©Watanabe Sahei Sake Brewery
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Learn about the process of making sake during your visit to Nikko by joining a brewery tour led by the 7th-generation owner, followed by a sake tasting
Nikko City Tourism Association
The Watanabe Sahei Shoten sake brewery, located in the historic city of Nikko, was established in 1842.
The brewery is near a 37-km stretch of cedar trees, which has been registered in the Guinness World Records as one of the world's longest avenues of cedar trees.
According to lore passed down by generations of brewers, it is said that where cedar trees grow well, good sake is produced.
The brewery crafts its sake with meticulous care, using the rich groundwater from the surrounding mountain ranges and locally produced rice, each carefully selected for every type of sake it brews.
The 7th-generation owner will personally conduct this tour in English, introducing visitors to the brewery and the secrets of making delicious sake. During the height of the brewing season,
from November to March, you can observe the sake-making process up close. At the end of the tour, the owner will take you through a sake tasting flight to experience the wide variety of flavors and aromas brewers can create.
How to get there
From Tokyo Station, take the Tohoku Shinkansen to Utsunomiya Station (about 50 minutes). From there, take the JR Nikko Line to Imaichi Station (about 35 minutes). The brewery is a 10-minute walk away.
450 Imaichi, Nikko-shi, Tochigi-ken