Saseki (沙石)

Saseki is a self-serve sake tasting bar in the historic Iwase district of Toyama City, operated directly by Masuda Shuzo, the brewery behind the famed Masuizumi label. Housed in a beautifully restored Edo/Meiji-era merchant residence, featuring timber salvaged from a lightning-struck cedar and an expansive hinoki-cypress bar counter, the shop lets visitors buy a tasting cup and pour themselves from dozens of Masuizumi varieties, paying per pour on an honor-system basis. It was newly selected for the 2025 Tabelog Tachinomi Hyakumeiten list, its first such honor. The atmosphere is upscale-rustic rather than typical dive-bar tachinomi, drawing sake enthusiasts and visitors exploring the growing craft and art scene in Iwase.