SAKE Bar Hotel ASAKUSA - Why This Tokyo Hotel Gives You a Masu at Check-In

In Tokyo's historic Asakusa district, where centuries-old temples meet modern tourist crowds, a new hotel is making check-in considerably more interesting. At the SAKE Bar Hotel ASAKUSA, you don't just get handed a plastic key card - you receive a traditional wooden masu cup, which you can fill up to the brink during the sake free-flow period. It's the kind of welcome that immediately signals this isn't your average business hotel.

The 21-room boutique property, established by the century-old Kikkawa Brewery, revolves entirely around Japan's national drink. The ground-floor sake bar is exclusively for hotel residents, operating as both afternoon lounge and evening hangout. Between 1:30 PM and 5 PM, you can sample different varieties while nibbling on obanzai snacks - perfect if you've arrived early for check-in. Come evening (6 PM to 10 PM), the space transforms into a self-service cocktail bar where you can experiment with sake-based concoctions.

The Heart of the Operation

The bar resembles a Shinto shrine, complete with a pebbled pathway and large sugidama (cedar bough balls) at the entrance - the traditional sign of a sake brewery. Built from wood to look like a kamidana altar, every detail connects to brewing culture, from repurposed barrel-lid tables to lamps crafted from masu cups. A massive shimenawa (sacred rope) hangs overhead, just as it would at a shrine where sake is offered to the gods.

All the sake served comes from the Kikkawa Brewery's Afuri series, produced in Isehara City using pure water from an underground stream fed by Mount Oyama's meltwater. The brewery, founded in 1917, sits tucked away in the foothills of sacred Mount Oyama - also known as Afuri-yama (rainfall mountain) for its centuries-long association with rain worship. The current brewers push traditional boundaries, experimenting with yeast extracted from flowers, ancient rice varieties, and sustainable brewing processes that reduce waste.

Room for Every Traveler

The hotel's five room categories each take their design cues from sake culture, though Western-style beds keep things comfortable for international visitors.

The most compact option at just 11 square meters, these cozy rooms feature a double bed, shower, and artwork created from wooden masu sake cups. Despite their size, they include all the essentials: LCD TV, refrigerator, and rice-based skincare products.

Masu Queen

Slightly more spacious at 12.5 square meters, these rooms swap the double bed for a queen size while maintaining the same masu-inspired décor and amenities. The compact design maximizes every inch without feeling cramped.

Tokkuri

Named after the traditional sake flask, these standard rooms feature impressive 220-centimeter-wide king beds and sake-inspired art that adds whimsy to the 17 square meters of space. Each includes a bathtub alongside the standard amenities.

Komodaru

The superior rooms blend Japanese and Western aesthetics across 27 square meters. The living area features tatami mats with a traditional chabudai tea table and zabuton cushions, while the separate bedroom has wooden floors and double twin beds. The deep ceramic bathtub is surrounded by glass walls that turn opaque at the touch of a button.

Kura Suite

Occupying the entire ninth floor, this 59.7 square meter suite offers the full Japanese experience with two double twin rooms, an elegantly appointed living room with a curved sofa inspired by ancient magatama stone beads, and a deep ceramic bathtub. It's designed for up to seven people who want space to spread out.

Soaking in Style

For ultimate relaxation, the hotel offers a reservation-only private open-air bath on the top floor, complete with a cold water bath. Available in 60-minute slots between 7 AM and 10 AM, then again from 3 PM to 11 PM, it provides a more intimate alternative to Tokyo's public bath houses. The outdoor setting lets you soak under Asakusa's sky while maintaining complete privacy.

Sky-High Sake Sessions

The real showstopper sits on the tenth floor: a rooftop footbath with panoramic views of the Tokyo Skytree. Open from 3 PM to 10 AM the next morning, it's where tired sightseers can soak their feet while sampling sake from the automatic server.

With your masu cup in hand and the city lights twinkling below, it's hard to imagine a more distinctly Tokyo way to end the day.