← Return to Cultural Experience Tours page
The Kiso valley is home to a proud sake-making tradition, with a variety of local sake breweries producing some genuinely world-class drinks*. On this tour we’ll visit Yukawa Sake Brewery—a local family-run brewery with a history reaching back over 370 years—for an in-depth sake tasting session (and discussion of all things sake) run by the brewery’s owner.
Alongside tasting a number of their delicious sakes (including one that is only sold in their brewery bar and shop), you’ll get the chance to learn about their unique approach to making sake – one that preserves history and tradition while remaining forward-thinking, and that is deeply committed to producing sake in a sustainable, eco-friendly way that benefits the local community.
*and that’s not just our opinion: in 2023 Yukawa Sake Brewery was awarded the IWC Champion Sake award (regarded as perhaps most prestigious international award for sake)
This is a half-day tour. It can be done as is, or it can be combined with another half-day tour to make a full-day tour at a discounted rate.
more details below
Recommended seasons to visit:
Spring
・Quiet, relaxing activity away from crowds, even in the busier travel seasons.
Summer
・A great way to escape the summer heat.
Autumn
・Quiet, relaxing activity away from crowds, even in the busier travel seasons.
Winter
・A cozy indoor activity to enjoy in colder months.
Tour Information:
- Starting at: Yabuhara Station
Ending at: Yabuhara Station
(see detailed travel info) - Time Estimate: Time Estimate: Roughly 3-3.5 hours (About 90 minutes for the sake-tasting session, and 60 minutes for lunch. We usually combine it with a 30-60-ish minute walk in the local area before or after lunch)
- Walking Difficulty: Very easy
(a light stroll around a scenic spot in the local area, with no climbing or difficult terrain—can be skipped or altered for customers with mobility issues)
Accommodation – where to stay:
The most convenient areas for this tour are: Yabuhara/Kiso village (limited accommodation), Kiso-Fukushima, and Narai, but Nagiso, Okuwa, or anywhere in the Kiso valley is just fine – it’ll just be a bit of a drive (up to an hour).
You can find more detailed suggestions for accommodation in and around the Kiso area here.
Highlights of the Tour:
・A guided sake tasting session, with a variety of delicious options specially run by the CEO of Yukawa Sake Brewery – the 16th generation owner of the family business.
・A chance to learn about one of the oldest, most culturally important parts of Japan’s culinary heritage.
・A sit-down meal eating delicious local food.
・A chance to learn about the food and drinks culture of Kiso, Nagano, and Japan in general.
・A relaxed morning (or afternoon) away from any crowds – the perfect chance to rest up from a hectic multi-week trip across Japan.
・An easy, scenic walk where you can see and learn about the history, culture, and nature of Yabuhara post town and Kiso village as a whole.
Tour Options:
Half-day Course:
This tour start from ¥36,000
– The exact price depends on the number of guests, as well as the season:
– Please see Our Pricing for more details
- The above fees don’t include any of your travel costs, entrance fees, or any meals you may buy on the day.
- Payment is required upon confirmation of your reservation – late payment may result in your tour date being cancelled. (also see our cancellation policy)
Half-Day Tour:
A Taste of Kiso Sake
Our guiding fee: from ¥36,000
– The exact price depends on the number of guests, as well as the season:
– Please see Our Pricing for more details
Additional fees:
・Sake tasting: +¥2,700 yen per person
・Sake Brewery Mini Tour & Talk: +¥10,000 per group (up to 6 people)
・Optional lunch: Bento box lunch at Yukawa Brewery (made by a great little local place): +¥2,600 yen per person (lunch at a local restaurant is also possible)
・Roughly 3-3.5 hours (About 90 minutes for the sake-tasting session, and 60 minutes for lunch. We usually combine it with a 30-60-ish minute walk in the local area before or after lunch)
Combining with Other Half-Day Tours:
The half-day version of this tour can be combined with a variety of other half-day tours, including ones that are not listed here—feel free to check our other Walking Tours and Cultural Experience Tours.
Combined Full-Day Tour:
Yabuhara Sake & Woodworking Tour
Kiso Sake Tasting Tour
&
Yabuhara Traditional Woodworking Tour
Our guiding fee: from ¥46,000
– The exact price depends on the number of guests, as well as the season:
– Please see Our Pricing for more details
Additional fees:
・Woodworking: ¥4,000 per person
・Sake tasting: ¥2,700 yen per person
・Sake Brewery Mini Tour & Talk: +¥10,000 per group
This option combines a visit to Yukawa Sake Brewery with the half-day version of our Yabuhara woodworking tour for an in-depth look at Yabuhara’s crafts, culture, and sake. With a visit to a traditional Oroku comb workshop, you’ll talk with one of the skilled artisans who work there, and get the chance to try your hand at this centuries-old craft.
