Who will enjoy this brewery
- People who want to learn how life in a land of heavy snow is connected with sake making
- People who want to see a sake storehouse cooled by snow, on a guided tour (Japanese only; fee charged)
- People who want to start with everyday sake to drink with meals
- People who want to spend half a day eating and shopping around a sake brewery (tours of the production site are only special tours on limited days)
About Hakkaisan Brewery
Hakkaisan Brewery (八海醸造) is a sake brewery in Minamiuonuma (南魚沼市), Niigata Prefecture, and it makes the brand “Hakkaisan (八海山)”. It was founded in 1922. It stands at the foot of Mount Hakkaisan, the mountain that shares its name with the brand.
Uonuma (魚沼), which includes Minamiuonuma, is the name of an area spreading across the southeastern part of Niigata Prefecture. Snow lies on the ground from November to April, and at its deepest it reaches 3 meters.
Water from a land of snow, and koji made by hand
The brewing water is “Raidensama no Shimizu (雷電様の清水)”, underground water from Mount Hakkaisan. It is very soft water. In 2001, the brewery completed work to lay a water pipe about 4.2 kilometers long from this water source.
The brewery sets out the sake it aims for as follows (from “Hakkaisan no Kodawari” on Hakkaisan Brewery’s official website).
A sake that has plenty of umami as a sake, yet does not get in the way of a meal, and that you never tire of drinking.
酒としての旨みは十分にありながら、食事を邪魔せず、いつまでも飲み飽きない酒。
Hakkaisan Brewery holds up making sake in quantity while keeping its quality as its own way of thinking. This comes from the idea that a maker is responsible not only for quality but also for supply. With that in mind, it uses machines for the steps where machines can be used, and makes the koji (steamed rice on which koji mold has been grown) for all of its sake by hand.
In the coldest period of winter, the brewery brews a special daiginjo that it does not sell. The kurabito (brewery workers) stay at the brewery overnight to brew this sake, and the brewery positions it as the quality target that all of its products aim for.
Two standards, and sake aged in a snow storehouse
Here are three products.
- Tokubetsu Honjozo Hakkaisan (特別本醸造 八海山) — A “tokubetsu honjozo”: sake with 40% or more of the outer part of the rice polished away and a small amount of brewer’s alcohol added. The brewery positions it as “the sake that represents Hakkaisan”, and you can drink it chilled or warmed. The rice used includes Gohyakumangoku (五百万石)
- Seishu Hakkaisan (清酒 八海山) — A “futsu-shu” (普通酒), a sake that does not carry a special designation (tokutei meisho: categories such as junmai and ginjo). Although it is a futsu-shu, 40% of the outer part of the rice is polished away, and it is fermented slowly at a low temperature
- Junmai Daiginjo Hakkaisan Yukimuro Chozo Sannen (純米大吟醸 八海山 雪室貯蔵三年) — A limited-quantity product: a “junmai daiginjo” (sake made only from rice, rice koji and water, with more than half of the outer part of the rice polished away) aged for three years in a storehouse cooled by snow
There are many other products under the “Hakkaisan” name. The ingredients and brewing methods differ from product to product, so please check the label for the type.
A yukimuro (snow storage room) is a storehouse of snow country that holds snow piled up in winter and uses its cold air to preserve food. The brewery’s yukimuro, “Hakkaisan Yukimuro (八海山雪室)”, holds about 1,000 tonnes of snow, keeps a low temperature all year round, and stores sake brewed especially for it. In the spare space, vegetables such as carrots and potatoes are also stored.
Visiting the brewery
What you can and cannot see
Brewery tours are not currently held (checked on September 30, 2026). You cannot normally enter the buildings where sake is made freely. What you can normally see are the shops of “Uonuma no Sato (魚沼の里)”, run by the brewery, and the snow storehouse of the yukimuro.
| What | Available? (checked on September 30, 2026) |
|---|---|
| Walking around, eating and shopping at Uonuma no Sato | Yes. Admission is free |
| The snow storehouse tour at Hakkaisan Yukimuro | Yes (fee charged; Japanese only) |
| Watching videos of sake making | They are shown at Tsutsumiya Hachikura (つつみや八蔵) |
| A tour of Daini Kowagura (第二浩和蔵), where sake is made | Not normally. Only special tours on limited days |
Snow storehouse tour
A staff member guides you through the storehouse that holds the snow, the sake storage tanks and the shochu storehouse, and at the end you have a tasting.
