Fushimi

Located in Kyoto’s mountainous southeastern quarters, Fushimi is a famous sake producing district, the second largest in the country. The soft clear spring water sourced in the area has driven the local sake industry, indeed the name Fushimi in ancient kanji translates as ‘hidden water’. Fittingly Fushimi is the place to sample sake in Kyoto and there are numerous sake houses and restaurants. The world of sake is as vast as that of wine, and the Gekkeikan Okura Sake Museum is a good place to begin your education.

Fushimi is also home to a number of important sight-seeing spots most notably the Fushimi Inari Shrine which impressively welcomes visitors through its thousands of vermillion torii shrine gates. The ward’s location in the foothills of the Higashiyama Mountains endows it with areas of impeccable natural beauty for example the Gardens of Jonangu present five divine landscapes complemented by the natural backdrop.