Around 90 minutes by train from Shinjuku, the city of Ome is more than 60% forested, with the Tama River winding through its wooded valleys. Get off at Sawai Station on the JR Ome Line, and the capital suddenly feels very far away.
A Gorge Close to the City
Just a short walk from Sawai Station, Mitake Gorge forms part of Chichibu-Tama-Kai National Park. The landscape is one of towering trees, moss-covered rocks, and remarkably clear water that takes on a jade-green hue in the sunlight.
A traditional bell tower nestled in the wooded hills of Mitake Gorge. (©Japan Forward)
A walking trail follows the riverbank, where lush summer greenery gives way to brilliant reds and golds in autumn. In warmer months, rafts and canoes occasionally drift past, adding a splash of activity to the otherwise tranquil surroundings.
There are a few surprises along the way. Just across Kaede Bridge from the brewery stands Kanzan-ji, a small Buddhist temple built in 1930 and modeled after the famous Hanshan Temple in Suzhou, China. It is an unexpected sight tucked into the wooded hills of western Tokyo.
Higher up in the mountains lies Musashi Mitake Shrine, a place I have wanted to visit for years. I have a particular fascination with wolves and their place in Japanese folklore, and this is one of the few shrines where wolf-like guardians stand watch instead of the familiar stone lion-dogs, or koma-inu.
The shrine venerates the ouguchi no magami, a divine wolf traditionally revered as a protector against misfortune.
A paper talisman depicting the divine wolf worshipped at Musashi Mitake Shrine. (©Japan Forward)
Unfortunately, my long-awaited visit will have to wait a little longer.
Blessed with what felt like the first proper sunshine in months, I made the mistake of lingering by the river with a craft beer. One drink led to another, and a minor side quest to discover where everyone was buying their cans of beer turned into a leisurely afternoon admiring some of the clearest river water I have ever seen.
By the time I remembered the shrine, I had missed my chance to take the cable car up the mountain.
A word of advice: the shrine is still around a 20-minute walk from the upper cable car station, so leave yourself plenty of time. Especially if you happen to enjoy beer.
A Brewery Older Than It Admits
At the heart of the area is Ozawa Brewery, the maker of Sawanoi sake. Officially founded in 1702, the brewery may be considerably older than its records suggest.
The date was chosen not because it marked the beginning of production, but because a tax inspection record from that year provides the earliest surviving evidence that the brewery was already in operation.
Ozawa Brewery, maker of Sawanoi sake since at least 1702, in Ome, western Tokyo. (©Japan Forward)
More than three centuries later, Ozawa remains the westernmost of Tokyo’s nine sake breweries. Its flagship brand, Sawanoi, takes its name from the surrounding area, once known as Sawai Village for the streams of spring water that flowed through it.
The brewery draws its medium-hard brewing water from a horizontal well, while the cool mountain climate has long provided favorable conditions for sake production. The same natural surroundings that make Mitake Gorge such an appealing escape from Tokyo have helped sustain the brewery for generations.
Visitors can get a closer look on a free guided tour lasting approximately 30 minutes. Highlights include a storehouse dating to the Genroku era (1688–1704), a cellar where sake is aged, and the well that supplies the brewery’s water.
Tours require advance reservations by phone, and the brewery is generally closed on Mondays. As schedules vary by season, it is worth checking ahead.
Tasting by the River
Across the road from the brewery lies Seiryu Garden Sawanoi-en, a riverside retreat where visitors can enjoy a drink overlooking the Tama River.
The brewery also operates a tasting room offering more than ten varieties of sake, allowing visitors to sample everything from familiar favorites to more unusual brews for a small fee. A nearby shop sells tofu made using the same water that goes into the brewery’s sake.
With the wooded gorge stretching out before you and the sound of the river below, it is an inviting place to while away an afternoon, preferably with a cup of sake in hand.
Another local specialty is wasabi-zuke, a traditional preparation of chopped wasabi preserved in sake lees. Wasabi thrives in the area’s cool climate and clean, flowing water, and the pungent delicacy has been produced in the region since the Edo period (1603–1868).
Tofu Made From Sake Water
Sake is not the only local delicacy that owes its character to the area’s abundant spring water. Ozawa Brewery also operates tofu restaurants, where the same water used to brew Sawanoi sake finds its way into an entirely different culinary tradition.
I stopped for lunch at Mameraku, a tofu restaurant overlooking the Tama River. Its dishes showcase the delicate flavors of tofu and yuba, or tofu skin, made using the brewery’s water and domestically grown soybeans.
A traditional tofu lunch at Mameraku, near Mitake Gorge in western Tokyo. (©Japan Forward)
For those looking for a more elaborate dining experience, the brewery also operates Mamagotoya, which specializes in traditional multi-course meals featuring tofu, yuba, and seasonal ingredients.
What makes this corner of western Tokyo so special is how much of its character can be traced back to a single source: water. It has carved the gorge, sustained the brewery for centuries, and shaped the local food culture. Here, the landscape and the traditions it has nurtured are inseparable, each telling a different part of the same story.
RELATED:
Author: Daniel Manning
Continue Reading