・Roughly 5-6 hours total
Combined Full-Day Tour:
Sake & Nakasendo Walking Tour
Kiso Sake Tasting Tour
&
Torii Pass Walking Tour
Our guiding fee: from ¥46,000
– The exact price depends on the number of guests, as well as the season:
– Please see Our Pricing for more details
Additional fees:
・Sake tasting: ¥2,700 yen per person
・Sake Brewery Mini Tour & Talk: +¥10,000 per group
This option combines a visit to Yukawa Sake Brewery with our popular Torii Pass walking tour along the Nakasendo trail.
On this tour, we’ll spend the morning hiking over the scenic Torii Pass from Narai post town—one of the most well-preserved historical spots in the region—to Yabuhara post town—home of the Yukawa Sake Brewery.
While our Torii Pass Walking Tour is a full-day tour by itself, Yukawa Sake Brewery is so conveniently located right at the end of the trail, that we can easily squeeze in a visit after the hike.
・Roughly 6-7 hours total
Combined Full-Day Tour:
Kiso Crafts Tour: Sake & Lacquerware
Kiso Sake Tasting Tour
&
Kintsugi & Lacquerware Tour
Our guiding fee: from ¥46,000
– The exact price depends on the number of guests, as well as the season:
– Please see Our Pricing for more details
Additional fees:
・Sake tasting: ¥2,700 yen per person
・Sake Brewery Mini Tour & Talk: +¥10,000 per group
・¥14,000 per person for those opting for the hands-on kintsugi activity
or
・¥6,000 per person for those opting for a hands-on lacquerware painting activity
This option combines a visit to Yukawa Sake Brewery with a trip to the historical lacquerware artisan town of Kiso-Hirasawa.
There, you’ll learn all about the history and techniques of a craft more embedded in Japanese culture than perhaps any other. You’ll also visit the workshops of family businesses who have passed on skills and knowledge down the generations, and take part in a hands-on, guided activity where you’ll try out lacquerware for yourself.
・Roughly 5-7 hours total
Recommended Follow-up Tours:
Many of our customers string together several of our day tours for a guided multi-day trip along the Kiso valley. We’d generally recommend 3-5 days to get the most out of the area.
Any of our tours are accessible from Yabuhara, but we think the following are especially good for a follow-up tour (or for a tour the day before this one):
Akasawa Forest
Relaxation Tour
(Full Day)
This, more so than any of our other tours, is a chance to relax and take a well-earned rest. Alongside a qualified forest therapy instructor, we’ll take a laid-back stroll through this peaceful forest, as well as learn all about its history, its culture, and its deep connections to Japanese religion and spirituality.
Kiso Town Tour
(Full Day)
Kiso town is another one of the Nakasendo’s most popular destinations, and for good reason—it’s one of the best places to see and learn about the Kiso area’s history, culture, and food.
This tour focuses exclusively on Kiso town itself, with a variety of options: an active day full of hiking, a relaxing day spent eating, drinking, and soaking in the onsen, or a mix of both—we’ll tailor it to your interests!
Mt. Ontake Foothills
(Full Day)
Lying just off the Nakasendo trail, Mt. Ontake has long been the subject of spirituality, both in the Kiso valley and beyond.
On this tour we won’t summit the mountain itself, but we’ll follow in the footsteps of these pilgrims; visiting important shrines and holy sights in the foothills of Mt. Ontake, and connecting to a spiritual world far from the tourist spots of Tokyo and the tourist-packed shrines and temples of Kyoto.
Travel Information:
This tour can easily be done as a day trip from Matsumoto, Shiojiri, or other nearby tourist spots. Guests travelling from Nagoya, or from Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, etc. can make it work in a single day, but we’d generally recommend staying overnight somewhere in the Kiso area before and/or after the tour (to be honest, we recommend that anyway).
Where the tour starts:
This tour starts at Yabuhara Station on the JR Chuo line.
Yabuhara Station:
– About 2-3 hours by train from Nagoya city (which has bullet train connections to Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, and other travel hubs)
– About 50 minutes by train from Matsumoto
Our advice on getting to Yabuhara station
Where the tour finishes:
The tour finishes at Yabuhara Station post town
Yabuhara post town (Kiso village):
– Some accommodation options, as well as taxi and train services to Narai post town or Kiso town. Train services also available to other spots in the Kiso valley, Nagoya, Shiojiri, Matsumoto, etc.
You can find Google Maps information for Yabuhara station and Kiso village below.
Extra Information:
Recommended places to stay:
You can find suggestions for accommodation in the Kiso area here. The most convenient spots for this tour are Agematsu and Kiso-Fukushima, but anywhere in the Kiso valley is just fine.
Cancellation policy & other info:
Please see our full cancellation policy, as well as other information, here.
How to get your luggage around:
You can find information on local luggage transportation companies here.
Travel insurance:
Please note that we do not provide travel insurance – we recommend you purchase your own.
Uncharted Nakasendo 