Kato Yamada Nishiki Kanpai Festival 2026

Dates & time: September 20, 2026 (Sun) 10:00–14:00 (gates open around 9:15)
Price & booking: Free admission. Tastings cost 100–500 yen per cup depending on the label (one at 1,000 yen); sales and food booths are paid, cash only in principle. No reservation needed for entry or tasting. The free shuttle from JR Shin-Sanda and Shintetsu Miki stations required advance booking and is now full for 2026. The lottery for the 100 front-row seats at the Junretsu mini-live closed on Sep 13 and results were emailed on Sep 14; winners collect seat tickets at the HQ tent between 11:00 and 11:45 on the day. Details on the Kato City page.
Venue & access: Yashiro Central Park Stella Park (south of Kato City Central Library) Free shuttle from JR Takino Station (no booking; departs 9:05, 10:05, 11:30; returns from the venue 13:00, 14:05). By car, use the temporary free lots around Kato City Hall; when full, park at the halK bus terminal and take the shuttle (about every 15 minutes from 10:00, last return around 14:30). No alcohol is served to drivers.

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Why You Should Visit

An outdoor sake tasting and sales festival in Kato, the heartland of Yamada Nishiki, the most prized sake rice in Japan. Twenty-one breweries from across the country bring sake brewed with Kato-grown Yamada Nishiki: Nada giants such as Kenbishi, Hakutsuru and Ozeki, celebrated out-of-prefecture names like Dassai, Masumi, Urakasumi and Daishichi, and local Kamimusubi Shuzo. Tasting them side by side shows how differently each brewery treats the same rice. A cask-opening ceremony at 10:30 comes with free celebratory sake, and the pop group Junretsu plays a mini live at noon. Admission is free; tastings, sales and local food stalls are paid, cash only. Free shuttle buses from stops within the city need no booking.

Programs

Timetable & Map

Participating Shops

Shop List & Map

The 21 breweries are those listed on the Kato City page and the official festival site; all pour sake brewed with Kato-grown Yamada Nishiki. The 23 food and goods booths are from the back of the official flyer as of September 19, 2026.

NOTE

Participating breweries (21)

Hyogo: Kenbishi, Hakutsuru, Tatsuuma-Honke, Ozeki, Kamimusubi, Honda Shoten, Yaegaki, Okufuji Shoji, Takara Shuzo Shirakabegura, Shimomura Shuzoten
Kyoto: Tamanohikari, Gekkeikan, Matsumoto Shuzo, Kinoshita Shuzo
Other prefectures: Yamachu Honke, Miyasaka Brewing, Sohomare, Dassai (Asahi Shuzo), Saura, Daishichi, Hatsukame (first appearance in 2026)

At the venue

Tastings and sales by each brewery, local food stalls, sake-cup vendors
Payment is cash only as a rule
No Junretsu merchandise is sold
Suggested items: drinking water, towel, hat, picnic sheet, a tray for tasting cups, cash

Free shuttle timetable

JR Shin-Sanda (booking closed): dep. 9:05, 10:20 / from venue 13:00, 14:00, 14:25
Shintetsu Miki (booking closed): dep. 9:20 / from venue 14:10
JR Takino (no booking): dep. 9:05, 10:05, 11:30 / from venue 13:00, 14:05
JA Minori Tojo branch & Todoroki-so (no booking): 9:25/9:35, 10:15/10:25
halK bus terminal (no booking): about every 15 min from 10:00, last return around 14:30

Local food & goods booths (23)

Yakitori and fried chicken (JA Minori youth section, Yorimichi, Homido, Fujiwara, Yurano, Food Sugi), Banshu ramen (Endo Cons), naan curry (Munaru), eel (Unagi no Kagura Kato), Taiwanese zongzi and pork buns (Shojin), oden and beef tendon (JA Minori women's group, Teppan Kitchen Uchiwa, Miyako Shoten), Yamada Nishiki sweets and rice-flour baked goods (Miki, Komekko, Chou Chou, Borage, INVIGO, Wakita Shoten), plus Kita-Harima farm produce, sake cups by Tojo Akitsu-gama and NAKAGO, and books by Rui Yoshida. Bringing your own bag and tray is handy.

Notes

No alcohol is served to anyone arriving by car or bicycle
No alcohol for anyone under 20
Saving spots outside the dining area is not allowed
Entry may be restricted when crowded
Held except in severe weather; cancellations are announced on the Kato City website

*Contents and times are subject to change

Craft Beer Sake Gourmet Food Walk Events Festivals Free Cheap

出典: 加東市公式HP（産業振興部農政課）

Kobe · Gluten-free

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FAQ

Is there an admission fee or booking?

Admission is free and no booking is needed. Tastings, sales and food stalls are paid, cash only as a rule. Gates open around 9:15, and entry may be restricted when crowded.

Can I drive there?

Free temporary parking is available around Kato City Hall, but no alcohol is served to anyone arriving by car or bicycle. If you plan to taste, take the free shuttle bus from JR Takino Station or one of the other three stops in the city, or come with a designated driver.

Is it cancelled if it rains?

It is an outdoor venue, but the festival goes ahead except in severe weather. Any cancellation is announced on the Kato City website.

Can anyone watch the Junretsu live?

The mini live at noon is free to watch. Only the 100 seats in front of the stage require a seat ticket won in the advance lottery. Junretsu does not appear at the opening ceremony or the first kanpai, and no merchandise is sold.