Hokusetsu: A Top Brewery on Japan’s “Sake Island”

The brewery building includes a shop at the front. Farther inside are the brewery itself, tanks, and a storage area.

Hokusetsu’s Nobu brand of sake.

Hokusetsu director Nakagawa Yasuo is all smiles as he chats about his brewery’s export success.

A photograph on display in the shop shows (from left) Hokusetsu President Hazu Fumio, chef Matsuhisa Nobuyuki, and Robert De Niro.

Chikuzen Yoshimi stands outside the entrance curtain.

The Hokusetsu lineup ranges from ordinary “cup” sake at ¥220 to daiginjō at ¥20,000 a bottle.

Rice plants in terraced fields in Iwakubi, Sado.

The crested ibis is designated as a special natural treasure in Japan. (Courtesy Sado Official Tourist Information)

Sake maturing with the help of ultrasound waves.