7 Japanese Whisky Distilleries to Visit from Tokyo

Staying in Tokyo and want to visit a whisky distillery? The good news: there are distilleries you can visit from Tokyo. The bad news? None of them are particularly easy to get to. If you don’t mind spending some time on trains, buses and in taxis, here are seven whisky distilleries that are (theoretically) visitable from Tokyo.

Estimated minimum travel times from Tokyo Station (via Google Maps). Actual times may vary considerably, so plan accordingly…

Asaka

Prefecture: Fukushima
English tours: No
Minimum travel time from Tokyo: 2 hours
Website

Asaka Distillery is located in Koriyama City in Fukushima Prefecture, a couple of hours north of Tokyo. The distillery is owned by Sasanokawa Shuzo, a company that has been producing various types of alcohol (mostly sake and shochu) since the late 18th century. While Sasanokawa has been producing whisky for decades, the Asaka Distillery is fairly new, having opened in 2016.

Fuji Gotemba

Prefecture: Shizuoka
English tours: No (videos have English subtitles)
Minimum travel time from Tokyo: 3 hours
Website

You’ve probably tried Kirin beer, but did you know Kirin also makes whisky? The Fuji-Gotemba Distillery opened in 1972, originally as a joint venture between Kirin, Chivas Brothers, and Seagram. They launched their flagship brand, Fuji, in 2020, and it currently consists of single malt, single grain, and single blended offerings.

Komoro

Prefecture: Nagano
English tours: Yes
Minimum travel time from Tokyo: 2 hours
Website

One of the key figures behind Komoro Distillery is Ian Chang, best known for bringing Kavalan Distillery to worldwide prominence (and if you haven’t tried Kavalan, you probably should!). Unlike most (maybe all?) the other distilleries on this list, Komoro offers tours in English, and also offers whisky seminars through its Whisky Academy.

Niigata-Kameda

Prefecture: Niigata
English tours: No
Minimum travel time from Tokyo: 3 hours
Website

Niigata-Kameda Distillery started distillation in 2021, and is one of dozens of whisky distilleries that have opened in Japan since the mid-2010s. But one thing that sets Niigata-Kameda apart is that they got into the whisky business despite no previous experience in the alcohol industry. The distillery was set up by Koji Douda, an executive at Japan’s largest manufacturer of hanko (personal stamps/seals). Currently, they release whisky under the name Otani (also the name of the hanko company) and their first single malt hit the market in 2025.

Saburomaru

Prefecture: Toyama
English tours: No (displays and video subtitles in English)
Minimum travel time from Tokyo: 3 hours
Website

Saburomaru is one of very few distilleries in Japan to focus exclusively on peated whisky. So if you’re into peat, this is probably the place to go! Wakatsuru Shuzo, the company behind Saburomaru Distillery, has been making sake since 1862 and acquired a whisky licence in 1952. Their whisky distillery was refurbished in 2016, and they currently have a Tarot-themed series of whiskies on the market. (For what it’s worth, the labels are pretty cool!)

Shizuoka

Prefecture: Shizuoka
English tours: No
Minimum travel time from Tokyo: 2.5 hours
Website

Shizuoka Distillery opened in 2016. If you’re a whisky nerd, you’ll definitely be interested in their pot stills – they have a wood-fired pot still, which is extremely rare. And they also have a pot still that was originally used at the legendary Karuizawa Distillery (before it was mothballed in 2000). They have a number of different releases, including the W series (wood-fired still), K series (Karuizawa still), and S series (a blend of the two).

Yasato

Prefecture: Ibaraki
English tours: No
Minimum travel time from Tokyo: 2 hours
Website

Yasato Distillery is owned by Kiuchi Shuzo, which makes one of Japan’s most famous craft beers, Hitachino Nest. They produce whisky under their Hinomaru brand name, and are one of just a few distilleries in Japan able to produce both malt and grain whisky. If you don’t want to go all the way to the distillery, but still want to try their whisky (and craft beer), Kiuchi Shuzo operates a number of craft beer brewpubs in Tokyo called Hitachino Brewing.

Or if you’re going to Kyoto and can’t be bothered going to a distillery…

Why not join a curated Japanese whisky tasting in Kyoto? It’s not the same as going to a distillery, sure. But it’s still a great opportunity to try a range of single malts from various Japanese distilleries.

Kyoto Whisky Tasting

I run small-group Japanese whisky tastings in the Nishijin area of Kyoto. Each tasting session features a curated selection of 5 Japanese whiskies (plus a bonus dram), and is an opportunity to have your Japanese whisky questions answered by an English-speaking certified whisky expert. See here for more details.