Tokyo is home to ten sake breweries—nine in the Tama region compared to just one within the 23 wards. One evening, at an izakaya in Tachikawa renowned for its devotion to sake, we spoke with Kazuyoshi Muto, the third-generation owner of Muto Jisaku Saketen, a long-established liquor store in Ome. Kazuyoshi is the kind of person who makes you fall in love with sake the moment you share a drink with him. We visited his store in Ome, gaining a deeper understanding of his passion and approach to sake. His thoughtfulness toward the consumer, deep respect for the toji (master brewers), and belief that sake—and the local brews he cherishes—exist to complement both food and the human connection. Kazuyoshi revealed that, in his hands, these beverages are as much culture and traditions as they are craft.

The store was founded by Kazuyoshi’s grandfather, Jisaku, during an era when it was customary to drink at home rather than in public. As the culture of dining and drinking out gradually began to take hold, Kazuyoshi’s father, Shinichi, recognized the shift and steered the business toward wholesale distribution for restaurants.

As a teenager, Kazuyoshi was absorbed by surfing and skateboarding, dreaming of a life by the sea. Yet at the same time, his strong ties to his hometown—formed through friendships with local peers and relationships with neighbors—kept him grounded. At the age of twenty, following the passing of his grandfather, his father invited him to return to the family business. During this period, his father had been handling not only major sake brands but also carefully selected local sake from breweries across Japan. Inspired by his father’s dedication to quality and his deep respect for the brewers, Kazuyoshi began visiting breweries himself, building personal relationships and gaining firsthand insight into the craft.

Two years after returning, his father passed away unexpectedly. While his mother, Yoshie, gently told him that he did not have to take over, Kazuyoshi, at only twenty-two, made the resolute decision to continue the family legacy. A pivotal turning point came with his encounter with Mori no Kura, a brewery in Fukuoka Prefecture, which would further shape his journey as a steward of sake.

Kazuyoshi says, “After my father passed away, the head steward at Mori no Kura contacted me, asking if I was managing all right. Not long after, they came to visit the store and told me, ‘Next time, you should come to Fukuoka.’ That became the start of frequent trips. At first, it was just small experiences, but by the second and third years, I was staying there multiple times a year. I got to do everything from washing rice, cultivating koji—the mold used to ferment rice for sake—in the fermentation room, handling sake lees (leftover yeast and other solid particles), practicing the three-stage fermentation process, and even using traditional methods of cooling the fermenting vessels with ice, known as “daki-gori.” Some nights, I was woken up to check the heat of the koji. I really got to try everything from start to finish, and it was fascinating.”

He continues. “Initially, shochu, a Japanese distilled spirit, was the main focus of the store. But as I learned more about sake, our selection grew. You can’t sell something you don’t love. It would be disrespectful to the drinker to stock something just because it sells. I want to taste everything myself, make sure it’s good, and confidently recommend it.”

The Muto Way: Enjoying Sake

For Kazuyoshi, the true beauty of sake lies not in extravagance but in its ability to complement food and conversation. There are, of course, limited releases and unpasteurized brews that can shine on their own, yet he believes that sake is at its best when it accompanies a meal. What he seeks is sake crafted not only for taste but also for the occasion, the company, and the meal it enhances. Unlike fleeting trends that emphasize aroma, everyday sake is best enjoyed casually with meals, embodying the true spirit of Japanese sake.

He says, “I want people to discover sake not in isolation, but at the meal table. For beginners, I always recommend pairing it with food—starting with sashimi, enjoying lively conversation, and finishing the evening with atsukan, warm sake served gently hot. This way, you can experience the many transformations of flavor. People often assume that hot sake is difficult for beginners, but once you try a truly good one, its charm is irresistible. Flashy, aromatic styles may impress at first, but they fade quickly. A sake with real depth never grows tiring and never overwhelms you.”

What makes sake unique, he notes, is its remarkable versatility. It can be enjoyed chilled, at room temperature, or warmed—each state revealing a different expression. The choice of vessel adds another dimension: a fine glass for cold sake, a deep ceramic cup for warm. “With a single bottle, you can experience a whole spectrum of flavors, and pair it with countless dishes. That, to me, is the wonder of sake.”

