Nada in Hyogo Prefecture is one of Japan's three major sake producing areas. This area boasts the highest production volume in the country and is home to many famous sake breweries. The term ``Nada no Otokozake'' is famous nationwide, and its history and traditional taste have captivated many Japanese sake fans.

The word ``Nada'' is actually divided into five areas called ``Nada Gogo,'' which extend over a wide area from Kobe City to Nishinomiya City. Each area is divided into ``Saigo'', ``Mikage-go'', ``Uozaki-go'', ``Nishimiya-go'', and ``Imazu-go'', with the easternmost ``Imazu-go'' and the westernmost ``Saigo'' being more than 5km apart. There is.

In this article, we propose a plan that will take you around half a day from Hanshin Railway's Uozaki Station, which is almost the center of Nadagogo! This is a model course where you can fully enjoy Nada's sake, thinking about the deep history of sake while also enjoying limited edition sake that can only be tasted here!

Approximately 20 minutes from Osaka Umeda, starting from Hanshin Railway "Uozaki Station"!

For those visiting Nada for the first time, the recommended station to get off at is Uozaki Station on the Hanshin Railway, which is located almost in the center of Nada Gogo. It can be reached in about 20 minutes from Hanshin Railway's Umeda Station, and about 30 minutes from Osaka Namba Station.

↓8 minutes walk from Uozaki Station

1. Feel the tradition of sake brewing! [Kiku Masamune Sake Brewery Memorial Hall] & [Taru Sake Meister Factory]

[Kiku Masamune Sake Brewery Memorial Museum] is a museum where you can learn about how to make sake while looking at the actual tools used until the early Showa period. Get up close to the exhibits of ``Nada Sake Brewing Tools,'' a nationally designated Important Tangible Folk Cultural Property.You can take a tour.

In an era when there were no refrigeration facilities like there are today, in order to make good sake, it was necessary to work during the coldest period of the frigid season. Therefore, sake brewing basically begins before dawn. At the Kiku-Masamune Sake Brewery Memorial Museum, the dimly lit environment in the morning has been recreated to recreate the atmosphere of those days.

It's a very impressive exhibit as all of the equipment was actually used. You can experience a simulated environment in which high-quality sake was produced while enduring the dimly lit and bitter cold.

There are many valuable exhibits that are worth seeing, such as the ``motoba'' where ``kimoto-zukuri,'' a traditional manufacturing method established in the Edo period, was practiced.

The merchandise corner has a wide variety of souvenirs, as well as Kiku-Masamune alcoholic beverages.

There are lots of items that are fun to look at, such as accessory cases made from actual sake bags.

If your timing is good, you might be able to sample limited edition sake that can only be tasted at the Kiku-Masamune Sake Brewery Memorial Museum. Raw unprocessed sake, which has not been heat-treated, has a taste that can only be enjoyed by visiting a sake brewery.

The Kiku-Masamune Sake Brewing Memorial Museum is attached to the Taruzake Meister Factory, which you can tour by making a reservation in advance (limited to 1 people, three times a day). Kikumasamune boasts the best bottling of sake barrels in Japan, and here you can actually see the sake barrels being made.

During the Edo period, sake from Nada was stored in barrels and transported across the Pacific Ocean to Edo. It is said that the origin of the current word ``kurasatsu'' (sake) is said to be the origin of the current word ``kurasatsu'' (sake) from the Nada region, where high-quality sake was produced.

The wood used for the barrels is cedar from Yoshino, Nara Prefecture, which is over 100 years old. During your tour, you can always enjoy the cool and refreshing scent unique to cedar.

Depending on the timing of your visit, you may even be able to watch the craftsmen actually assemble the barrels. It's amazing to see how the cedar barrels are made without using any nails or adhesives, and won't leak even a single drop of sake. The techniques that have been passed down since the Edo period are currently designated as ``intangible folk cultural properties that require measures such as record-keeping.''

[Kiku Masamune Sake Brewery Memorial Museum] and [Taru Sake Meister Factory] offer luxurious tours of the sites that can be called the origins of sake brewing. We want you to fully enjoy Nada and the history of sake.

