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Sake Brewery Visit/Tasting Tour to Niigata Prefecture
Joined 2017
Walking through old traditional streets in Niigata will bring you back in time where you will be able to feel the sense of the past times combined with modern.
Niigata is famous for its beautiful coastal and mountainous sceneries but Niigata prefecture is also well known for the brewing of "miso" "soy sauce" "sake" which have been carried out for centuries.
Day Trip from Toky Tour will start 8:00am at your hotel and take Shinkansen to Niigata prefecture where you spend half day.
Itinerary
This itinerary can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Send me a message with your requests!
Meeting Point
At your hotel in Tokyo
Sake Tasting at a Sake Brewery which was founded in 16 century.
Soy Source Tasting at Koshino Murasaki Brewery or Miso Brewery visit at Hoshino Honten.
Sake Brewery Tour at a Sake Brewery known for best pure-rice daiginjo
The tour duration could be either 20 minutes or one hour depending on the day of your tour.
Vsit to famous Saffron Wine Storehouse with colorful reliefs of zodiac animals on the plaster wall
Lunch at a Japanese restaurant operated by sake brewery.
Enjoy sea food and vegetable Mini-Kaiseki dishes plus Soba noodle for lunch. Sake to match your lunch is a must.
Ending Point
At your hotel, or at JR Tokyo station
Want to personalize this tour?
This tour can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Click below to send me a message with your requests.
Inclusions & Exclusions
guide fee, hotel pick-up in Shinjuku/Shibuya area
・transportation fee (you and guide) --- If you have JR pass, then round trip transportation cost from Tokyo to Niigata prefecture on JR Shinakansen for you is nill. JR round trip tickets 18,000 yen per person is required.
Taxi cost for three ~four rides in the local area cost 6,000 yen
・lunch --- depending on your preference, several type of lunch can be arranged. My recommendation is to go for mini traditional multi-course Kaiseki lunch which costs 2,400 + per head. Sake to match your lunch is additional.
・sake and soy source tastings inside the breweries are free of charge.
・overtime guide fee $50 (or equivalent amount in JPY) per hour or $30 per 30 minutes if applicable.
・hotel pick-up fee $10 outside Shinjuku/Shibuya area
Tour Important Information
If you have JR Passes, Shinkansen cost will be minimum. If you do not, it will cost 18,500 yen to purchase Shinkansen round trip ticket per person.
Advance reservation is recommended to join sake brewery factory tour
Important message from the supplier
Born and raised in Niigata prefecture, visit my mother and sister who live in Niigata city every month from Tokyo. Niigata has lots of attractions for tourists, including Yahiko Shrine/suspension cable car ride to the top of Mt. Yahiko, Northern Culture Museum where you can see the richest farmer's residence and garden, sake breweries with free sake tasting, castle towns like Shibata city or Murakami city, winter ski resorts with four meters of snow, delicious local sea food from Sea of Japan or from Sado Island/ fruits and brown edamame. It takes only two hours by Shinkansen train to reach Niigata from Tokyo.
Niigata prefecture and Niigata city each has a population of 2.3 Million and 0.8 Million, good sizes but much smaller than Tokyo, the biggest city area in the world. By experiencing both Tokyo on the Pacific Ocean side and Niigata on the Sea of Japan side, you can taste both modern gigantic city life/culture and traditional city/rural life/culture in Japan.
In addition to Greater Tokyo Area where I live, I will be happy to be your guide in any cities/areas on the Sea of Japan side as well.
My tour destinations outside Greater Tokyo area include Niigata-city, Nagaoka -city, Itoigawa-city, Sado island, Nagano city, Snow Resorts in Niigata and Nagano mountain areas, Yamagata city, Tsuruoka city, Sakata city, Kanazawa city, Oono city, Echizen city, Tsuruga city, Fukui city, Gokayama and Shirakawago which are World Heritage sites famous for Gassho-zukuri and Kyoto/Nara.
Cancellation Policy
- Free cancellation - 8 days prior to meeting time
- 50% Refund - 3 to 7 days prior to meeting time
- No Refund - Within 2 day(s) prior to meeting time
Joined 2017
About Tour Guide Takano Y.
