長野県

Nagano

Paddy fields in Azumino. Freshly planted rice stands in flooded fields, a two-car train runs behind them, and snow-streaked peaks including Mount Jonen rise in the distance — Rice paddies in Azumino City and Mount Jonen, with snow still on it. The mountains of the Northern Alps are reflected in the freshly planted fields.Kuraken ／ CC BY 2.0 ／ Wikimedia Commons（resized to 1280 px on the long side）

Sake in Nagano

Nagano Prefecture lies in central Honshu and is a landlocked prefecture. The Nagano Sake Brewers Association brings together about 80 sake brewery owners (as of September 2026). In June 2021, “Nagano” was designated under the geographical indication (GI) system, which protects the names of sake-producing regions. Its condition is a harmony of “a rich taste with few off-flavors” and “a clean, gentle aroma.” In June 2023, sake made in Omachi City in the prefecture was also designated under the GI “Shinano Omachi.”

The mountains, the water and the difference between day and night temperatures are what support this taste. Nagano Prefecture is surrounded by mountains 2,000–3,000 m high, such as the Northern Alps (the Hida Mountains), the Central Alps (the Kiso Mountains) and the Southern Alps (the Akaishi Mountains), and its average elevation is over 1,000 m. In the basins along rivers such as the Chikuma, the Sai and the Tenryu, summer days are hot and nights are cool, so the rice ripens rich in starch. Most sake breweries use spring water, and that water is mostly moderately hard to soft water.

The prefecture has also developed rice and yeast. At the prefecture's agricultural research station (now the Agricultural Experiment Station), breeding of rice varieties suited to sake brewing (shuzo kotekimai) began in the early Showa period, producing “Miyama Nishiki” and “Hitogokochi.” Since 1968, the prefecture's research station has created its own yeasts (the microorganisms that carry out fermentation). “Kyokai No. 7” yeast, widely used across Japan, was also isolated in 1946 from the moromi (the fermenting mash that becomes sake) of a sake brewery in Suwa City.

Brewery map

Breweries by municipality (dot size shows the number of breweries)Featured breweries

Miyasaka Jozo 宮坂醸造Suwa
Okazaki Shuzo 岡崎酒造Ueda

The 82 breweries on our list are grouped by the municipality where they are located. Each dot marks a representative point of the municipality, not the brewery itself (featured breweries are shown at their actual locations). Locations are based on the address search of the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan.

Featured breweries

Okazaki Shuzo 岡崎酒造Kirei 亀齢UedaRead the article
Miyasaka Jozo 宮坂醸造Masumi 真澄Suwa