Drinking sake in Japan, visiting sake breweries, buying sake and taking it home: here is what to check when you plan your trip.
In Japan, you can drink alcohol from age 20
In Japan, drinking alcohol under the age of 20 is prohibited by law. This also applies to tastings at sake breweries. People who will drive a car, motorcycle or bicycle cannot drink.
Only some sake breweries can be visited
Of the sake breweries featured on Sake JP, those that offer a brewery tour or a museum you can visit are DASSAI (獺祭, Yamaguchi Prefecture), Asahi Shuzo (朝日酒造, Niigata Prefecture), Hakkaisan Brewery (八海醸造, Niigata Prefecture), Gekkeikan (月桂冠, Kyoto Prefecture), Hakutsuru Sake Brewing (白鶴酒造, Hyogo Prefecture) and Kiku-Masamune Sake Brewing (菊正宗酒造, Hyogo Prefecture) (checked on September 30, 2026). What the visit includes, the fee, whether you need a reservation and the language of the guidance differ from brewery to brewery. Even breweries that do not offer tours may sell sake at their brewery shop. The situation at each brewery is summarized on Visit Sake Breweries.
Business days and whether tours are accepted may change. Before you visit, please check the brewery’s official information.
Taking sake home from Japan
Bottles over 100 ml cannot go in your carry-on bag before security screening. Put them in your checked baggage, or buy sake at a duty-free shop after security screening. Please check in advance about connecting flights and about the limit on how much you can bring into your destination country.
Reading the label
Words on the label such as “junmai”, “ginjo” and “daiginjo” are set names that show the ingredients and how much of the rice has been polished away. → Types of sake / Junmai-shu (in Japanese)