Ozawa Shuzo Sake Brewery, Sawai, Tokyo .

I wanted to visit a sake brewery while in Japan, it seemed there were a couple of possibilities in the Tokyo area but the Ozawa Shuzo Brewery had the bonus of being located in a scenic river valley.

Taking the Chuo line and then the Ome line from Kichijoji station,  the city suburbs eventually thin out and a few mountains come into view as the train approaches Sawai station.

The Brewery is just a couple of minutes walk downhill from the station overlooking the Tama river.

The view from the opposite side of the river, the brewery is the white building in the lower left.

The tour and talk was in Japanese only but there was an English language leaflet .

The brewer is explaining the difference between rice used for sake and rice used for eating.

 Here different types of rice , milled rice and flour are on display

The entrance to a tunnel leading to the brewery water source, an underground spring.

Finally back in the lecture room a tasting of new season sake 

 Across the road from the main brewery overlooking the river is a spacious tasting area and bar,

where a full selection of the sake produced can be sampled at a reasonable price .

Just outside there is also a shop where bottles can be bought and a snack bar where hot food can be bought to eat on a riverside terrace.