Sake Tour & Tastings with a Sake Brewer in Kobe (Nada)
Explore the fascinating world of sake guided by an expert sake brewer. You will visit breweries and museums, meet some of Japan's most prestigious producers and taste a variety of local sake.
Highlights
Explore Kobe’s famous Nada Sake District with a sake brewer guide.
Learn about traditional sake brewing techniques that have been passed down for generations.
Taste up to 8 varieties of sake, including ultra-premium daiginjo and fresh namazake.
Learn about traditional sake brewing techniques that have been passed down for generations.
Enjoy a guided sake tasting and otsumami (light snacks) at a former brewery belonging to Kenbishi, one of Japan's oldest sake makers.
10 meals
Experience Details
One in every four bottles of sake sold in Japan comes from Nada Gogo, a cluster of towns near Kobe in Hyogo Prefecture, and for good reason. This region has mastered the craft of sake-making over centuries, becoming a lead sake producer, no mean feat in a country where sake is a national drink. The brewery-lined, fragrant streets of Nada Gogo draw throngs of sake lovers eager to try the finest local brews made with traditional techniques, and you, too, can explore the area's sake legacy — with a sake brewer himself.
Your first stop will be Kiku-Masamune, a brewery founded in 1659 that still crafts much of its sake artisanally. One of the methods they use is aging sake in barrels, and you might be able to see how these barrels are made (subject to availability). Here, you will taste two premium kinds of sake before you go to the Sake Museum of Hakutsuru, which houses an impressive array of traditional brewing tools and memorabilia, where you will taste more sake made with two different kinds of rice. Before your tour ends, you'll enjoy a sake tasting at a standing bar from one of Japan's longest-standing sake makers, Kenbishi, a unique historical site where sake heritage comes to life.
Experience flow:
- Meet your guide, Andrew, at Uozaki Station
- Explore the area on foot as your host fills you in on the history and developments of the region
- Visit Kiku-Masamune, a historical brewery where you can see traditional brewing and craftspeople making sake casks by hand (subject to availability)
- Visit Hakutsuru, Nada's largest sake producer, and enjoy a guided tasting
- End the tour at Nada Sake Tokoro, a bar and brewery unlike any other. Try a specially crafted comparative tasting of three types of Nada sake.
As you explore the traditional streets of Nada and visit its centuries-old breweries with Andrew, you'll gain a new appreciation for the craft, learn what makes the area's sake so remarkable, and fill your cup with different kinds of delicious, fresh sake.
Inclusions
A guided tasting with local sake varieties and a light snack at a former sake brewery
Guidance about the sake-making process from a professional sake brewer
Entry to breweries and museums
Trying eight varieties of local sake during the tour (including premium daiginjo)
Visit a barrel-making facility (subject to availability)
Exclusions
Transportation to and from the meeting point
Meeting Point and Meeting Time
Meet your guide at Uozaki Station, about 8 minutes by train from Kobe-Sannomiya Station on the Hanshin Line. More detailed information and a Google Maps link will be provided upon booking.
Remarks
Tours can be customized or extended upon request. Please contact your host upon booking.
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
Hyōgo is home to the best beef in the world, Kobe beef, and that’s not all. From vast natural parks to one of the oldest and biggest castles in Japan, this prefecture covers all bases with natural beauty and a thriving food culture inspired by Chinese and French immigrants in the port cities.
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10 meals
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