Saijo Sake Matsuri

Held each October around JR Saijo Station in Hiroshima, the Saijo Sake Matsuri celebrates a district long recognised as one of Japan's three most important sake-brewing regions. Saijo's particular combination of pristine groundwater and ideal fermentation temperatures has drawn brewers to the area for generations, and the historic Sake Brewery Street, known as Sakagura Dori, remains lined with working breweries that visitors can walk between during the festival.

Across the weekend, visitors can sample sake directly from numerous old and well-established breweries clustered along the same historic street, alongside food stalls offering dishes designed specifically to complement the drink — including local specialities like a dish of pork, chicken and vegetables simmered directly in sake, born from the labour of the brewery workers themselves and offering a genuine taste of the region's brewing history in a single bowl. The festival extends across Saijo Central Park as well, giving the event enough space to accommodate the crowds it draws from across Japan and beyond.

For sake enthusiasts specifically, Saijo offers a rare, walkable concentration of historic breweries rarely found together in one place — a genuine pilgrimage site for a drink that remains deeply tied to this particular corner of Hiroshima.