[September-October 2026] Gero Onsen Masu-zake Walk | Introducing 11 shops and local Hida sake

2026.09.12

Enjoy a stroll through the town of Gero Onsen while savoring local Hida sake in the "Masu-zake Walk." We'll introduce one participating shop and the charm of the sake you can enjoy there.

• Table of Contents
• ◆Two sake breweries in Gero that you should know about first
• Masu Sake Walk: Store Introduction
• How will you choose your four drinks? Enjoy the process of deciding!

The Gero Masu-zake Walk will be held from September to the end of October 2026. Ten restaurants and liquor stores in the hot spring town will be participating. At each store, you can enjoy a different type of sake that has a connection to Gero and Hida.

Each sake set comes with four digital tickets , so choosing which of the 10 different types of sake to drink is one of the fun parts of this event.

Actually, the only sakes we'll be featuring this time aren't just Junmai Daiginjo and Daiginjo.

From doburoku (unrefined sake) and shochu to vodka with an alcohol content of 55%!

This article introduces Tenryo Shuzo and Oku Shuzo, the breweries that produce the sake for the Masu-zake Walk, as well as the 10 types of sake that can be tasted at the 10 participating shops, in the order of the numbers on the map.

Click here for more details about the Masu-zake Walk!

◆Two sake breweries in Gero that you should know about first

◆Tenryo Sake Brewery | Founded in 1680, a sake brewery that makes the most of Hida's sake rice.

Tenryo Brewery is located in Hagiwara-cho, Gero City City, a little north of Gero Onsen.

Founded in 1680 , this brewery has been making sake in the Hida region for over 340 years .

We use sake-brewing rice, primarily "Hidahomare," a sake-brewing rice variety unique to Hida, as our raw material. Along with soft, natural water drawn from underground, we brew sake that brings out the best in the rice.

What's interesting about Tenryo Brewery is that they not only preserve tradition but also challenge themselves to create new kinds of sake.

In 2026, they will release "ANDANTE," a sake with an alcohol content of 10%. Born from the idea of ​​"sake that can be enjoyed more casually," it is a new type of alcohol with a lightness reminiscent of white wine.

Tenryo Sake Brewery Official Website

◆ Oku Sake Brewery | Founded in 1720, a brewery in Hida Kaneyama with a history of over 300 years.

Oku Sake Brewery has been brewing sake since 1720 in Gero City , Kaneyama Town, which once flourished as a post town.

Using the pure groundwater from the land where the Hida River and Maze River flow, and locally produced "Hidahomare" rice, we brew our flagship brands, "Oku" and "Hatsumidori."

It has received high praise at domestic and international competitions, and in 2026 it won the gold medal at the All Japan New Sake Appraisal Competition for the fourth consecutive year .

Furthermore, Oku Brewery produces not only sake, but also shochu and vodka. They obtained their vodka production license in 1959. The fact that this long-established sake brewery also produces authentic distilled spirits is a unique characteristic of Oku Brewery.

Oku Sake Brewery Official Website

Masu Sake Walk: Store Introduction

① Restaurant & Cafe Fukiya "Tsukiyo no Shirasagi Junmai Daiginjo"

Fukiya

Located on the way from JR Gero Station to the hot spring town, Fukiya is a long-established restaurant and cafe. You can enjoy a wide variety of dishes, including set meals, noodles, and Gero cuisine.

What you can enjoy here is "Tsukiyo no Shirasagi Junmai Daiginjo" .

Gero Onsen has a legend about a wounded white heron that told people the location of the hot springs. This sake, with its label featuring an illustration based on that story, is truly a drink you'll want to enjoy in Gero .

Made with Yamada Nishiki from Hyogo Prefecture , polished to 35%, this sake is characterized by its elegant aroma and smooth finish. Enjoy the story of Gero Onsen along with this sake.

② Ogawaya Liquor Store Tenryo "ANDANTE"

Ogawaya Liquor Store

Ogawaya Sake Shop offers a wide selection of local Hida sake, and you can even enjoy drinking it on the premises. If you're a sake lover, it's a fun place to visit just to browse the products.

At the Masu-zake Walk, you can sample "ANDANTE," a new product from Tenryo Brewery that was launched in 2026.

