If you want to try sake from all over Japan without buying a full bottle, the Sumida Autumn Sake Festival (ふるさとグルメてらす～すみだ秋酒まつり～) is a good option this long weekend. It runs from Saturday, September 19 to Monday, September 21, 2026 (the 21st is a national holiday) at Kinshi Park in Sumida, Tokyo. Entry is free. You only pay for what you drink and eat.
This is the 22nd edition of Furusato Gourmet Terrace, a regional food event series run by Intern Inc. This time the theme is autumn sake, with 24 sake breweries, 9 shochu makers, regional food stalls, and a kids’ festival corner.
Dates, hours and ticket cutoffs
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Dates | Sat Sept 19 – Mon Sept 21, 2026 (21st is a public holiday) |
| Hours | 19th and 20th: 11:00–19:00 21st: 11:00–18:00 |
| Last sales on the day | Sake tickets: until 30 min before closing each day Food: until 15 min before closing each day |
| Venue | Kinshi Park, Fureai Hiroba 4-15-1 Kinshi, Sumida-ku, Tokyo |
| Access | JR Kinshicho Station: 3 min walk Tokyo Metro Hanzomon Line Kinshicho Station: right by Exit 4 |
| Entry | Free (food, drinks and merchandise paid separately) |
| Organizer | Intern Inc. |
| Supported by | Sumida City, Sumida Tourism Association, and Tenten |
How drinking and paying work
The two sides of the festival use different payment systems:
- Sake uses tickets. You get a dedicated ochoko (small sake cup) and taste small pours at each booth. Pours come straight from the brewery staff, so you can ask them about each bottle.
- You pay in cash for regional food. You pay each stall when you order.
The official website says discounted advance tickets are on sale. The price and what is included are not listed in the press materials, so check the official website before you go.
Participating breweries
There are 33 makers in total. 24 sake breweries are bringing 112 labels. The lineup includes autumn releases such as hiyaoroshi and akiagari, plus junmai daiginjo, junmai ginjo, and sparkling sake. Another 9 shochu makers are joining from the Kanto Honkaku Shochu & Awamori Association.
Brewery names are shown below in Japanese, since that is how you will see them on the booth signs.
Sake (24 breweries)
| Prefecture | Breweries |
|---|---|
| Iwate | 岩手銘醸 / 紫波酒造店 泉金ホールディングス / 世嬉の一酒造 |
| Yamagata | 六歌仙 / 米鶴酒造 |
| Akita | 大納川 |
| Miyagi | 石越醸造 |
| Fukushima | 矢澤酒造店 / 渡辺酒造本店 |
| Ibaraki | 来福酒造 |
| Kanagawa | 黄金井酒造 |
| Chiba | 岩瀬酒造 |
| Niigata | 白瀧酒造 / 青木酒造 津南醸造 |
| Shizuoka | 花の舞酒造 / 富士正酒造 鶴見酒造 |
| Mie | 伊藤酒造 |
| Kyoto | 玉乃光酒造 |
| Ehime | 水口酒造 |
| Tokushima | 三芳菊酒造 |
| Saga | 幸姫酒造 |
Shochu (9 makers)
| Prefecture | Makers |
|---|---|
| Oita | 八鹿酒造 |
| Kumamoto | 堤酒造 |
| Miyazaki | 神楽酒造 |
| Kagoshima | 喜界島酒造 / 濵田酒造 小正醸造 / 本坊酒造 薩摩酒造 / 岩川醸造 |
Six of the nine shochu makers are from Kagoshima. If a bottle there makes you want to visit, see our guide to the Kagoshima hotel discount campaign.
Brewery stamp rally prizes
Each brewery booth you visit earns a stamp, and prizes are available at three levels.
| Breweries visited | Prize examples |
|---|---|
| 10 | Classic items such as an ochoko or a masu cup |
| 16 | Brewery goods such as original glasses or tote bags |
| 22 | Larger items such as T-shirts or a traditional apron |
Brewer talk show (12:00–15:00 daily)
Every day from 12:00 to 15:00, special MC Ganso Bakushoo hosts short talks with the brewers. He is a TV and radio writer who also works as a PR media producer for Akita Prefecture, so he knows the regions and the brewers well. If you want to hear the people behind the bottles, plan to arrive around midday.
Regional food stalls
There are 14 food stalls in total. Here are some of the dishes announced so far. The organizer notes the lineup may change.
| Dish | From |
|---|---|
| Sanriku grilled squid | Aomori |
| Sakurahime chicken yakitori | Aomori |
| Wakasagi (smelt) tempura | Aomori |
| Yonezawa beef skewers | Yamagata |
| Steamed oysters | Iwate |
| Beef tongue skewers | Miyagi |
| Zunda shake | Miyagi |
| Jumbo gyoza | Tochigi |
| Hakata motsu yakisoba | Fukuoka |
| Charcoal chicken yakisoba | Miyazaki |
| Agu pork skewers | Okinawa |
| Agu pork frankfurters | Okinawa |
There is also a festival game corner for kids, so the event works for families, not just drinkers.
Tips for getting the most out of it
- Check advance tickets first. The official site says they are cheaper, so compare before buying at the gate.
- Arrive by midday if you want to see the brewer talks, which run 12:00–15:00.
- Decide your stamp rally goal early. Claiming a smaller prize resets your card.
- Mind the Monday schedule. The event closes an hour earlier on the 21st.
- Keep cash for food. Stalls are pay-as-you-go.
Tasting small pours adds up, so drink water between cups and don’t drive. For more about the event, see the official Instagram or the press release.
Want to keep the weekend cheap? After the festival, you can soak at a neighborhood bathhouse with the Tokyo sento half-price coupon. If this festival makes you want to visit a sake region, you can travel with the Aki no Norihodai Pass for JR local trains or the discounted Shinkansen fares.
FAQ
- Q. Is entry really free?
- Yes. Entry is free. Sake uses tickets, and food is paid for at each stall.
- Q. When do sake ticket sales end each day?
- On-site sake ticket sales end 30 minutes before closing each day, and food sales end 15 minutes before closing.
- Q. What happens to my stamps if I claim a prize early?
- If you claim the 10-brewery or 16-brewery prize, your stamps reset and you start again from zero. Prizes are limited.
- Q. What is the nearest station?
- Kinshicho Station. It is a 3-minute walk from the JR station, and right by Exit 4 of the Tokyo Metro Hanzomon Line station.
Information is based on the organizer’s announcements as of September 16, 2026. Details may change, so check the official website before visiting.