Obtained my National Guide License (English) in 2010 and my MBA from University of Michigan's Ross School of Business decades ago, when I had more hairs to allow me to choose variety of hair styles.
In the past, have lived outside Japan for the total of 12 years in such cities as Boulder, CO; Ann Arbor, MI; Washington DC (USA); Manila (PHI), Colombo (Sri Lanka) and Bishkek (Kyrgyz) and visited 40 countries----I stayed in Kyrgyz Republic between October 2018 and Feb. 2019 as my 40th country.
Examples of my tour destinations are Tokyo where I live, Nikko, Mt. Fuji 5th station, Lake Kawaguchiko, Aokigahara Forest, Hakone, Kamakura, Mt. Takao, Tateyama Kurobe Alpine route, Kanazawa, Gokayama, Shirakawa-go, Takayama and Niigata prefecture.
Foreign tourists/media who visited Tomioka Silk Mill (World heritage site) with me were interviewed by NHK TV crews at Tomioka, and my guests and I appeared on NHK Greater Tokyo Area evening TV news.
Since foreign travelers enjoy talking to local people who live in the areas, travelers are welcome to go out of their comfort zone and try to talk to local students on the street, housewives with shopping bags and small shop owners.
Currently live in Suginami-ku, western side of residential area in Tokyo with my wife and a Norfolk terrier. Able to reach Shinjuku or Shibuya areas in less than 30 minutes, Tokyo station area in 45 minutes, door to door from my residence by train.
Tours will be conducted using public transportations or taxis or private cars in some cases as needed. According to your interests, physical/health conditions and duration of your tour, I will tailor-made your tour and arrange destinations. I can meet you at your hotel and take you back when the tour concludes.
Consider myself as one of the most experienced travelers who have survived many difficult situations without getting into any serious trouble. Can be a good tour guide for business persons or retired business persons or travelers who like walking/outdoor activities/taking photos/wine or sake tasting/finding healthy food ---fresh seafood such as sushi, sashimi--soba or buckwheat noodles. Also, at the end of tours, travelers will be bringing home their photos taken by my CANON R6 camera during the tour.
Reviews
“With Takano Yoshi, We Felt Japanese”
My wife and I spent our first two days in Tokyo with Takano Yoshi. Having lived in the US, India and other countries, Yoshi is sensitive to the intimidation of being a stranger in a strange land. Spending time with Yoshi is more than a tour, it is a cultural revelation, replete with insights and suggestions that will enrich your further travels in Japan and beyond. Yoshi's guidance enhanced our entire two-weeks in Japan. We will introduce Yoshi to everyone we know going to Japan and will re-engage him when we return. Takano Yoshi surpassed our expectations. Arigato gozaimasu Yoshi!!!
Takano Y.
It is good to hear from you, John san. You must have returned safely to your residence in Virginia Beach by now. I enjoyed walking with and eating lunch with Kim san John san who can appreciate the real Japanese food such as Sushi and Japanese eels. Please visit Japan again during cherry blossom season.
“First Day in Tokyo”
Yoshi was an excellent host for our first day in Tokyo. He met us in the lobby of our hotel, showed us how to navigate the trains so we were comfortable the next few days on our own. He showed us some hidden gems in the fish market and picked out the most perfect piece of toro tuna for us. He shared great stories along our route. We enjoyed talking Michigan Football with him! Go Blue.
Takano Y.
I enjoyed touring with Noah san and his family in Tokyo. Just as we both hoped for, Michigan defeated Alabama in Rose Bawl and will head for the Final against Washington next week. Go blue!
“A great day exploring Tokyo! ”
Yoshi was a fabulous guide, showing us all the must-see places in Tokyo. His English was fantastic. It was very helpful to have a local helping to answer all our questions and know where the best places to go were. Thanks Yoshi for showing us around your city, we can't thank you enough.
Takano Y.
You must have returnd to your residence in Colorado by now. It has been my pleasure to introduce major attractions in Tokyo including good Japanese restaurant for lunch to you and your husband. Please come back to Japan again during cherry blossom season in Spring.
$445/ per group
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