suginomori brewery is the highest sake brewery in Japan, standing at an altitude of 940m. As our name suginomori – or “cedar forest” – indicates, we brew our sake in a town called Narai-juku surrounded by a mountainous forest of Japanese cedar trees.

Our History

Established in 1793, Suginomori Shuzo was somewhat of a symbol of Narai-juku. Once regarded as one of the “Five Great Sakes of Kiso,” the family-run brewery produced Japanese sake that was loved by many – until it closed its doors in 2012, all but ending over 200 years of brewing history. In 2021, this historic brewery was restored and rebranded as suginomori brewery.

A Handcrafted Sake

At suginomori brewery, now restored as a microbrewery, each step of the brewing process is meticulously done by hand.

Water and Rice - the defining elements of Sake.

In Narai-juku, we are blessed with fresh mountain water from Kiso Valley and rice cultivated in the high altitudes of nearby Azumino – the finest quality ingredients to brew narai.