Sake Tour and Tasting in Kobe with a Sake Brewer

5.0 (21 reviews) 4 hours Free cancellation

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21 reviews

5.0

Enjoy Sake — Photos: the activity supplier, via Viator

Visit Historical Sake Breweries — Photos: the activity supplier, via Viator

About this activity

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 and food pairing at a local standing bar.

> 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: Learn about different styles of sake and how to pair them with food directly from an industry insider.

Half-day Tours Private and Luxury Walking Tours Sake Tasting Sake Brewery Tour Small Group New Product Weather Dependent - Moderate

At a glance

Duration: 4 hours
Confirmation: Instant confirmation
Ticket: Mobile or paper ticket accepted
Group: Up to 8 people
People per booking: 1–8
Guide: English
Operated by: Origin Sake Tours

Ages: Adults (20–99 years)

What is included

Included

Included: All taxes, fees and handling charges
Included: Taste various types of local sake
Included: Guided Sake Tasting with your host (comparative tasting of different grades of sake)
Included: Guided by a local sake brewer, not a tour guide
Included: Explanation of Traditional Sake Brewing Techniques
Included: Light snack provided with the final tasting

Not included

Not included: Transportation cost to and from the tour are not included.

Itinerary

Stop 1

10 min

Join your host along the Sumiyoshi River for a quick welcome drink served in traditional ceramic sake vessels. This river is the lifeline of the local region and has been essential to sake brewing.
Sakuramasamune Kinenkan Sakuraen

Passing by

Enjoy a leisurely stroll through Uozaki, one of Nada's famous Five-Villages, to see the main sake brewing district. Along the way, we will pass the towering brewery of Sakura- Masamune and see Kenbishi, one of Japan's oldest breweries. Your guide will talk about the history and developments of this famous brewing region.
Kiku-Masamune Sake Brewery Museum

one hour

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.
Hakutsuru Sake Brewery Museum

one hour

Visit Nada's largest sake producer to learn about traditional brewing techniques. Your guide is an experienced sake brewer who will be on hand to show you around their interactive museum and explain the various tools and equipment on display. Free sake tasting is provided.
Stop 5

one hour Admission included

Enjoy an immersive sake tasting with your host at the former brewery of Kenbishi, one of Japan's oldest and most famous sake brands. We will sample three types of local sake paired with a light snack. This is a unique location offering you the chance to enjoy sake in the same place it was once made.