1.5 hour private experience
Location: Niigata City
Offered in Japanese, with a friendly Deeper Japan guide interpreting in your language
Meet the Master
What you’ll do
Join the 4th or 5th generation brewery head on a private tour of the sake brewery. As you explore the sake brewery, discover more about how sake is produced, witnessing the daily operations of the brewery, as well as the history of the sake brewery itself. After the tour concludes, enjoy a tasting session of the sake brewery's iconic selections, discovering the nuance between the different labels.
Availability
Everyday
Session 1 (10:00 - 11:30)
Session 2 (14:00 - 15:30)
Who can attend
Sake tasting is only available to those who are 20 years of age (legal drinking age in Japan) and above.
Drinking is prohibited for drivers.
What’s included
A 300ml bottle of original Takarayama sake to take home with you (one per participant)
What else you should know
Please refrain from eating/drinking fermented foods, such as kimchi or natto, right before the tour.
This is asked to prevent cross-contamination of the yeast used to produce sake.
Access
50 minutes by car from Niigata Station
Shrine, Spirits, Sake
Hidden in a forested mountain alcove straddling the seas of Niigata’s coastline, Yahiko Shrine boasts a history spanning more than 2,400 years. As one of Niigata’s most prestigious shrines, it has long been a destination of pilgrimage, surrounded by landscapes rich in spiritual travel, bubbling hot springs, and a deep-rooted culture of sake brewing. At its core, Shintoism and sake have always been intertwined. Revered as the “drink of the gods,” sake has been used in sacred rituals and provided as an offering to shrines for centuries, sake barrels embossed with vivid brewery logos lining the shrine grounds. Just steps away from the shrine, a local sake brewery continues this long-held connection. Though its history does not stretch back as far as Yahiko Shrine's own two millennia, the brewery has proudly operated since the Edo period—an era of art, urbanization, and cultural development starting over four centuries ago. Since the brewery's founding, each generation has carried forward craftsmanship, a legacy now entrusted to the fifth-generation head. On a private tour, discover the secrets of sake making, then savor a guided tasting that immerses you in the flavors of Niigata—a place where history, culinary arts, and devotion converge.
Cancellation Policy
Please make your booking at least 3 days in advance. See cancellation policy here.
A detailed itinerary will be emailed to you once your booking has been confirmed.
