Sake Times reports on a JR Tokai Tours excursion that’s made for fans of sake, good food and onsen hot springs.
Claiming to visit the “sake capital” of Japan, the luxury bus tour whisks participants around Hyogo to have their fill of freshly-brewed sake from carefully selected breweries, plus regional delicacies, followed by a long, hot soak.
It starts off with a fully-reserved Green Car (first-class carriage) on the Nozomi bullet train, then a talk on brewing by the head of the Tatsuuma-Honke brewery (makers of Hakushika) and a tasting of freshly harvested Yamada Nishiki sake-specific rice.
The bus is also part of the experience – the luxury Yui Prima coach was designed by Eiji Mitooka, who also designed the Seven Stars in Kyushu train. The drink-drive limit in Japan is zero, so a drunken bus tour is one way to enjoy several breweries in a day.
Three dates are advertised for 2018, one each in January, February and March, and the tour costs between JPY 299,000 and JPY 389,000.
Links
- Original article (Japanese, Sake Times, 4 December 2017)
- Tatsuuma-Honke Brewery (Japanese)
- Tatsuuma-Honke Brewery (English)
- Seven Stars in Kyushu cruise train (English)