Saijo Sake Brewery Street

Saijo in Higashihiroshima is one of Japan's most recognized sake-producing towns, and the cluster of working breweries here is compact enough to walk between them in a morning. Seven breweries line the streets, most in white-walled warehouse buildings capped with distinctive red-brick chimneys. Many offer free or low-cost tastings year-round, and October's sake festival draws large crowds. The water that supplies the breweries, called miyamizu, flows cold and mineral-rich from the mountains, which is central to the flavor profile of Saijo sake.