Unique Brewery Tour and One-of-a-Kind Sake Tasting Near Tokyo

After exiting the ticket gate at Hannō Station, please look for the guide holding a tour placard. You’ll meet your fellow participants for the day, receive a briefing from the guide, and then walk together to the bus stop. After a short explanation from the guide on how to ride the bus, you’ll travel through the scenic nature of Hannō by bus with the guide.

First, you’ll visit the home of the head of a traditional Japanese house, full of character and history. There, you’ll receive a lecture on how sake brewing at Yamane Brewery differs significantly from conventional methods. Next, you’ll enter a sustainable sake brewery—possibly the only one in Japan repurposed from a former convenience store. You’ll observe the use of local wooden barrels and traditional brewing techniques, and experience how each batch of sake becomes truly unique through the influence of wood and the coexistence with microorganisms. Afterward, you’ll return to the host’s home for a tasting session using sake cups made from Hannō’s local clay, which is no longer in production. You’ll enjoy three completely different types of sake, including doburoku, a rare and unfiltered sake that is difficult to store and rarely served in restaurants. Each sake is paired with a carefully selected snack to complement its flavor.

You’ll ride the bus back to Hannō Station with the guide.