10/06/2025
This is about our Japanese sake brewery:
Dear my friend .
Shirafuji Sake Brewery originally operated in Futaba Town, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. In 2011, the Great East Japan Earthquake and the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Disaster forced us to evacuate, leaving us unable to return. In search of a new place to continue our sake-making tradition, we traveled across Japan and ultimately settled in Woodinville, Washington. It wasn’t until 2023 that we could finally return to our original brewery in Futaba Town, only to find it severely damaged after 14 years of neglect.
When we were forced to evacuate, we had just 15 minutes to leave. We lost everything, leaving behind our brewery and taking only our sake-making expertise with us.
After much soul-searching, we made the difficult decision to demolish our beloved brewery in Futaba Town for safety reasons. This historic wooden three-story structure, built exactly 100 years ago, once housed 24 brewers during its peak, working tirelessly to craft our sake.
In sake production, a brewery is more than a building—it’s a home to unique microbial cultures that define the sake’s flavor, much like the chateaux in French winemaking. Though a fire destroyed much of the original brewery over a century ago, the stone koji room remained intact from its founding. My great-grandfather designed the brewery with earthquakes in mind, using robust timber. My grandfather reinforced its foundation to withstand tremors, and my father replaced heavy roof tiles with lighter ones to enhance safety. Thanks to these efforts across three generations, the brewery withstood the magnitude 9.0 earthquake in 2011 without structural damage. However, 14 years of exposure to the elements, with no one to maintain it, took a devastating toll.
For the past six months, we’ve worked tirelessly to preserve this historic brewery, exploring ways to open it to the public as a testament to the earthquake and nuclear disaster’s impact. We wanted to share its story—what happened after the disaster and what the nuclear accident meant for our community. However, as a family, we faced insurmountable challenges in maintaining it alone.
A significant factor in our decision was the issue of trespassers. While some may have been curious about Futaba Town, many entered without permission, taking photos and stealing cherished items as “trophies.” Despite a few arrests, the police informed us that catching perpetrators in the act was necessary for legal action, leaving us with little recourse. The final push came when a recent incident involving an influencer arrested for trespassing in the area underscored the risks of leaving the brewery as is.
Our hope was to safely open the brewery to visitors, but we cannot risk injuries. To prevent further incidents, we’ve decided to demolish the structure before any accidents occur.
To those who visit the brewery or nearby homes: we understand you may want to share Futaba Town’s story with the world. However, these are not abandoned ruins—they are someone’s home, filled with precious memories. What may seem like insignificant souvenirs to you are irreplaceable treasures to their owners: family photos, graduation albums, heirlooms from loved ones, lifelong collections, or markings on a wall tracking a child’s growth. When I returned in 2018, I found that nearly all our mementos had been stolen or destroyed—photos scattered on the floor and trampled. The pain of this loss is indescribable. Please remember that these are someone’s treasures.
The earthquake and nuclear disaster took everything from us in an instant. Our home, which we thought would always be there, was gone. Moving forward requires letting go, even when it feels impossible. Shirafuji’s journey continues in America, where we are building a new legacy as a local sake brewery.
We ask one thing: please remember that Shirafuji Sake Brewery began in Futaba Town, Japan. This is our origin, our soul. This decision to demolish our brewery is heartbreaking, but please don’t forget our story. It’s a reminder that such a loss could happen to anyone
