
| Official online shop | The Sagaminada online shop (an age-confirmation screen appears first) |
| Direct delivery from the brewery | Apply by email, fax or phone. In addition to the price of the products, a box fee of 150 yen and shipping of 900 yen are charged. From spring onward, namazake and junmai daiginjo are sent by refrigerated delivery (350 yen) |
Before you buy
- Keep namazake in the refrigerator and drink it soon.
- 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 | 久保田酒造株式会社 (Kubota Shuzo) |
| Founded | 1844 (Koka 1) |
| Representative | President and Representative Director 久保田徹 |
| Address | 〒252-0153 神奈川県相模原市緑区根小屋702 Open in Google Maps |
| Phone | 042-784-0045 (fax 042-784-2225) |
| Main brands | Sagaminada (相模灘) |
| Official website | https://www.tsukui.ne.jp/kubota/ |
| Brewery tours | Reservation required; 1,000 yen per person. Suspended from October 2026 to March 2027 (checked on October 27, 2026) |
| Brewery shop | The brewery shop in the main house. Open every day of the year, 10:00–17:00, cash only |
| List of stockists | Not published (checked on October 27, 2026) |
| English support | No English official page |