Kirin Fuji Gotemba Distillery Tour

A Japanese whisky distillery part of the Kirin Group, Fuji Gotemba Distillery has Mount Fuji as its water source.

Kirin Seagram (changed to Kirin Distillery in 2002) was established in 1972 as a joint venture between Kirin Brewery, J.E. Seagram and Chivas Brothers and started production in 1973.

The Group chose the site as it most resembles Scotland's climate and uses rainwater and snowmelt from Fuji-san for their products. They aim to produce a 'clean and estery whisky'.

Opening Times and Admission

Open Tuesday to Sunday. Closed on public holidays.

The distillery shop is open from 9:30 am to 4 pm. The first tour starts at 10.30 am, and the last one at 14:10 pm.

The tour costs 500 Yen, which you pay on arrival at a device/machine next to the reception.

You can only book around 5 weeks in advance. For details, please check their official website.

How to get there

Kirin Fuji Gotemba Distillery offers a free shuttle bus (20 minute-ride) from JR Gotemba Station (from the Hakone Otome Exit, bus stop 4), departing at 9:50, 10:50, 12:30, 13:30, 14:30.

From the distillery, the shuttle bus departs at 10:30, 12:10, 13:10, 13:50, 15:10 and 16:00.

If you have arrived in Gotemba Station and you've missed the shuttle bus, you can also catch the Fuji Kyuko bus for Kawaguchiko /Fuji Gakko from platform 2 of the Bus Terminal just outside the Fujisan Exit. Make sure to get off at the Midono bus stop, cross the street and walk for about 5 minutes to reach the distillery.

The distillery is a 20-minute taxi ride from Gotemba Station.

Address: 970 Shibanta, Gotemba, Shizuoka 412-0003, Japan

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As you arrive in Gotemba, and the closer you get to the distillery, if you're lucky enough, you might get a glimpse of Fuji-san.

The distillery is only 12km from the peak, but the weather conditions might interfere with how well you can see this beautiful mountain. The pictures below were taken only a few hours apart

I arrived there a bit early and had time to pay for my ticket and check in with reception.

Before the tour itself starts, there is a display area where you can see some of their products and a bit of info about them.

The tour is in Japanese Only, but you have the option of getting an audioguide in English before the start of the tour.

As the tour starts, you go through the ingredients used and types of processes involved in quite a bit of detail.

They offered plenty of time for everyone to have a look around and ask questions after every area was presented.

After fermentation and distillation, we moved towards the bottling area where, unlike other distilleries I have been to, you could see everything happening in real time.

The whole manufacturing process is certainly fascinating, whether you love whisky or are simply curious, so I definitely recommend a visit, no matter how much you do or do not love whisky.

After the distillery tour ended, we walked into the bar and gift shop area, where we had the chance to try the Kirin Riku and one of the Fuji Whisky, one of which we also made into a highball.

Their gift shop was (in April 2025 at least) one of the best I've seen in a while for any distillery, with so much choice when it comes to whisky, t-shirts and small souvenirs.

Overall, it is in the top 3 distillery tours I have ever been on. Fantastically organised, amazing staff and delicious whisky. I cannot fault them in any way.

If you are organising a trip to Japan, especially if you plan on seeing Mt. Fuji, make sure to pay a visit to this fascinating distillery; you won't regret it.

Have you ever been there? If so, I would love to hear about your visit there, in the comment section below.

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I hope life is treating you well.

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