Explore the Life and Culture of a Historical Brewery Town

Kinomoto is a charming old brewery town, now occupying northern Nagahama City. Yet back in the Edo era this was a bustling post station town along the Hokkoku Kaido, one of the major historical kaido, or walking routes connecting the regions of Japan. Thanks to the abundance of pure water and resources, sake and soy sauce breweries were a natural trade that helped the town grow. It has retained much of its historical charm, without heavily catering to tourism, but rather sustaining its natural community and identity of local family businesses that have thrived here for centuries.

Join a fluent English-speaking guide for a half-day walk through the town to explore the rich local culture while visiting the long-running family operated sake and soy sauce breweries, as well as local Buddhist temples, traditional bakeries, and more. Unlike many sake tours here in Japan which cater to large groups and teach about the basics of sake-making, this activity is more focused on the actual community and history of these local brewers. So, you can meet the staff of these family-owned businesses, taste samples at one or two of the stops (note: sake and alcohol samples only available for guests age 20 or older), and aside from the winter brewing season, guests are usually invited to take a peek behind the storefront at the actual brewing areas at two of the stops (Yamaji Shuzo & Daiko Shoyu).