Becoming a Brewer: The Story of VEPAR

In 2018, stirred by the thought that “these streets deserve more life” and by the curiosity of wondering what might happen if he served craft beer here, Kazuyoshi opened Ome Bakushu, a bar near Ome Station. What began as an experiment soon became a gathering place for locals, and in time, he entrusted it to younger successors.

The venture embodied both his affection for the community and his own spirit of challenge. Later, when the pandemic struck and wholesale sales to restaurants—once the backbone of his business—plummeted, a long-nurtured dream began to take shape: to brew his own beer. In March 2024, that dream was realized with the birth of VEPAR, the first craft beer made in Ome.

Brewed in a small corner of Muto Jisaku Liquor Store, VEPAR reflects his devotion to local ingredients, including rice he personally cultivated. Bottled in convenient plastic for on-the-go enjoyment, and designed to remain flavorful, even as the carbonation softens. It was created with the outdoors in mind—meant to travel alongside the people who drink it.

Though Kazuyoshi delights in the fragrance of hops, he is equally eager to seek flavors inspired by Ome’s local ingredients. He says, “Hops are the foundation of beer, but why rely on hops alone? Bitterness can come from tea leaves, aroma from cedar or other local plants. Nature offers endless possibilities.” He is constantly exploring ways to create distinctly Japanese beers inspired by local ingredients.

Brewing has also deepened his respect for sake. “With beer, malt will ferment if kept at the right temperature,” he explains. “But sake is different—you must raise koji and guide saccharification and fermentation at once. It is a uniquely Japanese craft, and the toji who master it are nothing short of divine. That’s why, though I brew beer, I cannot touch sake—it feels sacred.”

Even the brewmaster at Mori no Kura, who has watched Kazuyoshi’s journey for years, once remarked, “Your questions have changed—you’ve become a brewer.” Their conversations, once casual, now delve into technical detail. When he shared his dream of someday brewing beer from rice alone, the toji responded with genuine interest, to his delight.

Through it all—listening to songs that conjure the sea in winter, sometimes even old enka, traditional Japanese ballads—he continues to run his store as a liquor merchant and to brew as a craftsman, expressing the cultures of both sake and beer in his own way.

The Muto Legacy: Kinōshita’s Heart

Kazuyoshi reflects, “What makes Kinōshita special is the people. There’s a spirit of connection here—it’s a place that feels genuinely alive. Whenever I take on something new, everyone gets excited and joins in. The energy is incredible, and unlike elsewhere, the seniors here are especially cooperative and full of vitality.”

That energy comes to life at SINBOW, the eatery located at the back of Muto Jisaku Saketen. It was born from the long-held dream of Kazuyoshi’s mother, Yoshie, who always wished to welcome people with food. Yoshie brought that dream to reality, together with Kazuyoshi and his partner Chiemi. Named after the nickname of Kazuyoshi’s late father, Shinichi, SINBOW has become a place that gently accompanies people in their daily lives. Steaming cups of atsukan (hot sake), served extra hot, come with laughter and the cheerful refrain, “Today it’s chunchun again!” The word chunchun is a local expression used at this eatery to mean piping hot. True to the family’s philosophy that “a liquor store must care about its drinks,” the shelves are lined with bottles from across Japan, thoughtfully selected and ready to be enjoyed.

At the entrance of SINBOW sits a used coffee roaster—brought in for Ryota, Kazuyoshi’s son, who runs Coffee Planet. His dreams of one day serving his coffee to the team at Pixar, the Academy Award-winning American animation studio he loves. For now, he builds his path step by step, roasting with care and sharing his beans at local fairs and cafés. From sake and craft beer, to coffee and the eatery, the Muto family’s hospitality truly embodies the spirit of welcoming others.

About Ome

Once home to nearly 800 weavers and dyers, Ome flourished in its rich natural surroundings, cultivating a deep tradition of craftsmanship, sake brewing, and the arts. Much like indigo fabric that deepens with each layer of dye, the town’s cultural heritage has grown ever richer over time. At the heart of this legacy stands Yoshino Baigo, a massive treasured plum blossom grove where each spring, thousands of trees blanket the hillsides in delicate shades of pink and white. This grove was lovingly restored by the local community to symbolize enduring beauty and to renew and revive a spirit that lives on.

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