Tourism utilizing sake breweries across the country has been gaining attention in recent years. Visitors can see where sake is made and pair it with local cuisine. In today's internet-driven world, there is a demand for "values ​​that can only be experienced locally."

Tokushima Prefecture is home to nationally famous attractions such as the Awa Dance, the Naruto Whirlpools, the Otsuka Museum of Art, and Mt. Tsurugi, but it is said to be "a prefecture that regularly has the lowest number of overnight stays."

To overcome this situation and become a place that can attract people from all over the country, Honke Matsuura Brewery has planned a "Sake Brewery Experience Program" centered around the sake brewery. We asked about the contents of the tour, which began accepting applications in December 2025, and about the sake brewing at Honke Matsuura Brewery, which is at the heart of this project.

The only sake brewery in Naruto City, Tokushima Prefecture

Matsuura Sake Brewery, located in Naruto City, Tokushima Prefecture, was founded in 1804 (the first year of the Bunka era). The Naruto Tai brand, now widely known among sake fans, was named in 1886 (the 19th year of the Meiji era) after the image of a sea bream that swims up the rapids of the Naruto Strait, resulting in firm, fatty flesh.

"There used to be nearly 40 sake breweries in Naruto, but today we are the only one still brewing sake."

So says Matsuura Motoko, the 10th generation head brewer at Honke Matsuura Brewery.

"As demand for sake declined, there was a time when we developed products such as liqueurs, but we still wanted to maintain our image as a sake brewery. So we decided to set up a direct sales store within the brewery and operate it as a showroom where people could experience the taste of the Naruto Tai brand."

Matsuura recalls that when he first opened his direct sales store, he struggled to attract customers, but a turning point came in 2015, when his sake won the only top gold trophy in the Junmai sake category at the International Wine Challenge (IWC), the world's largest wine competition held annually in London, England.

"When they first contacted us by phone, we were so surprised that we didn't understand what they were saying. After winning the IWC award, we focused even more on sake brewing, and our current production volume has more than doubled since then. At the same time, we have started a program where customers who come all the way here can choose their own sake, while also explaining the benefits of sake and what we are doing."

▲A drinking spot where you can sample the "Naruto Tai" brand

I want you to come to the place where sake was born

Starting in January 2026, Honke Matsuura Brewery will team up with major travel agency JTB to broaden the appeal of the programs that it had previously developed independently.

"Within walking distance of our brewery is an area where cultural traditions remain strong, with a soy sauce brewery that has been in business for over 200 years and an Otani ware pottery that developed from the traditional indigo dyeing of Tokushima. Naruto City in Tokushima Prefecture also serves as the gateway to Shikoku, so we would like to invite people from all walks of life to come and explore the area," says Matsuura.

The Honke Matsuura Brewery's direct sales store is visited not only by domestic visitors but also by around 200 overseas customers per month. The proportion of Koreans is particularly high due to the direct flight between Korea and Tokushima, but many customers from all over the world also visit the store.

"As of November 2025, we are exporting to 12 countries, with the United States accounting for the largest proportion. Our Naruto Tai Ginjo Shiboritate Nama Genshu was used as a prop in the Hollywood movie Blade Runner 2049. For this reason, the Naruto Tai brand seems to be becoming more well-known among American sake fans."

▲Naruto sea bream brand (second from the right) that has appeared in Hollywood movies

Winery tours that visit and stay overnight at wine-producing regions around the world are becoming popular, and Matsuura says he wants to do the same with sake, offering sake that makes people think, "I want to go to the place where this sake was made."

A wide range of courses are available, from tours to sake brewing

The courses offered are divided into the following four types, each offering an experience tailored to the customer's needs.

・Ume: Sake course tasting from the label (6,600 yen including tax)
・Take: Sake exploration course to enjoy with all five senses (14,000 yen including tax)
・Matsu: Sake pairing course featuring brewery and gourmet food (reference price from 36,200 yen)
・Kiwame: Sake brewed with water, rice, and people (220,000 yen including tax)

Ume course

The Ume course includes a guided tour of the brewery, as well as a "sake terakoya" session where a comparative tasting of Naruto Tai brands is conducted, along with an explanation of the terms found on sake labels.

During the tour of the brewery, a detailed explanation is given of the brewery's history and architecture. Honke Matsuura Sake Brewery is strongly associated with Tokushima, but surprisingly, its roots can be traced back to Nagasaki Prefecture, says Wakabayashi Fumiyo, manager of the direct sales store "Naruto Tai no Mise."

