Nara Izumi Yusai: A Paid Sake Tasting Room in Naramachi
Browse more than 120 sake labels from 27 Nara breweries, pay for small tastings and ask a specialist shopkeeper to help find a style you enjoy.
Verified site photographs are being prepared.Discover Nara Izumi Yusai: A Paid Sake Tasting Room in Naramachi
Nara Izumi Yusai is a specialist retailer and tasting counter in Nishiterabayashicho, within Naramachi's former merchant-house quarter. It brings together sake made by 27 breweries from across Nara Prefecture, with more than 120 labels listed by the shop. The experience is intentionally guided: browse by rice-polishing style, fermentation method, seasonal release or flavour, then sample a paid 50 ml pour before deciding whether to buy a bottle. It is not a bar serving a full meal or a brewery visit. Its value is the breadth of local producers in one compact place and the chance to ask a knowledgeable shopkeeper questions that a shelf label cannot answer.
Explore the variety within Nara sake
The shop lists more than 120 sake products from 27 prefectural breweries. Its catalogue spans junmai daiginjo, ginjo, junmai, honjozo, nigori, sparkling, aged and seasonal styles, and highlights Nara-specific themes including bodaimoto, yamano-kami yeast and local rice varieties. These labels do not all imply one flavour profile: rice, polishing, yeast, fermentation and aging matter. Ask the shopkeeper to explain a style in terms of aroma, sweetness, acidity, body and serving temperature rather than assuming that sake from one prefecture tastes alike.
Sample before deciding on a bottle
The shop's current tasting page says all listed sake can be sampled for a fee, with 50 ml pours starting at ¥200. Small snacks start at ¥200. Example bottles and pour prices are displayed online, but the selection and amounts change as stock turns over. Treat the product list as a snapshot and check the price at the counter. Pace tastings, drink water and remember that the serving is alcohol; arrange a safe return and never drive. If you have a specific label or brewery in mind, check stock before travelling.
Get guidance without needing prior sake knowledge
The operator says the shopkeeper can suggest a bottle based on the visitor's preferences. Useful starting points include whether you usually like dry or sweet drinks, floral or rice-forward aromas, lighter or fuller body, and what food you plan to serve. Visitors can also search the online catalogue by brewery, sake type and product. This is a retail tasting counter, so there is no posted admission fee; tasting, snacks and take-home bottles are individually priced. The website lists local products beyond sake, including hishio, narazuke, sake-lees cream cheese and amazake.
Find the shop in a historic merchant district
The address is 22 Nishiterabayashicho, in a former Nara lacquerware merchant-house location. The operator places it about 10 minutes on foot from Kintetsu Nara Station and 15 minutes from JR Nara Station; there is no dedicated parking, so use a nearby paid car park if necessary. The area lies between the central temple district and Naramachi's lanes, making the tasting shop a useful stop on a walk, but it is a small retail venue rather than a large visitor centre. Keep nearby residents and shopfronts in mind when photographing the lane.
Check opening notices and tasting availability
The posted regular hours are 11:00–20:00, closed Thursdays, although the prefectural tourism listing says it opens on a Thursday public holiday; confirm a holiday visit directly. The operator publishes short-notice closures and early-closing announcements, so check its live notices on the day. The prefectural visitor listing describes a standing counter for about seven people and says payment is cash only. These practical details are not prominently repeated on the shop's own current pages, so bring cash and confirm the counter arrangement before relying on it. Ask whether tasting is running if your visit is specifically for sampling. No individual reservation requirement or guaranteed English service is published.
What to look for
120-plus labels from 27 Nara breweries
Paid 50 ml tasting pours from ¥200, with snacks from ¥200
Shopkeeper guidance across traditional and Nara-specific brewing styles
Photo notes
No commercial filming or image-reuse licence is stated. Ask before photographing the tasting counter, bottles, staff or other customers. Do not block the narrow street or photograph nearby residents without consent. Use original photographs only with the shop's permission.
SEASONAL CALENDAR
Events connected with Nara Izumi Yusai: A Paid Sake Tasting Room in Naramachi
These records are shared with MyNara’s event calendar, so dates and notices have one source. Recurring patterns are not confirmed dated editions; check the organizer’s latest guidance.
20th Arukunara Central Nara Stamp Rally (2026)
The 20th Arukunara campaign invites visitors to explore eight shopping streets between Kintetsu Nara and JR Nara. The official 2026 participant list names registered MyNara stops including Hotel New Wakasa, Kasuga Hotel, Hotel OBANA, Hotel Nikko Nara, Nara Washington Hotel Plaza, Asukaso, Sarusawa Pond Yoshidaya, Nara Guesthouse 3F, Kakinoha-zushi Tanaka, Cafe Fluke, Umasshu, Com Ngon, Sakura Burger, Kamaiki, Yamazakiya, Genkishin, Manshodo, Shubo Aya, Hiyori, Mafu Okai, Nakatanido, Mentoan, Nara Izumi Yusai, Manmando, Kaki no Senmon, Yatagarasu, Isshindo, Konjaku Kimono Akio, Salon Naramachi, Bambuno, Cherry's Spoon and LAMP BAR. A stamp is earned only when using a participating shop's service, buying something or dining there, while a stay earns two. Collect three stamps in the campaign booklet for one no-blank draw, up to three draws per booklet. The organizer lists more than 420 points and one booklet per person. The prize-draw goal is in front of Nakagawa Masashichi Shoten Sanjo on Sanjo-dori; it is not one of the Higashimuki shop venues. Confirm the official point list and each shop's opening before visiting. The 2026 edition ends November 9; no 2027 dates are confirmed.
Check organizer informationMake a day of it
Explore guides close to this map point, then check the actual route before travelling. Distances below are straight lines, not walking distances or travel times; map points may not be entrances.
Sources & editorial status
Original MyNara draft based on the linked sources. Sources reviewed 20 October 2026. Opening arrangements, prices and offers may change; use the operator's current information before travelling.
- Nara Izumi Yusai — current selection, paid tasting rates, product categories and temporary notices
- Nara Izumi Yusai — dated October 2026 closure notice
- Nara Izumi Yusai — tasting method, 50 ml sample and snack price examples
- Nara Izumi Yusai — current access, walking times, parking and hours
- Nara Izumi Yusai — official contact and opening-hours page
- Official Nara Travel Guide — directory identity and Naramachi location
- Nara Prefecture Visitors Bureau — 29 breweries, 50 ml tasting, standing counter, cash-only listing and Thursday-holiday note
- Nara Prefecture tourism guide — local brewing heritage and producers