{"id":55,"date":"2007-10-27T12:10:09","date_gmt":"2007-10-27T03:10:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/welcome.city.matsumoto.nagano.jp\/modules\/xpressme\/?p=55"},"modified":"2018-04-03T14:44:29","modified_gmt":"2018-04-03T05:44:29","slug":"sake-tasting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blog.visitmatsumoto.com\/en\/sightseeing\/sake-tasting\/","title":{"rendered":"Sake tasting"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sometimes volunteering has its perks! Akira misunderstood \u201cSake Tour\u201d \u2013 as in, \u2018can we encourage local breweries to get their act together & co-ordinate a regular tour for visitors to our neck of the woods\u2019 \u2013 for \u201cSake tour!\u201d \u2013 as in, \u2018let\u2019s all go get plastered for free\u2019.
\n\"Drinking \"Sake
\nAnyway, I\u2019ve lived here for donkeys and never been able to figure out if sake tours actually existed…well, gentle readers, they do! You know how you have to act a bit posh on a wine tour, pretend you\u2019re interested & know a bit about tasting? No problems here! Just guzzle \u2013 not too much snobbery attached to this, and helping yourself quite acceptable! If you really want to know what is going on – how they make it, etc\u2026.do some homework first, because there\u2019s precious little information in \u2018foreign\u2019 on location: Japan Sake Brewers Association has all the basics you\u2019ll need to act like a pro.
\nhttp:\/\/www.japansake.or.jp\/sake\/english\/<\/a>
\nProduction season starts late October, when you\u2019ll be more likely to see these places in action.
\nWe visited two breweries off-season, but still open for drop-in visitors. You can get there by local train from Matsumoto. We were pretty wrecked after a hard day\u2019s investigations, Rico particularly looking the worse for wear, gimping along with a knackered boot!
\n1. ExcelHuman is an unfortunate makeover, a large construction co. that bought up the local small scale breweries a while back & absorbed them into one modern premises that looks more like a wedding location. Nevertheless, their very friendly staff give you a quick tour of the production plant (squeaky clean & shiny metal surfaces) and a few photos from yesteryear on the walls reflecting how it used to be done. Fancy tasting room has an expensive array of souvenir bottles, and a number of freebies will be plonked on the table for you to sample \u2013 don\u2019t be shy, as they will top you up\/let you help yourself.
\nhttp:\/\/www.eh-shuzo.com<\/a> tel 0263-72-3011.
\nGet there on JR Oito line from Matsumoto, about 12 minutes ride to Azuzabashi \u2013 1st stop after you go over a long bridge over the river. Walk away from the station to the busy main road. Cross the road & go straight on another 200 yards or so, turn right at the gas station; you\u2019ll see \u201cEH\u201d on the next corner.
\n\"Stone2. Kametaya is a much nicer, traditional set up, which is still in its original location, tucked away amongst older style houses, on the old \u201csalt road\u201d. There\u2019s a \u2018stone god\u2019 outside (see photo) which shows a bride & groom sharing a cup of sake. A brief tour around the unassuming house, which housed the business since 1870, and from where they used to deliver \u201ctaru\u201d (barrels). Check out the scratches on the entrance walls where the doors used to roll up. Interestingly, sake used to be taxed on how much was made \u2013 not sold \u2013 and you can see a lot of old accounting registers etc from days gone by.
\nAgain, you\u2019ll be relatively unhassled to sample their wares, and also have the opportunity to see what \u201cgoes with\u201d sake \u2013 local pickles & the like. You\u2019ll also see the spring that started it all off in the first place. Easy to get to by local train. 5 stops along the Kamikochi line (Y240) from Matsumoto. You are looking for a tall brick chimney; off the platform, over the track & turn left. Follow this road around the fields, to the back of the brewery.
\nhttp:\/\/www.kametaya.co.jp<\/a> tel 0263-47-1320
\nEnjoy yourselves – but please don’t drink & operate machinery?!
\nSee also Spots – The Kametaya Sake Brewery page<\/a>.<\/p>\n