"A group of pirates who were active in the seas around Nagasaki Prefecture about 450 to 500 years ago migrated to this area about 300 years ago in search of work. Initially, they were involved in a variety of businesses, including rice wholesale, money exchange, lumber, and selling indigo for indigo dyeing. Later, they began producing sake from the rice they were dealing in."

The Honke Matsuura Brewery site still has many buildings remaining from the Edo period, and five of them are currently designated as registered tangible cultural properties. By renovating some of them with DIY projects and continuing to promote the brewery's activities and sake, the brewery has grown into a tourist destination that now attracts over 10,000 visitors a year.

▲ Wakabayashi Fumiyo explaining the history of the brewery

At the "Sake Terakoya" class taught by Wakabayashi, participants experience comparative tastings of a wide range of sake, including the changes in aroma and flavor caused by different rice polishing ratios, "pure rice with added brewing alcohol," "raw sake with pasteurized sake," and "filtered sake with unfiltered sake."

The course is designed to deepen understanding through easy-to-understand explanations, and has been attended by local restaurant and hotel staff.

▲You can compare the flavor of sake through several different Naruto sea bream brands.

Bamboo course

In addition to the activities of the Plum Course, the Bamboo Course also includes a tour of the fermentation tanks.

It's rare to have the opportunity to see the actual mash up close and experience its sound in real life. Matsuura Brewery's brewing season is usually from September to May, but the only time you can experience the fermenting mash is from October to May.

To allow participants to experience the "sound" of fermentation up close, Matsuura Brewery prepared special microphones and cameras, allowing participants to clearly hear the bubbling sounds produced by the microorganisms.

▲ Listening to the actual sound of the mash

Matsu course

The Matsu course is an accommodation plan that includes the same contents as the Ume and Take courses, plus a dinner featuring Naruto sea bream and other local ingredients. The dining venue is a restaurant within the luxury resort "Ao Ao Naruto Resort," and you can enjoy pairings with French cuisine.

The true value of sake can only be appreciated when paired with local ingredients, and enjoying a glass of sake after a tour of the brewery is sure to be a completely different experience from a traditional pairing dinner.

Extreme Plan

The Goku Course, the most luxurious of the four courses, allows you to actually experience the main steps of sake brewing, from washing the rice to making koji, and you can take home your own sake, which has been bottled and labeled.

Since participants are involved in the sake brewing process over a four-day period for each step, it is aimed at customers who can stay for an extended period or visit the brewery on each day. It is not just a tour, but a unique experience that allows you to "share time with the brewers."

This plan allows participants to actually participate in sake brewing and enjoy the taste of the sake they have brewed themselves, so it is expected to attract attention from sake fans both in Japan and abroad.

Extending stays and encouraging overnight stays

Regarding his enthusiasm for the newly launched "Sake Brewery Experience Program," Matsuura said the following:

"Tokushima Prefecture is famous for being the number one transit prefecture in Japan and for having the lowest accommodation rate in the country. We hope that our brewery can be a catalyst for extending people's stays and encouraging them to stay overnight. We are currently preparing an accommodation plan at the brewery, so that participants in our 'Matsu Course' and 'Goku Plan' will be able to complete the trip at the brewery. Tokushima has delicious food and is a hidden, unexplored region."

Since the premise is that people will be drinking in local areas, wineries around the world are generally offering stay-based tourism with attached accommodation facilities. Now, in the world of sake, experience-based plans that combine tastings, brewery tours, and accommodation are becoming more common across the country.

In this age where we can easily access information from all over the world, "experiences that can only be had in a particular place" are gaining greater value than ever before. This initiative, centered on the traditional industry of sake, is sure to attract a lot of attention both from within Japan and overseas.

Honke Matsuura Brewery has teamed up with JTB to develop the "Sake Brewery Experience Program." It is hoped that this will expand the value of sake from "something to drink" to "a culture to experience," and contribute to the revitalization of Naruto City, Tokushima Prefecture.

Honke Matsuura Sake Brewery [Sake Brewery Experience Program] Website

Writer: Yuki Arai
A freelance writer who conveys the culture and stories of sake. After graduating from university, he got a job at a liquor store in Kyoto City, and then worked in sales at a food manufacturer before going independent.WEB SITE）
Qualifications: JSA SAKE DIPLOMA, Wine Expert, SSI Sake Master, Sake Studies Instructor