Gekkeikan Sake Ōkura Museum

Lonely Planet review

The largest of Fushimi's sake breweries is Gekkeikan, the world's leading producer of sake. Although most of the sake is now made in a modern facility in Osaka, a limited amount is still handmade in a Meiji-era sakagura (sake brewery) in Fushimi.

The Gekkeikan Sake Ōkura Museum houses a collection of artefacts and memorabilia tracing the 350-year history of Gekkeikan and the sake-brewing process.

Giant murals depicting traditional methods of brewing adorn the walls and there is the chance to taste (and of course buy) some of the local brew.

If you are travelling with a tour group that is larger than 20 people and if you call two weeks in advance, you can arrange a guided English tour of the brewery. Otherwise, ask at the TIC about joining a tour given in Japanese.

The museum is a 10-minute walk northeast of Chūshojima Station on the Keihan line. To get here from the station, go right at the main exit, take a right down an unpaved road, a left at the playground, cross the bridge over the canal and follow the road around to the left; the museum is on the left.