See Nada through the eyes of a brewer

The legendary five villages of Nada – now part of Kobe city – are a great place to visit, seen the sheer density of sake breweries. There is also plenty of tourist information… but if you want to get much more out of visiting, you might consider a tour. 

But not just any tour. One by an experienced native English-speaking sake brewer who works in Nada!

Many of you already know of Andrew Russell, the man behind Origin Sake, former kurabito at Jūhachi Zakari and Imada Shuzō (Fukucho) and currently working at Kenbishi. Kenbishi is the first brewery where he isn’t required to work outside of the brewing season, and after seeing some of the tours in Nada – led by people who are qualified tour guides but don’t know about sake – he decided to step in and offer his own deep knowledge of both sake brewing and the history of Nada.

*[Andy moved to Matsui Shuzo in Kyoto in 2025, but is still running the tours.]

And he was kind enough to answer a few questions about the new tours!

How did you decide on the two tours that you have currently?
Andrew: “The first tour I created was an obvious choice; Uozaki and Mikage are home to some of Japan’s most prestigious sake producers, such as Kiku-Masamune, Sakura-Masamune, Hakutsuru and Kenbishi. To understand their history is to understand the history of seishu. They are that significant! They each have great facilities as well, such as the Meister Factory, the incredible museum at Hakutsuru, and the Nada Go Go Sake Tokoro, now a bar but once a former brewery belonging to Kenbsihi. I firmly believe that teaching people more about regions such as this will help consumers see the industry in a different light and challenge some of the commonly accepted narratives surrounding sake.

“As a bonus, it’s also where my brewery is, so it’s nice to show people the region that I call home for half the year.

“The second location is Nishinomiya. Although this region doesn’t have quite the same level of facilities as Uozaki and Mikage, it more than makes up for its alluring past and significance to sake brewing. For example, its history goes back much further than the story of Nada, and it was an independent brewing region long before the formation of the Nada Go Go. It’s also the source of Nada’s miraculous brewing water, miyamizu, surely now the most recognised aspect of Nada’s sake. Finally, one of my all-time favourite sakes is made there, a Honjozo by Hakushika.”

What kind of people are booking the tours?
Andrew: “It varies. My tours are listed on a few travel sites. Thankfully, sake still seems to be on most people’s to-do lists when they visit Japan, so I have had several people with little or no experience. However, most people who book directly on my website are currently working within the industry or are already fans of the beverage. The diversity is interesting and helps keep me on my toes.”

Exhibition on kimoto at the Hakutsuru museum, showing moto-suri (grinding the starter). Image supplied by Andrew Russell.

How does your brewing experience affect how you see and explain Nada to visitors?
Andrew: “For sure, I mainly speak and teach about sake from a brewer’s perspective. I am fortunate to be among the few foreigners who have experienced sake brewing using early modern techniques. This is well-suited for Nada, which has a long and rich history. Despite the image many hold of them as makers of mass-produced, factory-made sake, many of Nada’s brewers are actually the protectors of what we consider to be “traditional” or even “craft” in today’s context. Therefore, explaining it from a brewing perspective is really the only way to convey how special Nada’s sake is.”

What have people been most surprised or delighted by?
Andrew: “As I mentioned previously, the dedication of Nada brewers to making premium sake is truly remarkable. Many visitors initially expect to find only cheap, low-quality brews in Nada. However, on my tours, they discover sake made using traditional methods such as kimoto yeast starters, breweries still using wooden tools and equipment—many of whom still make these in-house—and some of the most delicious, flavour-driven sake on the market. Therefore, the biggest surprise for many is how different the sake is here compared to their initial expectations.”

Have you learned anything through running the tours?
Andrew: “Very much so! Perhaps too much to talk about in one sitting.

“I’ve always enjoyed sake history and study it regularly in my free time. However, preparing for the tours has guided me to areas I probably wouldn’t have explored and helped me see the region’s history more holistically. It would take a lifetime to go down every rabbit hole I have encountered while researching these historical breweries, but visiting these fantastic resources on sake brewing every week is certainly improving my knowledge as well.

“It has also been a great opportunity to gauge consumers’ reactions to different styles of sake. I have long been of the opinion that the preponderance of light, floral, and low-alcohol sake used in modern sake promotion will only appeal to a limited type of consumer and hinder the development of new demographics. Now that I have seen first-hand the positive reaction of rich, flavour-driven sake such as Nada’s, I am certain sake promotion needs a serious rethink.”

[I will drink to that.]

The tours run from early April, when Kenbishi’s brewing year wraps up, until mid-October when the new brewing year begins. (So if you get on the JSS Advanced Shōchū course that will be good timing!)

See the Origin Sake Tours site for tour dates and prices. Participants are limited to 8 to make sure everyone has all their questions answered!

Happi coats with the logos of Nada sake makers. Image provided by Andrew Russell.