Sakamori Craft Beer & Sake Festival 2026

As the autumn air cools and the wooded hills of Katano begin to glow with golden leaves, SAKAMORI comes alive with the sound of clinking glasses, crackling food stalls, and relaxed conversations beneath the trees. Held at Hoshi no Sato Iwafune, the two-day festival brings together regional craft breweries, local sake producers, seasonal food vendors, and a distinctly slower autumn atmosphere that feels far removed from the center of Osaka.

Unlike Osaka’s larger urban beer events, SAKAMORI leans heavily into setting and mood. Visitors spend the afternoon moving between outdoor booths surrounded by forested paths, open-air seating areas, and the cooler mountain air that settles into Katano in early November. One stand may be pouring hop-forward craft beer from a Kansai brewery while another serves locally produced sake alongside warm seasonal dishes designed for long afternoons outdoors.

Previous editions have also given the festival a strong regional identity through its mix of Kansai breweries and local sake makers. Craft beer fans have been able to sample pours from established names such as Minoh Beer, Belgian-inspired specialists Kyoto Brewing Company, hop-forward producers like Ushitora Brewery, and Osaka favorites including Derailleur Brew Works, helping bring a broad cross-section of Kansai’s modern craft beer scene into Katano’s wooded hills.

The sake side of the festival roots the event even more deeply in the region itself.  Katano breweries including Nakano Shuzo and Katanojo Shuzo, both with brewing histories connected to the Edo period. Junmai, nigori, and seasonal varieties have typically poured alongside outdoor food stalls serving takoyaki, yakitori, okonomiyaki, and other dishes designed for slow autumn afternoons spent eating and drinking beneath the trees.

The 2025 edition featured 13 craft breweries alongside sake makers and regional food vendors, with the event operating as a free-entry festival using advance drink-and-food ticket sheets. Families, hikers, local residents, craft beer fans, and day-trippers all mix together across the campground-style venue, creating an atmosphere that feels more like an autumn gathering than a traditional beer festival.

The setting itself remains central to the experience. Located near Iwafune Shrine in Katano’s wooded recreation area, Hoshi no Sato Iwafune offers a rare kind of seasonal drinking environment for the Osaka region — one where visitors arrive by train, walk into the hills, and spend the day surrounded by trees rather than city blocks and high-rises. As the larger festival season winds down across Kansai, SAKAMORI has quietly established itself as one of the area’s most unique autumn outdoor drinking events.

Craft Powerhouses: Minoh Beer, Kyoto Brewing, Ushitora, Brewpub Center Point & Derailleur

Local Sake Heritage: Nakano Shuzo and Katanojo Shuzo pouring unique seasonal brews

Autumn Atmosphere: Craft beer and sake surrounded by autumn woodland scenery.

Food Pairings: Takoyaki, yakitori, okonomiyaki, and seasonal comfort dishes.

Live & Local: Acoustic music, workshops, and relaxed community vibes

Photos: Osaka Scene staff, Sakamori Official Website