A Day of Shochu Tasting at Kirishima Factory Garden!

About Kirishima Shuzo and Kirishima Factory Garden

Kirishima Shuzo was founded in 1916 by Enatsu Kichisuke. He began his own distillery, the Kawahigashi Enatsu Shoten. The Kawahigashi Enatsu Shoten, now the Kirishima Shuzo, grew to become the highest selling in Japan. Its representative shochu is the “Kuro-Kirishima”, a sweet potato based shochu.

Kirishima Factory Garden is one of Kirishima Shuzo’s two factories in the prefecture. The factory emphasizes the integration of industry and culture into our everyday lives, and provides not just shochu but craft beers, special events, even a shrine and more.

How to enjoy the Kirishima Factory Garden

Shochu Factory Tour

At Kirishima Factory Garden, visitors can tour the distillery and learn about how shochu is made. Kirishima Shuzo began the factory tours to spread shochu knowledge amongst the people.

写真提供：Kirishima Factory Garden

At Kirishima Shuzo, shochu is made in these steps:
Steaming rice → Ricemalt production → First preparation → Choosing potatoes → Steaming potatoes/Second preparation → Distillation → Storage/Maturation → Blend → Packaging

The potato choosing process can be seen between August and November.

Shochu tasting(photo credit: Kirishima Factory Garden)

At the end of the tour, there is a time for a shochu-tasting session. You can try out all 9 shochu!

The factory tour is reservation only. The reservations are on a first-come-first-served basis, so make sure to book as early as possible.

By phone: 0986-21-8111 (9:00a.m. – 9:00p.m.)
・ Tour times: Every day; 11:00a.m. and 1:30p.m.; about 30 minutes
　　＊possibility of closure without prior notice
・ Fee: free
・ Slots per tour: from 1 to 30 people

Kirinokura Museum

Kirinokura Museum (photo credit: Kirishima Factory Garden)

At the Kirinokura Museum, you can learn about the shochu-making process. From in-depth explanations on the ingredients to the science behind the machines, the museum has everything you need to know about shochu-making.

The museum too, is reservation-only.
By phone: 0986-21-8111 (9:00a.m. – 9:00p.m.)
・ Every day from 11:40a.m. or 2:10p.m.; about 20 minutes
　　＊possibility of closure without prior notice
・ Fee: free
・ Slots per tour: from 1 to 30 people

Don’t miss the Shochu Soft Serve!

Shochu Soft Serve (photo credit: Kirishima Factory Garden)

One of the rare finds at Kirishima Factory Garden is the Shochu Soft Serve. It uses milk from local farms, and of course, Kurokirishima shochu.
(The Shochu Soft Serve contains alcohol, and is only sold to persons of 20 years old and above. The Shochu Soft Serve cannot be served to minors, drivers and pregnant/breastfeeding women.)

All kinds of alcohol at Kirishima Factory Garden

Kirinokura Bakery

Kirinokura Bakery (photo credit: Kirishima Factory Garden)

The bread baked at Kirinokura Bakery uses the mash created during the Shochu-making process. You can enjoy the bread at the provided café space or you can take it home.

Souvenir Shop

Souvenir Shop (photo credit: Kirishima Factory Garden)

At the souvenir shop, you can purchase your favorite shochu. Before purchasing the shochu, you can have a shochu taste-test to make sure you choose the one for you.

T-shirt (photo credit: Kirishima Factory Garden)

There are also Kirishima Shuzo original goods, such as this t-shirt. Other goods include shochu glasses and snacks.

Kirishima Fissure Water

Fissure water (photo credit: Kirishima Factory Garden)

One thing that is indespensible in shochu-making is good water. The shochu and beers at Kirishima Shuzo are made with the clean fissure water from 100m below the ground of Mount Kirishima.

You can taste the fresh water and even bring it home. The water is rich in minerals, and has a soft taste. Bring your own bottle, since bottles are not provided.

Kirinokura Brewery

The Kirinokura Brewery is a craft beer brewery, restaurant and souvenir shop. The restaurant serves Miyazaki prefecture’s specialty dishes using local ingredients. You can also find dishes made with kuro-koji, or black rice malt, that is used when making shochu.

Craft Beer Brewery

KIRISHIMA BEER (photo credit: Kirishima Factory Garden)

Shochu isn’t the only drink at Kirishima Shuzo; they also have an impressive line-up of craft beers! There are five KIRISHIMA BEER craft beers to choose from: Pilsner, Pale Ale, Amber, Stout and Hyuganatsu (citrus).

Kirinokura Brewery (photo credit: Kirishima Factory Garden)

Although there is no factory tour for the brewery, you can have some freshly brewed beer on the spot.

Kirishima Shochu Shrine

Shochu Shrine (photo credit: Kirishima Factory Garden)

Kirishima Shochu Shrine locates inside Kirishima Factory Garden. Enatsu, the founder of Kirishima Shuzo, was given permission by Kirishima Shrine to re-shrine their deity, and decided to create a shrine inside the company premise. At Kirishima Shochu Shrine, you can pray for longevity, business prosperity and matchmaking.

Kirishima Ground Golf Course

The ground golf course at Kirishima Factory Garden is the first official ground golf course in Miyazaki. Ground golf is like a portable, more versatile version of golf. You can rent out the golf clubs and golf balls.
・ Opening hours: 9:00a.m. – 5:00p.m.
・ Fee: ¥200 per day
・ Club/ball rental: ¥100
・ Registration: Kirinokura Brewery Shop Counter

Events

Kirishima Spring/Autumn Festival (Apr./Nov.)

The Kirishima Spring/Autumn Festival features foods and drinks from Miyazaki and surrounding areas, such as other parts of Kyushu and Okinawa. There are also comedy and mascot shows, providing a fun time for non-drinkers too.

Kirinokura Beer Garden (June – Sep.)

Between June and September, a summertime beer garden is open at Kirishima Factory Garden. Good shochu and beer is served with dishes made from local ingredients. The beer garden is a buffet-style, so you can eat and drink all you want.

Access

Nearest station: Miyakonojo Station 都城駅 (JR Nippo Line)

From Miyazaki Station

【Miyazaki Sta.】JR Nippo Main Line / for Miyakonojo
→【Miyakonojo Sta.】10-minutes by taxi

From Miyazaki Airport

【Miyazaki Airport Sta.】Miyazaki Airport Line / for Nobeoka
→【Tayoshi Sta.】JR Nippo Main Line / for Miyakonojo
→【Miyakonojo Sta.】10-minutes by taxi