Learn about and taste Hiroshima’s Ginjo-Sake

Visiting Akitsu, the birthplace of ginjo sake, and Saijo, one of Japan’s top three sake brewing regions, and collect sake labels

Ginjo-shu is one of the most famous styles of sake. This tour will take you to Akitsu, the birthplace of ginjo-shu, and Saijo, one of Japan’s three major sake brewery regions, to learn about sake while tasting Hiroshima’s sake. The tour guide will explain about sake and sake brewing methods in Hiroshima, so you can deepen your knowledge of sake. Lunch will be served at a restaurant owned by Kamotsuru Sake Brewery, one of Saijo’s sake breweries, where you can enjoy the famous local dish “Bishu-nabe” (sake hot pot).

During the sake brewery tour, you will be given a sake stamp book so that you can keep your own memories of your sake brewery tour by picking up a representative sake label at each brewery you visit, pasting it on the book, and writing your impressions of the sake.

Tour information

■Number of Participants (Min.- Max.)

2-6 participants (Private Tour)

■ Requirements for participation

20 years old and over

■ Reservation

By request

■ Deadline for Reservations

1 p.m. 2 days prior

■Tour Schedule/Time

Year Round / Except for Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9:15 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

■Meeting Spot/Meeting Time

The reception area is in front of the Tourist Information Center on the 2nd floor of the Shinkansen Exit of Hiroshima Station. Guides will be waiting for you with a reception sign.

Price

– ¥34,000/person (2-4 participants)
– ¥28,000/person (5-6 participants)
*including tax

■Included in the fee
– Transportation fee;
Hiroshima Station (Shinkansen&Taxi) → Akitsu (Taxi) → Saijo (JR train) → Hiroshima Station
– France-ya’s Bishu-nabe lunch fee in Saijo
– Shrine stamp at Sakakiyama Hachiman Shrine
– Sake seal book + cost of sake labels for each brewery
– Licensed Hiroshima local English interpreter guide

■Not included in the fee
– Souvenirs and personal purchases

Feature

Senzaburo Miura laid the foundation for the spread of Hiroshima sake. We will visit Sakakiyama Hachiman Shrine in Akitsu Town, where his bronze statue is located, to learn about his achievements. After visiting the shrine, we’ll receive a shrine stamp.
We’ll visit Tsuka Sake Brewery, a local sake brewery made according to the brewing methods established by Senzaburo Miura, and have a sake tasting.
Lunch in Saijo will be Bishu-nabe, which was originally provided for the sake brewery employees. Enjoy a simple, lightly seasoned nabe.
The guide will introduce you to the sake breweries that line the streets of Saijo, one of Japan’s three major sake brewing areas! You can taste and compare local sake made at each brewery.
There are many stores that use Saijo sake as ingredients, including a chocolate store that collaborates with Saijo sake and a bakery that uses sake lees. At the end of the tour, please enjoy a free tour of Saijo.