It has an alcohol content of 10%. It is lighter than typical sake, with a taste reminiscent of white wine, while still retaining the rich flavor of rice.

The name "ANDANTE" is a musical term meaning "walking speed."

Take your time, enjoy it slowly with the food and conversation—this is the perfect drink for a "sake-in-a-masu walk," where you enjoy alcohol while strolling through the city.

③ Gunpachi Gero Onsen Store Tenryo "Hiten" 25%

Gunpachi Gero Onsen

What we'll be introducing here isn't sake, but "Hiten," a shochu with an alcohol content of 25%.

According to Tenryo Shuzo's official website, this shochu is made using the lees from their Daiginjo sake and is described as a shochu with a delightful, fragrant aroma.

The sake lees left over after pressing sake retain the rich aroma unique to ginjo sake. "Hiten" is a distilled spirit that allows you to enjoy that unique character.

This sake offers a different experience from Junmai Daiginjo, showcasing the breadth of the brewery's techniques.

④ Shokusaibou Dining Sho: "Tenryo, Award-Winning Sake at the 2026 National New Sake Appraisal Competition"

Shokusai Dining Sho

"Shokusaibou Dining Sho" offers dishes such as Hida beef.

The sake you can drink here is a special Junmai Daiginjo that was entered into and won an award at the 2026 National New Sake Appraisal Competition.

Made with Yamada Nishiki from Hyogo Prefecture , polished to 35%, this sake is characterized by its elegant ginjo aroma, clear mouthfeel, rich umami flavor, and clean finish.

It's quite a luxury to be able to savor a bottle of sake brewed specifically for a tasting competition—the culmination of a year's worth of sake brewing—while casually strolling around town.

⑤ Restaurant Hagi Kei-chan "Junmai Daiginjo Hidahomare"

Hagi Kei-chan

The restaurant's namesake dish, "Keichan," is a local dish from the Gifu region of Gifu Prefecture, consisting of chicken seasoned with a sauce made from miso and soy sauce and then grilled.

One of the local specialties you can enjoy at this restaurant is a junmai daiginjo sake made with "Hidahomare," a representative sake rice of Hida.

It features a gorgeous aroma, a refined sweetness, and a balanced blend of rice flavor and acidity. Made with rice and water grown in Hida, this sake is especially worth drinking while traveling.

◆⑥ Hoteiya "Reiwa 8th Year Gold Medal Award Winning Sake Oku Okuhida"

Hoteya

This Daiginjo sake from Oku Brewery won a gold medal at the 2026 National New Sake Appraisal Competition.

Moreover, this marks Oku Sake Brewery's fourth consecutive year winning a gold medal .

Made with Yamada Nishiki from Hyogo Prefecture , polished to 35%, and fermented slowly at low temperatures, this sake boasts a gorgeous and elegant ginjo aroma, and a clean flavor with a harmonious balance of sweetness, acidity, and spiciness, without any one element overpowering the others.

The award-winning sake for 2026 will be limited to 600 bottles . Experiencing such a special sake, even by the glass, is a unique experience only available at the Masu-zake Walk.

⑦ Kashiwaya Sake Shop "Doburoku"

Kashiwaya Liquor Store

At Kashiwaya Sake Shop, a liquor store located in a hot spring town, you can enjoy "doburoku," which is different from sake in both appearance and taste.

Doburoku is a type of alcoholic beverage that is enjoyed without filtering the "moromi," which is made by fermenting rice, rice koji, and water.

Tenryo Doburoku has an alcohol content of 9-10%. Along with the rich flavor that allows you to taste the sweetness of the rice, you can also enjoy the acidity and effervescence from the fermentation process.

Experience the unique flavor that only "living alcohol," which is still fermenting, can offer.

⑧ Dango and Yakisoba Norin-ya "Hatsumidori Junmai Daiginjo"

Norin's House

Norin-ya offers a variety of snacks perfect for a stroll through town, such as dango, yakisoba, and goheimochi. They also feature goheimochi made with locally produced perilla seeds.

The "Hatsumidori Junmai Daiginjo" available here is a premium sake from Oku Brewery, made with Yamada Nishiki Nishiki from Hyogo Prefecture , polished to 35%.

