Umeshu Matsuri in Kyoto 2026 (Plum Wine Festival)

Before you go

A plum-wine tasting festival run by the Japan Umeshu Research Association, described on the official site as one of Japan's largest umeshu events. More than 100 plum wines from breweries across the country are gathered for tasting at Kitano Tenmangu Shrine, exchanged for dedicated 'ume-sen' tokens (1, 2 or 4 sen). Beyond tasting, there are direct sales, food pairings and limited-edition goods.

• 100+ umeshu for tasting, including 2026 National Umeshu Competition medal winners
• Dassai umeshu: ~20ml tasting ¥900; 720ml bottle ¥15,950 (tax incl.), 40 bottles/day
• Tokusen session at Fugetsu-den: nine gold-winning umeshu + snacks + commentary, ¥7,000, 30 people per session

Getting there

Venue: the grounds of Kitano Tenmangu Shrine, Bakuro-cho, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto (602-8386). From JR Kyoto Station, take city bus 50 to 'Kitano Tenmangu-mae' (right outside, about 35 minutes); or about a 5-minute walk from Randen Kitano-Hakubaicho Station. The official site warns against drink-driving.

Booking

Tickets required. General admission is ¥1,900 for both advance and same-day: advance includes 21 ume-sen, same-day 19. Pair tickets ¥3,800 (42 sen advance / 40 same-day); glass-set tickets ¥2,700 with a 2026-edition shot glass (21 sen advance / 19 same-day). Buy via Seven Ticket or e-ticket as directed on the official site. The Tokusen session at Fugetsu-den is a separate ¥7,000 advance ticket.

Crowds

Four days: until 18:00 on 21–23 Nov, until 17:00 on Tuesday 24 Nov. The Dassai bottles (40/day) and Tokusen sessions (30/session) are limited — go early if you want them.

Good for

For umeshu and sake fans who want to compare many styles at once, and for anyone hunting hard-to-find bottles as souvenirs. Note: drinking under 20 is prohibited by law in Japan.

How it differs

Unlike ordering a single umeshu at an izakaya, this is a side-by-side tasting of more than a hundred varieties, sortable by competition medals and nine umeshu categories. Unlike a department-store sake fair, everything here is umeshu — tasting, buying and food pairings all revolve around it.

The centrepiece is the 2026 National Umeshu Competition: gold, silver and bronze winning umeshu are all on the tasting list. The Dassai umeshu — a collaboration between Dassai brewery and the research association, made with top-grade ripe Nanko plums and junmai daiginjo polished to 23% — is available for paid tasting and limited bottle sales. A premium 'Tokusen Umeshu Matsuri' session takes place in Fugetsu-den, normally closed to the public, pairing nine gold-winning umeshu with the Fugetsu garden created by the next head of the Ueji family.