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Offered languages
- English
Explore the rich traditions of Japanese sake in Tamba-Sasayama, a region celebrated for its master brewers, the Tamba Toji. The tour includes a visit to the Tamba Toji Sake Brewing Museum, where you'll learn the intricate techniques involved in sake production, from rice polishing to fermentation. Transitioning to the lively Houmei Shuzo’s Horoyoi Jokagura brewery, witness how historical practices blend with innovative methods, including the unique use of music to enhance fermentation. The experience culminates in a guided tasting of premium sake varieties, where you’ll discover the nuances that define each brew.
- Discover the art of sake-making at the Tamba Toji Sake Brewing Museum
- Visit a functioning brewery and learn about unique brewing methods
- Enjoy a guided tasting of premium ginjo, junmai, and fuller-bodied sakes
- Personalized assistance available for purchasing sake that matches your taste
What's Included
Meeting and pickup
Meet in front of the Tamba Toji Sake Brewing Museum. Your guide will be waiting for you with a yellow sign. Please refer to the map for details.
The tour ends in the center of Sasayama City, providing excellent access to nearby areas.
Itinerary
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1
The Tamba Toji Sake Brewing Museum offers an in-depth look at the traditions and craftsmanship of the Tamba Toji, one of Japan’s most respected guilds of master brewers. Housed in a historic building, the museum showcases traditional brewing tools, fermentation equipment, and detailed exhibits that explain each stage of sake production—from rice polishing to koji making and temperature control. Visitors can learn how sake was once made entirely by hand, guided by the intuition and技 of the toji, whose skills were refined over centuries in the cool climate of the Tamba region. It is an ideal starting point for anyone wishing to understand the cultural and technical foundations of Japanese sake.
30 minutes • Admission ticket included -
2
Houmei Shuzo’s Horoyoi Jokagura is an active sake brewery where tradition and innovation coexist. Visitors can explore the atmospheric brewing space filled with wooden vats, stirring paddles, steaming baskets, and fermentation tanks that reflect generations of craftsmanship. The brewery is known for its unique approach of playing the local Dekansho-bushi folk song and even Mozart directly to the fermentation tanks, a practice believed to create a calmer environment for the yeast. In addition to learning about these techniques, guests can enjoy a guided tasting of the brewery’s premium sakes, gaining insight into the nuanced flavors and aromas that define Tamba’s brewing culture. It is a rare chance to experience the living heart of sake-making in Tamba-Sasayama.
1 hour • Admission ticket included
Additional info
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- This tour includes an alcoholic beverage tasting. Under Japanese law, only guests aged 20 and above are permitted to participate.
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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.
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
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