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Offered languages
- English
Join an expert brewer for an exclusive journey through Japan’s most famous sake region. Go beyond the free tasting areas to explore traditional techniques, visit a master cooperage where barrels are still handcrafted, and enjoy a guided tasting of sake made from three different rice varieties.
• Exclusive Tastings: Sample rare Nama (unpasteurized), barrel-aged, and ultra-premium Daiginjo sake.
• Behind-the-Scenes Access: Visit a workshop where skilled craftsmen still hand-build traditional wooden sake barrels.
• Expert Insights: Learn centuries-old brewing secrets and local culture from an experienced sake brewer.
• Sake Knowledge: Enjoy a guided Sake Flight with your host at an active sake brewery.
For weekend dates, please check my other tour at Origin Sake Tours, available Fri, Sat and Sun
What's Included
Meeting and pickup
Our meeting point is Hanshin Nishinomiya Station on the Hanshin Electric Railway Main Line. After getting off the train, wait outside the ticket gate of the Ebisu Exit.
Just a short walk from the original meeting place, Uozaki Station is an express stop on the Hanshin Main Line. Both Osaka and Kobe are easily accessible on this line.
Itinerary
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1
Enjoy a welcome drink in front of the crystal-clear spring water of Sawa no I well. This natural spring is directly beneath the elevated tracks of Hanshin Mikage Station in Kobe and holds deep cultural importance both for the naming of the Mikage area and for the region's brewing history.
10 minutes • Admission ticket free -
2Hakutsuru Sake Brewery Museum
Our first stop begins with traditional sake brewing. Your guide is an experienced sake brewer and has experienced the Edo-period brewing techniques on display. He will be on hand to show you around their interactive museum and explain the various tools and equipment on display. This is also a chance to see the workings on a fully operational craft sake brewery. Free sake tasting is provided.
1 hour • Admission ticket free -
3Kiku-Masamune Shuzo Kinenkan
Our first stop is Kiku-Masamune, founded in 1659. Today they are famous for their continued use of traditional brewing techniques such as cask-aged sake (taruzake) and the natural kimoto method. Here you will visit the workshop where dedicated craftspeople still make these casks by hand (subject to availability) and try the sake aged in them based on a traditional Edo-period (1603-1868) recipe.
1 hour • Admission ticket free -
4Hamafukutsuru Ginjo Brewery
Our last stop takes us up to the modern age of sake brewing at one of Nada's smallest breweries. Hamafukutsuru is a interactive brewing facility, built after the devastation of the Great Hanshin Earthquake of 1995. They concentrate on the luxurious ginjo method of sake brewing, known for its light and floral brews. Here you will enjoy a comparative tasting of 3 different kinds of ginjo made from 3 different rice varieties.
1 hour • Admission ticket free
Additional info
- Service animals allowed
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Tags
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Cancellation Policy
- For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
- If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
- Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
- This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
Rating
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
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