Hiroshima Craft Guide (2026): Saijo Sake & Kumano Brushes

Hiroshima holds two of Japan’s quietest craft pilgrimages within half an hour of the city, and almost no foreign visitor connects them. One is sake: Saijo is one of the country’s three great brewing towns, a single white-walled street where seven historic breweries cluster with their chimneys still standing. The other is brushes: Kumano makes roughly four-fifths of Japan’s calligraphy and painting brushes, and the makeup brushes prized by international cosmetics houses. Together they make a rewarding day or two for the traveller who would rather taste and make than queue. This guide covers what to do at each, the practical details for 2026, and how to combine them — the route our Saijo sake and Kumano brushes itinerary follows over two days.

At a glance: two craft towns 30–40 minutes from Hiroshima · Saijo for sake tastings on foot, Kumano for a brush-making workshop · best as a relaxed day each, or both in two days · brewery tasting hours vary and the brush workshop should be booked ahead · year-round, with the Saijo Sake Festival in early October as the peak.

Saijo: one of Japan’s three great sake towns

Saijo sits about a thirty-minute train ride east of Hiroshima, and the brewing district begins five minutes from the station. What makes it special is the concentration: along Sakagura-dori, the brewery street, seven historic houses stand behind white namako-walls, each marked by a red-brick chimney and a ‘sakabayashi’ cedar ball hung at the door. The wells along the street draw the soft local water that gives Saijo sake its mellow, rounded style. You can walk the whole district in an afternoon, and the pleasure is in moving between houses on foot, tasting as you go. Pick up the walking map at the station tourist desk before you start.

The flagship house is Kamotsuru, founded in the 1870s and famous for the gold-flake daiginjo once served at a US–Japan summit. Its Ichi-no-Kura visitor hall, open roughly 10:00–18:00 (last entry 17:30), runs a short brewing film, free seasonal tastings of around five sake, and paid tastings of premium grades, with a shop of sake, sweets and glassware in a handsome old brewing building (approx., 2026; the exact paid-tasting price is set on the day). For a contrast, Kamoizumi is known for amber, full-bodied junmai brewed without added charcoal filtering — a deliberately old-fashioned, rice-forward style that stands apart from the lighter modern norm; its shop pours tastings roughly 10:00–17:00. Tasting hours and the range on offer vary between houses and can be thinner on quiet weekdays, so confirm before you build a day around a particular brewery.

For lunch, eat the town’s own dish. France-ya, a Kamotsuru-run dining house three minutes from the station, is the birthplace of bishu-nabe — a ‘fine-sake hot-pot’ of chicken or pork and vegetables cooked not in stock but in sake, created to feed brewery workers through the cold brewing season. Private-room lunches start around ¥3,800 including tax and should be reserved about three days ahead; there is also casual ground-floor dining (approx., 2026). If you can time your visit, the Saijo Sake Festival in early October turns the whole town into a tasting ground, with hundreds of sake from across Japan — wonderful, but crowded and not the time for a quiet brewery visit.

Kumano: the brush village

Kumano lies southeast of Hiroshima, about forty minutes from the city, and it has made brushes for some two centuries. The craft began as a side trade for farmers and grew into an industry that now supplies the great majority of Japan’s writing and painting brushes — and, more recently, the soft makeup brushes that international cosmetics brands seek out. The place to understand it is Fude-no-Sato Kobo, the village’s brush museum and workshop. The displays trace the craft and the work of master brush-makers, who shape and bind the bristles by hand, and a hands-on studio lets you make a brush to take home.

The practical details matter here. Fude-no-Sato Kobo is open 9:30–17:00 (last entry 16:30) and closed on Mondays; the brush-making experience runs around ¥3,500 for about 60 minutes (approx., 2026). If you want your name engraved on the brush shaft, that needs booking a week or two ahead, so plan early. The museum sits a little outside the centre, so allow time for the local bus or a taxi from the station. For most visitors a half-day here is plenty — the museum in the morning, the workshop, and then the return to the city.

Combining the two — and a craft afternoon in the city

Saijo and Kumano lie on different sides of Hiroshima, so the natural plan is a day each rather than both in one go. A relaxed two-day shape works well: Saijo on the first day, walking the brewery street, tasting at the flagship, eating the sake hot-pot for lunch and trying an unfiltered brew before the train back; Kumano on the second morning, with the museum and workshop, then back into the city for a craft-shopping afternoon. Hiroshima’s main covered arcade, Hondori, is the easiest place to find Kumano brushes, Miyajima woodcraft and Hiroshima sake under one roof, and the Orizuru Tower beside the A-Bomb Dome gives a wide rooftop view over the Peace Park and out toward Miyajima to round off the day. This is exactly the rhythm our two-day craft itinerary is built around, and it leaves the city’s heavier history for a separate day.

A few words on doing this well. Both crafts reward curiosity over speed — ask the brewery staff what makes their water and their style distinct, and watch the brush-maker’s hands at the workshop before you try it yourself. Neither town is set up for large foreign tour groups, which is part of the appeal, but it also means a little planning goes a long way: confirm brewery tasting availability, book the brush workshop, and check the Monday closure at Fude-no-Sato. Done right, this is among the most personal and uncrowded craft experiences in western Japan.

FAQ

How do I get to Saijo from Hiroshima? Take the JR Sanyo line east from Hiroshima Station to Saijo, about 30–40 minutes depending on the service. The brewery street, Sakagura-dori, begins about five minutes’ walk from Saijo Station, and the whole district is walkable, so you do not need a car or a tour.

Can I taste sake at the Saijo breweries without a tour? Yes. Several houses, including Kamotsuru and Kamoizumi, have visitor halls or shops with free or paid tastings open to walk-in visitors, roughly 10:00–17:00 or 18:00. Hours and the range on offer vary by brewery and can be thinner on quiet weekdays, so confirm on the day, especially if you want a particular brewery’s premium grades.

What is the Kumano brush-making experience like? At Fude-no-Sato Kobo you assemble and finish your own brush under guidance in about an hour, for around ¥3,500 (approx., 2026). The museum alongside explains the craft and shows master brush-makers at work. Book the workshop ahead, and note the museum is closed on Mondays; name-engraving on the shaft needs a week or two’s notice.

Can I do both Saijo and Kumano in one day? It is tight, because they sit on opposite sides of Hiroshima. A day each is far more relaxed — Saijo one day, Kumano the next morning with a craft-shopping afternoon in the city. If you only have a day, choose the craft that interests you more and do it properly.

When is the Saijo Sake Festival? The Saijo Sake Festival is held in early October and draws large crowds to taste sake from across Japan. It is a wonderful event but not the time for a quiet brewery visit; if you want the calm version of Saijo, come outside the festival weekend.

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