It features a harmonious balance of elegant ginjo aroma and rich flavor, and a silky smooth mouthfeel.

This sake, which has received international acclaim, winning Gold at the International Wine Challenge 2025 and Platinum at the Kura Master 2023 in France, can be enjoyed right here in the streets of Gero.

⑨ Café & Izakaya aube (Aube) "Vodka 55%"

aube

The atmosphere changes dramatically here.

Instead of sake, the featured drink is "Oku Vodka," which has an alcohol content of 55%.

This rice vodka is made by a Japanese sake brewery using rice as the main ingredient and filtered using activated charcoal from birch trees. Despite its high alcohol content, it is characterized by its smooth texture and a lingering sweetness.

This particular bottle has an anecdote associated with it: it was served at a dinner when Russian President Putin visited Japan in 2016.

Please enjoy it, including the unexpected fact that it's "vodka made by a Japanese sake brewery."

⑩ Six

Six

Located in the Mori area of ​​the Gero spring town, "Rokudai" is open from 1pm , making it a convenient stop for those who want to enjoy a drink in the afternoon while strolling through the hot spring town. The Masu-zake Walk allows you to enjoy sake from two of Gero's leading breweries.

The sakes you can enjoy here are "Oku Special Selection Junmai Daiginjo" and "Tenryo Shuzo Daiginjo Tenroku Hairyo" .

"Oku Tokusen Junmai Daiginjo" is a sake made using 100% Yamada Yamada Nishiki , a sake-brewing rice variety from Hyogo Prefecture , polished to 35%. It is characterized by its elegant and refined ginjo aroma and smooth taste with minimal off-flavors. It has received high praise overseas, including a gold medal at IWC 2022 and a platinum award at Kura Master .

Another premium sake from Tenryo Shuzo, "Tenryo Shuzo Daiginjo Tenroku Hairyo," is made with Yamada Nishiki from Hyogo Prefecture , polished to 35%, and brewed meticulously by hand. It is characterized by its elegant aroma and sharp taste , allowing you to enjoy the refined umami unique to Yamada Nishiki.

Rokudai's appeal lies in the fact that you can enjoy the unique characteristics of two sake breweries in Gero with over 300 years of history: Oku Sake Brewery and Tenryo Sake Brewery, all in one place.

⑩ Nikudashiya Shiro "Ryu no Hitomi Junmai Daiginjo"

Meat broth (white)

Finally, we'll introduce a Junmai Daiginjo sake made with "Ryū no Hitomi," a brand of rice originating from Gero .

"Ryū no Hitomi" is a large-grained rice variety known for its use as food, and this sake is made using 100% of that rice by Oku Sake Brewery, also located in Gero City .

It has a ginjo aroma, yet a gentle mouthfeel.

This is a drink you'll want to savor, including the story behind it: "Rice grown in Gero, sake made by a sake brewery in Gero."

How will you choose your four drinks? Enjoy the process of deciding!

A set of four digital tickets for the Masu-zake Walk is available.

That's why knowing a little about alcohol beforehand can make exploring the city even more enjoyable.

If you want to enjoy a story that is typical of Gero,try "The White Heron in the Moonlight" or "The Dragon's Eye."

If you want to taste rice from Hida, try "Hidahomare" .

If you want to compare award-winning sakes, try options ④, ⑥, and ⑧ .

If you want to try something different from your usual sake, try doburoku, shochu, or vodka .

And for those who want to enjoy sake in a lighter way, there's also the new option called "ANDANTE."

The Masu-zake Walk is not simply an event where you compare and taste 10 different types of sake.

Learn about the history of the sake brewery, discover the stories behind the rice and water used, and visit the shops that serve that sake.

This is a journey to discover the town of Gero itself, starting with a single drink .

Choose four drinks that pique your interest, and take a stroll through Gero Onsen with a masu (wooden sake cup) in hand.

Click here for more details about the Masu-zake Walk!

*Please note that the operating days and hours of participating stores may change. Please check the latest information before visiting. Drinking alcohol is only permitted for those 20 years of age and older. Drunk driving is prohibited by law.