| Schedule | 10 times a day between 10:30 and 15:30. Times may change without notice |
| Duration | About 15 minutes |
| Price | 500 yen (including a tasting). Free for ages 3 and under |
| Booking | Advance online booking (from 30 days before until 8:00 on the day; you need to register as a member of the external service “CLOUD PASS”). If there are places left, you can also buy tickets for up to 5 people per tour from the ticket machine at the yukimuro on the day |
| Language | Japanese only |
| Notes | It is cold inside the storehouse, so bring a jacket. There are stairs. For people who are driving and people under 20, non-alcoholic amazake (a sweet rice drink) is provided |
Daini Kowagura and snow storehouse tour (special tour)
Daini Kowagura is a production brewery that does not normally accept general visitors. Special tours are held on limited days. You see the production process and have a tasting, then walk to the yukimuro and also tour the snow storehouse.
| Dates | Listed on the booking page. As of the check on September 30, 2026, tours were scheduled on weekends and public holidays in October and November 2026 |
| Times | (1) 9:10–11:00 (2) 12:45–14:30. Tour (1) includes the work of sprinkling koji mold |
| Price | 4,000 yen (including a souvenir). Advance payment by credit card only |
| Group size | Up to 6 people per tour. Applications from groups and travel agencies are not accepted |
| Age | 20 and over |
| Language | Japanese only |
| Meeting point | Tsutsumiya Hachikura (新潟県南魚沼市長森426-1), 10 minutes before the start Open in Google Maps |
The brewery asks you not to wear anything with a strong scent, such as perfume or fabric softener, and to avoid garlic, citrus fruits and natto (fermented soybeans) on the day. You change shoes, so you need socks.
Opening hours at Uonuma no Sato
| Facility | Opening hours | Closed |
|---|---|---|
| Hakkaisan Yukimuro (shop, café, tasting counter) | 10:00–17:00 | January 1 only |
| Tsutsumiya Hachikura and Hachikura Museum (八蔵資料館) | 10:00–17:00 | January 1 only |
At Hakkaisan Yukimuro and Tsutsumiya Hachikura, you can taste sake for free (some tastings are paid). Parking is free, with space for 90 cars. Opening hours and closing days may change depending on the season.
Getting there
Address: 新潟県南魚沼市長森（魚沼の里）
- Shinkansen (high-speed rail): About 15 minutes by taxi from Urasa Station on the Joetsu Shinkansen
- Local line: About 10 minutes by taxi from Itsukamachi Station on the JR Joetsu Line
- By car: From the Muikamachi Interchange on the Kan-Etsu Expressway
Travel times are estimates (checked in September 2026). Please check train times with JR East. It is safest to check the last trains for both the outward and return journeys. If you go by car in winter, the brewery asks that you use studless winter tires and wear shoes that do not slip easily.
Opening days and tour arrangements may change. Please check the brewery’s official information before visiting.
Where to buy Hakkaisan Brewery’s sake
At Uonuma no Sato, “Yukimuro Sennen Kojiya (雪室千年こうじや)”, the shop inside Hakkaisan Yukimuro, sells Hakkaisan products. Hakkaisan Yukimuro and Tsutsumiya Hachikura also accept shipping, but only for products bought in the store.
There is also the brewery’s official online store, the “Hakkaisan Online Store“. From abroad, you can order through the proxy shopping service “WorldShopping”. The products you can order differ by country, and fees and international shipping costs are charged separately.
If you contact the brewery, it can tell you about stockists near you.
- 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 |
|---|---|
| Company | 八海醸造株式会社 (Hakkaisan Brewery Co., Ltd.) |
| Founded | 1922 (the 11th year of the Taisho era) |
| Representative | President and Representative Director Nagumo Masahito (南雲真仁) |
| Address | 〒949-7112 新潟県南魚沼市長森1051 (head office) Open in Google Maps |
| Phone | 025-775-3121 (weekdays 9:00–17:00) |
| Main brand | Hakkaisan (八海山) |
| Official website | https://www.hakkaisan.co.jp/ |
| Tours | The production brewery is normally not open. Only special tours on limited days (fee charged; booking required; Japanese only; ages 20 and over). A snow storehouse tour is available (fee charged; Japanese only) |
| Brewery-owned shops | Yes (Yukimuro Sennen Kojiya inside Hakkaisan Yukimuro at Uonuma no Sato) and the official online store |
Opening hours, closing days, tour arrangements and stockists may change. Please check each brewery’s official information before visiting.