Western Honshū · Hiroshima · Higashi-Hiroshima
Sake Matsuri, Saijō
酒まつり(西条)
Sake from the whole country gathers in a brewing town — two days with no rite in them.
Next
9–10 October 2027
347 days away
Every year, the 2nd Monday of October, minus 2 days, for 2 days
Future dates: 9 October 2027 · 7 October 2028 · 6 October 2029
Origin
A new festival, created in 1990 by merging two things: a citizens’ festival that had run since 1979, and a sake event the local brewers’ association had held since about 1972. **It is not a shrine rite but a modern festival, a civic event joined to a trade one.** The organisers note that in the Edo period Saijō Yokkaichi was known across the country as one of the three great brewing districts, alongside Nada and Fushimi; the breweries still stand clustered around the station.
What to look for
The central ground, the *sake hiroba*, gathers some eight hundred labels from across the country for tasting, while the breweries around the station open their own gates for tours and tastings as well. The festival ground and the brewing quarter run into each other.
How to watch
It is a sake festival: do not drive if you drink. The breweries are working premises — stay inside the areas opened for visitors. **The streets are full, so be careful carrying bottles and glasses.**
If you go
**The organisers describe it as the Saturday and Sunday of October’s three-day weekend.** The Monday is a public holiday, so it can be used for travel. Everything is around JR Saijō station, about forty minutes by rail from Hiroshima. Each brewery runs its own programme, so decide in advance which ones you want.
Where
Around Saijō Station
Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima
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