Hiroshima Sake Town Tour in Saijo
Taste the finest brews from Hiroshima sake town and learn about locally-made sake in this fascinating Saijo area tour.
Highlights
3-hour tour of Saijo district in Hiroshima
Visit 4-6 local sake breweries to get a sense of the differences, try their sake and other products.
Enjoy a local specialty hot-pot lunch only made in this small, historic town.
Dessert stop with sweets and snacks.
10 meals
Experience Details
Different regions of Japan produce sake (known as nihonshu in Japanese) with unique characteristics, reflecting their local conditions and qualities.
Hiroshima sake is renowned for its mellow taste and gentle sweetness, which is attributed to the region’s soft water, excellent quality rice, and the special Hiroshima Ginjo yeast, for which Umeda Shuzo-jo Brewery won an award. In particular, Saijo, Hiroshima’s “Sake Town” is famous nationwide as one of the top three sake brewing locations in Japan, with eight breweries located in close proximity to one another. Their business flourishes from the abundance of shikomi mizu, medium hardness water that is well-suited for sake brewing.
Your local tour guide will show you around various historic breweries in Saijo, giving you insights into the local culture and traditions of sake brewing. You’ll hop from one brewery to another to taste samples and witness the production, exploring the surrounding town in between, which has several breweries along Sakagura-Dori (Sake Brewery Street).
On the tour, you will take a stroll through the historic streets, visiting breweries and enjoying different kinds of sake. Starting off at Kamotsuru, a sake brewery which carries a line of 12 unique bottles of sake, you’ll learn about the brewing process. You’ll soon find out that sake is not just for drinking when you stop off at a nearby restaurant to enjoy Bishu Nabe, a local style of hot pot made with sake! You’ll learn all about the history of this yummy dish, and enjoy other local specialties at the restaurant.
You’ll then enjoy brewery hopping in Saijo, your palate encountering new flavors during the Hiroshima sake tastings at each location. If one in particular tickles your fancy, feel free to purchase a bottle to take home! Finish the tour on a sweet note with local desserts and snacks.
Inclusions
3-hour tour of Saijo district in Hiroshima
Visit 4-6 local sake breweries to get a sense of the differences, try their sake and other products.
See how a brewery works and get a sense of what goes into the production of high-quality sake.
Enjoy a local specialty hot-pot lunch only made in this small, historic town.
Dessert stop with sweets and snacks.
Meeting Point and Meeting Time
Meet-up details will be sent to your provided email address once your booking is confirmed.
Remarks
The food tour starts strictly on time. If guests do not arrive at the meeting point by the departure time, the tour will begin regardless, and no refund shall be given.
The sake brewing process is not available to the public due to sanitation concerns and health regulations, so there may be areas of the breweries that are off-limits to visitors.
Please wear comfortable shoes as this tour will involve lots of walking.
Please note that the legal drinking age in Japan is 20 years old.
Cancellation Policy
Cancel your booking at least 2 days before the experience start time to receive a full refund minus a 3.2% transaction fee.
Experience Location
One of the top 3 major sake brewing locations in Japan, Saijo "Sake Town" is representative of the Hiroshima sake scene, playing host to the Sake Festival every October. Home to 8 breweries, most of which are located along Sakagura Dori, or “Sake Brewing Street,” Saijo a fantastic source for shikomi-sui, water that is ideal for sake brewing. The community is welcoming to everyone, from people curious about the brewing process to full-fledged sake enthusiasts, and it is easy to hop between breweries along Sakagura Dori, tasting different varieties and learning about Hiroshima sake.
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10 meals
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