• Kikumasamune Sake Brewery Memorial Museum
• Address: 658-0026-1 Uozaki Nishimachi, Higashinada-ku, Kobe 9-1
• TEL：078-854-1029
• Business hours: 9:30-16:30 (Admission until 16:00)
• Closed: Year-end and New Year holidays
• Admission fee: Free (reservations required for groups)
• URL:Kikumasamune Sake Brewery Memorial Museum

• Taruzake Meister Factory
• Address: 658-0026-1 Uozaki Nishimachi, Higashinada-ku, Kobe 9-1
• TEL：078-277-3493
• 9:30 - 16:30
• Visiting hours: 10:30/14:00/15:00 (3 times each)
• Time required: about 30 minutes
• Capacity: 20 people each time (first come first served)
• Dates: Held every day except on days when the museum is closed (tours may not be held due to circumstances)
• Closed: Year-end and New Year holidays
• Admission fee: Free (reservation required)
• How to participate: Make a reservation from the reservation site at least 2 days before the scheduled tour date.
• URL:Taruzake Meister Factory

↓10 minutes walk from Kikumasamune Memorial Hall

2. A traditional sake brewery in Nada still exists! [Hakutsuru Sake Brewery Museum]

Founded in 1743 (Kanpo 3), Hakutsuru Sake Brewery is the largest sake brewery in Nada Gogo. In other words, it is the sake brewery that boasts the highest production volume in Japan.

Nadagogo's sake breweries suffered significant damage during the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake in 1995, so many of the buildings have been rebuilt since then.

However, the building of the Hakutsuru Sake Brewery Museum is a Taisho era sake brewery that was in operation until 44. It has become a valuable presence that conveys the state of traditional sake breweries in Nada to the present day.

The exhibit recreates the state of sake brewing at the time, along with life-sized dolls. It is said that this doll was modeled after the brewers who were actually making the dolls at this warehouse.

The sake brewery was actually in use until about half a century ago, so you can clearly see what it was like back then.

Free tastings will also be available at the end of the exhibit. This is the only place where you can drink ``Special Junmai Ungenshu Kurasake'', which is sold exclusively at directly managed stores. When you actually visit, you should definitely try it.

• Hakutsuru Sake Brewery Museum
• Address: 658-0041-4 Sumiyoshi Minamicho, Higashinada-ku, Kobe 5-5
• TEL: 078-822-8907
• Opening hours: 9:30-16:30 (admission until 16:00)
• Closed: Obon, year-end and New Year holidays (confirmation required)
• Admission fee: Free (reservations required for groups of 10 or more)
• Official HP:Hakutsuru Sake Brewery Museum

↓5 minutes walk from Hakutsuru Sake Brewery Museum

3. Enjoy Nada Gogo's alcohol all at once! [Nada Gogo Sake Brewery]

Now that you have learned about the history and production of sake in Nada, let's enjoy the abundant sake of Nada Gogo. At Nada Gogo Sake Shop, which opened in April 2022, you can drink sake from all the sake breweries in Nada Gogo.

The straight counter has a total length of about 50 meters! Above the counter, each sake brewery in Nada Gogo is listed, and each one has a seat number, making it a playful shop.

The location where the shop is located was originally the sake brewery of Kenbishi Sake Brewery, so your first toast will be at Kenbishi! The cheerful staff will carefully explain the history of Nada and sake.

We recommend the "Nada Gogo Sake Pairing Set." This is a pairing set where you can enjoy recommended sake from each area and three types of dishes.

The powerful sake of Nada shows its true value not on its own, but when paired with food. Enjoy carefully thought-out pairings, such as flavors that stand up to strong seasonings and new flavors created by combinations.

