Who will enjoy this brewery
- People looking for a Niigata sake that is restrained in both aroma and flavor, and that they can keep drinking with a meal
- People who would like to book and see inside the brewery in a small group (as of November 2022, tours were by reservation for up to 4 or 5 people; please check by phone whether tours are accepted)
- People who want to try a sake made for drinking as atsukan (sake warmed until hot)
About Midorikawa Shuzo
Midorikawa Shuzo (緑川酒造) is a brewery in Uonuma, Niigata Prefecture. It was founded in 1884 (Meiji 17) in the town center of Koide in Uonuma. The brand is “Midorikawa (緑川)”.
Midorikawa Shuzo has no official website and does not sell by mail order. Its sake is sold only at liquor stores that have a contract with the brewery, and it is not sold at the brewery.
As of November 2022, the brewery accepted tours by reservation, limited to small groups of up to 4 or 5 people. No more recent tour information can be found (checked on October 29, 2026). Before visiting, please confirm by phone, when you make a reservation, whether tours are being accepted.
A brewery that moved for its water
Uonuma is a rice-growing area among the mountains in the south of Niigata Prefecture. In 1990, Midorikawa Shuzo moved from the town center of Koide to its current location, close to the mountains and surrounded by rice fields. The move was prompted by land readjustment (urban redevelopment), but the site was chosen for its water. The brewery still draws up groundwater on its premises for brewing. It is soft water (water of low hardness), low in iron and with no off-notes.
The new brewery was built so that the temperature of the storehouse and other places where it matters could be controlled. This is because maturing sake slowly at a low temperature makes the taste mellow and keeps the aroma from being lost. The brewery also tried storage using snow early on: a junmai ginjo (sake 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) pressed in midwinter is matured in a snow room (muro) at about 0°C, and released before summer.
The brewery uses only rice from Niigata Prefecture. The main rice is an old variety called “Hokuriku 12 (北陸12号)”. This rice had died out, and the previous head of the brewery built it back up from seed rice. All of the Hokuriku 12 is grown by contract farmers in the local Koide district.
A light taste that stays close to the meal
Midorikawa’s sake is “tanrei (淡麗)”, light and clean, as is typical of Niigata sake. The brewery aims for sake that is restrained in both aroma and umami, that sits beside the meal, so that you find you have been drinking it without noticing.
- “Junmai Midorikawa (純米 緑川)” — a “junmai-shu” made only from rice, rice koji and water. It is clean but keeps some umami, and can be drunk chilled or as a gentle kan (warmed sake)
- “Midorikawa Masamune (緑川 正宗)” — a sake for drinking as atsukan. In “yondan-jikomi (four-stage mashing)”, in which the mash is built up in four stages, glutinous rice is used in the fourth stage. When served hot it gives off an aroma like steamed rice. It is a “futsu-shu”, sake without a special designation
- “Hokujo Ginjo Midorikawa (北穣吟醸 緑川)” — a “ginjo” with 40% or more of the outer part of the rice polished away and a small amount of brewer’s alcohol added
For more about kan, see Kanzake and Reishu: Warm and Chilled Sake. 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 by reservation, small groups
The tour information as of November 2022 is as follows. No more recent information can be found (checked on October 29, 2026).
- Period: All year. Closed on Saturdays, Sundays and national holidays, and on the brewery’s regular days off
- Hours: 9:00–15:00
- Length: From an hour and a half. It takes longer if there are many questions or photographs
- Group size: Up to 4 or 5 people
- Reservations: Required. By phone (025-792-2117)
- Parking: Large buses cannot enter
The brewery does not have an official website. When you call to reserve, please confirm whether it is still accepting tours and whether the details have changed.
There is no brewery shop
Midorikawa Shuzo does not sell sake at the brewery (checked on October 29, 2026). Even if you go on a tour, you cannot buy sake there.
Getting there
Address: 〒946-0043 新潟県魚沼市青島4015-1
The nearest station and directions have not been published. Please check them when you call to reserve.
If you are driving, please do not drink sake. In Japan, drunk driving is prohibited by law.
Opening days and tour arrangements may change. Please check with the brewery before visiting.
Where to buy Midorikawa Shuzo’s sake
Midorikawa is sold only at liquor stores that have a contract with the brewery. The brewery does not sell at the brewery, and does not sell by mail order. No list of stockists has been published (checked on October 29, 2026). There is a QR code on the bottom of each bottle, and the brewery uses it to track which store it was shipped to.
If you are looking for it during your trip, please ask at liquor stores specializing in sake in Niigata Prefecture and elsewhere. Stock varies from store to store, and seasonal products may not come in.
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 Niigata Prefecture are gathered on our Niigata Prefecture page.
Brewery facts
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Brewery | 緑川酒造株式会社 (Midorikawa Shuzo) |
| Founded | 1884 (Meiji 17) |
| Address | 〒946-0043 新潟県魚沼市青島4015-1 Open in Google Maps |
| Phone | 025-792-2117 (fax 025-792-6696) |
| Main brand | Midorikawa (緑川) |
| Official website | None |
| Brewery tours | By reservation, up to 4 or 5 people. Weekdays 9:00–15:00 (information as of November 2022; checked on October 29, 2026) |
| Brewery shop | None (no sales at the brewery) |
| List of stockists | Not published. Sold only at contracted liquor stores |
| English support | The brewery has no official website |