Sake festival held on March 29th
Nayabashi yoichi is a night market held along the Horikawa River near Nayabashi on the fourth Friday of every month. However, on March 28th and 29th, a special grand event was held under the theme of a Sake Festival.
I went to the Sake Festival on Saturday, the 29th.
To drink the sake offered at the Sake Festival, you need tickets and an ochoko (sake cup). A set of five tickets costs 1,500 yen, and an ochoko costs 300 yen.
I went to the ticket booth near Nishiki Bridge around 4:30 PM, and there was a line.
I bought tickets, a pamphlet, and an ochoko, as shown in the photo above. I immediately headed to the sake stall and got my first cup of sake.
My first cup was freshly pressed unpasteurized sake from Kaminoi Brewery. This is what you call real traditional Japanese sake!
Although Nagoya had been warm since mid-March, on this day, it suddenly felt like winter again. It was freezing—I think the temperature was below 10°C.
My second cup was Kabosu no Susume from Nakashima Brewery. It tasted more like juice than sake—a rich, sweet juice.
There are simple tables attached to the handrails along the Horikawa River, so even with a crowd, you can still manage to enjoy your drink.
My third cup was Takano Yume from Yamamori Brewery, a sake brewery in Nagoya. It’s what you’d call a fruity sake—smooth and easy to drink.
Around Nayabashi, there are Shikizakura trees, which bloom twice a year. They had already started blooming around February, but now they seemed to be in full bloom.
Drinking sake while admiring the cherry blossoms—sounds great. But as I keep saying, it’s a bit chilly.
I was spacing out, and before I knew it, the sun started to set. Took a photo of Shikizakura with Nayabashi in the background.
I crossed Nayabashi and went down to the opposite riverbank from the old Kato Shokai Building. There were so many people here that it was hardly the place for taking photos. Everyone was walking around with a sake cup in hand, so I had to be careful.
Pushing through the crowd, I quickly grabbed another drink. My fourth glass was sake from Niida Honke. It was aged in a wine barrel and was an exclusive, limited-edition sake for Nayabashi Yoichi. The aroma of wine spread beautifully, making it a delicious treat.
For my fifth drink, I chose the ginger liqueur from Takeuchi Brewery. It seems to be a historic sake brewery located in Ōgaki City, Gifu Prefecture. The taste was distinctly ginger. If served hot, it would probably warm me up nicely. I’d love to have this if I ever catch a cold.
I thought about getting some food as well, but it was too cold, so I decided to retreat. This time, I chose drinks that I wouldn’t normally have the chance to try, but next time, I might just go for a regular sake.
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I’ve compiled a list of Nagoya’s places that I’ve personally visited. Is Nagoya boring? Not at all! While it has developed as an industrial city, it also hides interesting places full of history and culture. Use this guide to explore Nagoya and discover its hidden gems.
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