For the last 500 years, more sake - and sake brewing technology - has come from Hyogo than from any other region in Japan. While most of the sake-related history there has been concentrated in two places within Hyogo, all of the prefecture is steeped in sake-brewing significance. Hyogo Prefecture, where the city of Kobe is, makes up about 30% of all Japanese sake production. The best Yamadanishiki rice is found here; Hyogo accounts for about 60% of Yamadanishiki rice production. The prefecture also produces such notable brands of sake rice as Gohyakumangoku, Hyogo Kita Nishiki, Hyogo Fuku Nishiki, and Fukuno Hana. Each lends its own characteristic flavor to the varieties of sake produced across breweries.
Nada, in particular is known for its miyamizu spring water, which is of a semi-hard type rare in the Kansai region. It contains the perfect balance of minerals for producing sake, and has been the key to sake brewing in the Nadagogo area since the late Edo Period. Within Hyogo you’ll find a full range of sake ranging from sweet to dry and light to heavy.
