It still boggles my mind how rich Japan’s culture and history is. As part of my Kanazawa 3-day itinerary, I visited Takayama Old Town (Historical District) and was mind blown by the sights, sounds, and tastes (you can also read my post about the foods I tried in Kanazawa) that I experienced there.
I bought the one day package on Klook that cover both Shirakawa-Go and Takayama.
Tasting Sake From Vending Machines at the Funasaka Sake Brewery in Takayama
One of the first places that I visited in Sanmachi-dori (what the Historical District is called in Japanese) is this rustic looking shop. From the wooden walls to its matching tiles, the look of this shop had me thinking that I was in another time period.
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If you’re wondering, the name of the shop is the Funasaka sake brewery. The shop also features a sake tasting bar with sake vending machines! Now Takayama isn’t exactly known for sake vending machines per se but it has long been recognized for its sake breweries (and also for its Hida beef!).
When you enter Funasaka you’ll be greeted with this cute signage showing the whole layout of the place and its various sections. As you can see, there’s a number of things that you can do here outside of just tasting the sake.
Since I didn’t have change I had to stop by this machine first. The process for exchanging my cash to coins/medals was pretty straightforward.
Once I had my change, I then proceeded to get sake cups first. Now these cost JPY200 and come with different designs. The catch here is that you won’t be able to choose the design since the cups are inside this vending machine called a gachapon. Unlike most vending machines, the gachapon dispenses its contents randomly. Beware though, this can be very addictive and if you like to collect stuff you’re probably going to end up with dupes if you’re not lucky enough.
And sure enough, I did get unlucky. I was aiming for the black colored cup and ended up getting the one with the most bland designs.
So that I wouldn’t get too hung up with the results of my gacha, I decided to move on to where the sake vending machines were. Of course, I had to take a pic of this massive sake barrel first. Called a koshu taru in Japanese, these barrels are primarily used for storing and aging sake.
There was also this really cool guy next to the cash exchange machine holding a really large bottle of sake. What do you mean he’s not real? Kidding aside though, the sake bottle shows that Funasaka actually won a Gold Prize award back in 2017 (Heisei 29) from the Zenkoku Shinshu Kanpyokai.
I like that the store has this signage with instructions on how to taste the sake from the vending machines in English. If you’re wondering, you’ll find this just above the machine you use to exchange your cash for coins/medals.
In case you’re not too keen on reading then watch this video instruction instead.
Here is another sign with some cute illustrations for how to sample the sake. This pretty much covers everything from getting the cups from the gachapon machine to how much you’ll have to pay for the sake.
And here we finally have the sake vending machines! I was honestly thinking they would look more advanced but then realized their aesthetics perfectly fit the atmosphere in the store. The coin slot for this specific machine is on the right.
Once you’ve inserted your payment, you can then press on the button of the tap of your choice. Take note though that you only need to press on the button once.
These machines typically hold two kinds of sake with 3 taps allocated for each. My advice if you don’t understand Japanese is to scan the QR codes on the signs for each sake. By scanning the QR codes, you’ll be brought to a page that has the description of the sake and what to expect when tasting it.
So I’m going to share a little bit of sake “lore”. I’m the kind of person that gets really curious so I decided to search up the meaning of the numbers on these sake variants. Apparently, sake has something that’s called an SMV (Sake Meter Value). This is a scale used to measure the sweetness and dryness of a sake. Now you’d think that that’s what those numbers are but actually these might just be to indicate the sake’s place in the shop’s inventory. If you look closely, you’ll see the dryness/sweetness scale under the numbers.
Here we have a Touji no Kai on the left and a Touji no Utage on the right. One thing of note is that some of the sake that you’ll find here are limited. What this means is that you’ll only be able to buy or taste these in the shop. The Touji no Kai is a good example as it is made from Yamada Nishiki rice that’s specifically grown in the Hida region of Gifu (which is where Takayama is also located).
While not exactly limited, these sake are perhaps two that you’ll probably want to avoid if you don’t have a good memory or if you’re not fluent in Japanese. The sake on the left is a Miyamagiku or as it’s formally called Junmai Ginjo Miyamagiku Shiboritate Namazake. To its right is also a limited winter release Miyamagiku that has not gone through pasteurization, filtration, and is undiluted.
Here’s another unpasteurized Miyamagiku sake that’s also marketed as freshly pressed. I’m not too sure but this could mean that it was just recently made and is probably a limited edition release also for the winter. Checking on its SMV, it’s actually set at +3 which means that it’s a bit on the dry side. This sake is paired in this vending machine with another Miyamigiku which is a little sweeter with an SMV of 0.
Here’s a wider angle view of the sake vending machines. Looking back now, it was actually quite fun just checking out the wide selection of sake that was on display here.
I initially thought the bottles here were just for display but these are actually for sale.
Depending on the kind you’d want to purchase, the price of these sake can range from JPY1600 to as much as JPY11000 for a 720ml bottle. I noticed the Daiginjo and limited sake are priced higher so if you’re looking for something more affordable, the Honjozo Jingoro and standard Miyamagiku could be just right for your budget.
For some reason I really liked this display. Again, it reinforces the rustic charm of the place while also showcasing some of its best produce (in the form of sake).
Speaking of produce, I found that what Funasaka and Takayama offers is not limited to just sake. I was really tempted to get a couple of these (especially the dried meats) as a memento for my visit here.
After what seemed like an eternity, I begrudgingly had to go outside to see more of Takayama Old Town. Funasaka Sake Brewery was unexpectedly fun. It wasn’t just because I was drinking sake though. I think that was just the cherry on top. Learning about sake and how it has brought pride to the area made me appreciate how the Japanese values their traditions and culture. I’d definitely recommend coming here if you’re in Japan and have the time.
What’s your Japanese sake story? Be sure to share them!