• Nada Gogo Sake Brewery
• Address: Kenbishi Sake Brewery, 658-0046-3 Mikagehonmachi, Higashinada-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 11-2
• TEL:080-7945-8291
• Business hours: 12:00-21:00 (Fridays and Saturdays), 12:00-20:00 (Sundays and holidays)
• Closed: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
• URL:Nada Gogo Sake Shop

Click here for related articles

Japan's No. 1 sake region! Experience the charm of Nadagogo Sake Brewery, the information hub for Nadagogo

♯Hyogo

↓10 minutes walk from Nada Gogo Sake Shop

4. Enjoy fresh taste at the brewery's direct sales store! [Izumi Sake Brewery]

Izumi Sake Brewery started its sake brewing business in 1756 (Horeki 6). Due to the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, the wooden brewery and other facilities collapsed, forcing them to temporarily suspend sake production in Nada.

For a time, they rented a sake brewery belonging to a relative to make sake, but in 2007 they revived their brewing with the aim of making sake in Nada again. The storehouse built in 30 has been renovated and now sells a variety of brands.

The current shop was built in 2021. Inside, seasonal brands are sold, and two types are always available for tasting.

The current main brand, ``Sensuke'', was chosen from the name of the 2006th generation owner who passed away in 7 while trying to rebuild the brewery.

At the end of April, when I visited for this interview, I was able to sample ``Sensuke Natsu Junmai,'' which has a refreshing taste, and ``Hosen Junmai Ginjo Unfiltered Nama Genshu,'' which has a fresh flavor.

Izumi Sake Brewery has been revived as a local sake brewery in Nada, where locals often come to buy their daily drinks. Enjoy the fresh and new flavors while inheriting the historic Nada tradition.

• Izumi Sake Brewery Co., Ltd.
• Address: 658-0044-1 Mikagezuka-cho, Higashinada-ku, Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture 9-6
• TEL：078-821-5353
• 10:00 - 16:30
• Regular holiday: Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays
• URL:Izumi Sake Brewery Co., Ltd.

Click here for the sake brewery in this article

Izumi brewing

Hyogo

♯Sake brewery♯Hyogo

Click here to purchase Izumi Shuzo's sake with Sake World NFT

↓12 minutes walk from Izumi Sake Brewery

5. Nada's famous sake served at official Nobel Prize events! [Kobe Shushinkan]

Kobe Shushinkan is a complex facility that includes a brewery that produces the representative brand Fukuju, as well as shops, restaurants, and a multipurpose hall. The company aims to revitalize the region by integrating not only sake brewing but also food and beverage and tourism businesses.

Tours of the sake brewery are self-guided, and depending on the time of day, you can see the process of steaming the raw rice.

“Fukuju Junmai Ginjo” brewed in the breweryis world-famous as the sake served at official Nobel Prize events. At the entrance to the sake brewery tour, bottles with autographs from Nobel Prize winners are also on display.

The shop called Tomeigura sells a wide variety of food as well as alcoholic beverages.

[Kobe Shushinkan] is focusing on sustainable initiatives, and has a lineup of environmentally friendly products such as sake that has achieved zero carbon in the brewing process and sweets that use sake lees.

There are sake sold by weight that can only be purchased here, such as ``Junmai Namazake straight from the brewery'' and ``Daiginjo Namazake straight from the brewery.'' If you reuse the bottle, you can get it cheaper than the first time.

It's a great product that gives you a premium feel while being environmentally friendly. Enjoy the fresh aroma and taste poured directly in front of you.

• Kobe Shushinkan Co., Ltd.
• Address: 658-0044-1 Mikagezuka-cho, Higashinada-ku, Kobe 8-17
• TEL：078-841-1121
• Business hours: 11:00-16:30 (Kura tour, reservation required), 10:00-18:30 (Higashimeigura)
• Closed: New Year's holiday
• URL:Kobe Shushinkan

↓10 minutes walk to Hanshin Railway “Ishiyagawa Station” Thank you for your hard work!

Entire spot map

Writer: Yuki Arai
From Shiga Prefecture/SAKE DIPLOMA/Sake/Shochu master
After working at a liquor store and a food manufacturer, he became a freelance writer. Her favorite type of sake is a rich type that allows you to enjoy the flavor of rice. Her hobbies include drinking, cooking, and traveling.