Since Nanbu Bijin’s founding in 1902, our wood-and-earthwork brewery has been the cornerstone of our sake production. Dress up like an old-time brewer and let us show you around!
Exploring Japan’s proud brewing culture “casually, but deeply”—that’s what we had in mind when we redesigned our brewery tour. Winter may be our main brewing season, but guests can enjoy a tour no matter the season or the weather.
Our mashing room is set up with photographic lights and three cameras, and a special photo system allows us to take commemorative pictures for our guests. When the tour is over, you can download the photos to your smartphone and take them home!
Choose your favorite photo from the shoot, and we can turn it into a label to put on a bottle of sake for you. Feel free to test your skills and try attaching the label yourself!
Approximate duration: 140 minutes
Approximate duration: 70 minutes
Give your regards to the god of brewing, Matsuo-sama, at a small shrine on the hill behind the brewery before beginning the tour.
In the rear of the hongura building, we’ve turned an old brewing tank into a TV where you can watch a video of the entire brewing process from start to finish.
Change into your brewer’s outfit with a black hanten coat over a white sanitary smock, and a traditional tenugui towel to wrap around your head.
Starting at the water well, we’ll guide you in sequence around the rice-washing and steaming equipment, the yeast starter room, the mashing room, and the pressing area. For tours during the brewing season, we’ll let you stir the mash and snap some photos of you doing so.
Return to the hongura building, where we’ll display a QR code that you can scan into your smartphone to download the photos we took of you inside the brewery.
After choosing your favorite photo, we’ll print it out onto a label which you can then enjoy attaching to your own original sake bottle.
We’ll begin by having you enjoy comparing the Junmai Daiginjo sakes of our “Beauty Series” using a Ninohe-made hirasakazuki sake cup, all while listening to our explanation of how different rice varieties and drinking vessels can affect flavor and the drinking experience. After that, we’ll cover whatever topics the season or your own personal interests may call for—drinking temperatures, sake blending, or anything in between—using our unique brewer’s perspective to help you enjoy sake in all kinds of new ways.
10 mins. by bus from Ninohe Station via the Tohoku Shinkansen line or the IGR Iwate Galaxy Railway line
Tour reservations can be made either using the form below or by phone. Tours can be conducted on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays as well, so please don’t hesitate to apply for a reservation.
0195-23-3133