Tsunoki: Premium Sake Dealer in Nishiki Market Kyoto

Tsunoki: Premium Sake Dealer in Nishiki Market Kyoto (津之喜酒舗)

Tsunoki is more than 200 years old and is the place in Kyoto to purchase fine sake, shochu and Japanese whiskey. The friendly 8th generation owner of Tsunoki, Teruo Fujii, speaks some English and is always happy to make recommendations to visitors.

Where are you going to get fine sake in Kyoto?
We have done a number of sake related posts now and no trip to Kyoto would be complete without sampling some fine sake, so we thought we would tell you where in Kyoto to get a hold of some. For retail, our recommendation is Tsunoki.

Secret: Fine Sake Often Not Offered at Fine Ryokan
Many visitors to Japan enjoy staying at traditional Japanese inns called, ‘ryokan’ of which Kyoto has many, many to offer. A stay at a ryokan usually includes dinner and breakfast. Dinner is often excellent and while ryokan often stock several varieties of sake to serve guests with dinner it is often poor quality, the same stuff you can buy from a vending machine or a convenience store. The best sake I (Peko) have ever had at even a very expensive ryokan was mediocre. So, consider bringing your own.

Several liquor stores in Kyoto offer good selections of fine sake, however Tsunoki offers far and way the best we have seen with an excellent selection of sake produced in Kyoto. Service is friendly and helpful, prices are average and being centrally located in Nishiki Market, a destination that any visitor to Kyoto will surely want to experience makes Tsunoki the place.

About Tsunoki
Tsunoki is a rare find indeed, it’s like shinise (old and famous store) meets rarified boutique. The 8th generation owner, Mr Fujii greatly increased the variety of fine sake. Now Tsunoki stocks rare and premium sake from not just Kyoto but other breweries from the Kansai region. An assortment of shochu and fine Japanese whiskey which is especially popular with foreign visitors these days is also available.

When you visit Tsunoki look for liquor license issued some 220 years ago hanging above the door at the back of the store.

About the Proprietor
Teruo Fujii is a very interesting dude. Not only is the English speaking 8th generation owner of the historic sake dealer in the heart of Kyoto and Nishiki Market, he is a local rock star, aspiring novelist, accomplished calligrapher and web-savvy blogger.

Mr Fujii offers sake recommendations for customers based on the weather and season, accompanying meal, the customer’s character, specified tastes and so on. Often several kinds of sake are available for tasting.

Mr Fujii choses the sake he stocks in a unique way. After consistently hearing good things about a brewery in the media and word-of-mouth, he contacts the brewery and arranges a visit to meet the brew master first hand and samples the brewery’s sake. If it passes muster, he will stock it in his store.

Tsunoki Storefront in Nishiki Market

If you would like to sip some yummy, chilled Fushimi Daiginjo sake as you take in Nishiki Market, you can get a generously filled paper cup full for around 630 yen from the tank at the front of the store.

Try Some Daiginjo Sake

The 8th Generation Proprietor, Teruo Fujii

Mr Fujii is quite a calligrapher, his ‘kyo’ (京) adorns this label.

The Proprietor Counseling on Sake

The Proprietor Counseling on Sake

Pasteurized Sake

Pasteurized sake can be kept at room temperature. If you want to take some sake back home with you, pasteurized sake is what you want.

Pasteurized Sake

Unpasteurized Sake

Unpasteurized sake must be refrigerated. If you purchase unpasteurized sake, you will want to keep it cool and drink it while you are in Kyoto.

Selection of Shochu

The large ceramic pots are fill with shochu, customers can bring their own container and have them filled by the staff.

The Proprietor Blogging

Unfortunately it cannot be seen in this photo, but Mr Fujii’s desk sits atop several Marshall amplifiers. Not your usual shinise! The refrigerated cases in the background display unpasteurized sake.

Fine Japanese Whiskey

Mr Fujii says that recently many foreign visitors are looking for Japanese whiskey.

Yamazaki Single Malt Whiskey

The Suntory Yamazaki Distillery is located in a suburb of Kyoto.

The Proprietor’s Calligraphy

Calligraphy in Japanese or English.

The Proprietor’s Calligraphy

The Proprietor’s Calligraphy

This makes for unique gifts.

Tsunoki Storefront in Nishiki Market

Note: Some ryokan do not like it if you drink your own sake in your room. The main reason to have your own fine sake is that the ryokan has failed to prepare it’s own. Don’t accept this. Many ryokan have their own private label sake and they are often just mediocre with a nice label and high price.

Our recommendation:
1. DO NOT stay at a ryokan that doesn’t allow guests to enjoy sake of their choice in their own room.
2. DO NOT stay at a ryokan that charges extra if guests drink their own sake.
3. If a ryokan has such terms as the above, they have to be stated clearly in the reservation process or when checking in. If terms are not clearly stated, it is perfectly natural by Japanese custom to refuse payment.
4. If you have a bad experience, send us an email as we are considering a ‘Hall of Shame’ page.

There are a lot of cheap, crappy and stuck-up restaurants, shops and inns in Kyoto. If you are visiting Kyoto from abroad, you will have spent a lot of time and money to get here and you deserve to be treated well!

＊Tell’em all about it!: When you visit a restaurant or shop that you heard about from KyotoFoodie, please tell them about us. Thank you!

English:
English menu/pamphlet: none
English website: none
Service/Staff: helpful and friendly
Hours: 9:00 am-6:00 pm, closed the second Wednesday of each month.
Price: 500-10,000 yen. (credit cards are not accepted)
Location and Access: Tsunoki is located in Nishiki Market.
Address: 604-8055 Kyoto-shi Nakagyo-ku Nishiki Ichiba Tominokoji Higashi-iru 194
(京都市中京区錦市場富小路東入ル194)
Telephone: 075-221-2441

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