VISIT KOBE

The area extending from Kobe City to Nishinomiya City, called the Five Villages of Nada, is a leading location of sake production in Japan. The villages are Nishigo, Mikagego, Uozakigo, Nishinomiyago and Imazugo. Some of Japan’s largest and best-known sake brewers are clustered across the 12-kilometer-wide territory. Nada-Gogo is the top producing area by volume in Japan, hence the No. 1 title.

Sake was first brewed here 700 years ago. The origins of Nada sake lie in the mineral-rich water called “miyamizu” that bubbles up from underground, flowing down from the Rokko mountains, Yamada Nishiki rice, Japan’s premium large-grain sake rice and the Rokko oroshi cold northerly wind that blows down from the mountains to create the low-temperature environment ideal for sake brewing.

Finally, the “Tanba Toji” were a group of skilled brewers who supported the development of Nada-Gogo’s breweries over centuries, with intimate knowledge of how to best exploit the characteristic climate, water and Yamada Nishiki sake rice.

Nada sake built its status in the ideal environment, with the best ingredients and techniques for brewing sake, and is known as “dry sake” with a sharpness and boldness unique to hard water brewing. In contrast to the more mellow sake of Fushimi, Kyoto and the “light and dry” sake of Niigata, Nada sake is perfectly suited to the dining table thanks to its unique flavor combining mellow depth and sharpness.

Nada sake is the perfect accompaniment to meat dishes such as Kobe beef steak and sukiyaki, because the flavor of the sake brings out the best of the dishes, while helping to break down fat. Furthermore, switching the serving temperature of sake between chilled, room temperature and hot brings different aspects of a given sake to light, demonstrating its unique depths.

Take a brewery tour to learn more about the history of Japanese sake and how it is made, and to try different drops. Each brewery offers its own experiences, such as viewing of the production process through windows, tasting of limited edition and unpasteurized sake, and sale of sweets made with sake-kasu (nutritious residue from the brewing process). Displays and retail areas of the major breweries can be visited free of charge, but advance booking is required for special experiences or to enter facilities not always open to the public. If you intend to sample the sake, be sure to use public transport and avoid wearing strong scents.

For those wishing for even deeper understanding of Nada or Japanese sake, only a guided tour will do.

To the west: Sannomiya and Motomachi

An ideal location at the hub of Kobe tourism, easily accessed from Nada at 10 minutes by train. This area has accommodation of every stripe and is bounded by the Kitano Ijinkan-gai neighborhood to the north and the bay area to the south, presided over by the Kobe Port Tower. It is Kobe’s largest commercial centre and the department stores here offer a huge range of fine sake unique to the region, including products from breweries that are off-limits to visitors.

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To the north: Mt. Rokko and Arima Onsen

To get even more out of your trip to Kobe, why not head into the mountains for some chillout time in nature and the hot springs? It takes around half-an-hour by city bus from Nada area to the cable car that climbs Mt. Rokko. There are so many sights to see here, from gardens steeped in the seasons to night view lookouts. Then board the Rokko-Arima Ropeway, whisking you to the legendary Arima Onsen in about 15 minutes. A quaint hot spring town featuring baths fed by the famous gold and silver springs awaits.

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Now, you must be really looking forward to a Japanese sake adventure in Nada-Gogo.

Now make the perfect Japanese sake tour plan for yourself, using the sample itineraries that set out allow you to picture the tour in reality.