Kobe's Nada district is Japan's top sake (rice wine) producing region. It has long been famous for its sake due to the availability of high quality rice, suitable water and favorable weather conditions in the area. Its proximity to Kobe Port and Osaka has also facilitated physical distribution since olden times.

Many sake breweries operate in the Nada district, which stretches approximately three kilometers east to west. Some open stores and/or exhibition rooms to the public and allow guests to taste their sake. A couple of them also maintain a museum introducing the process of sake brewing.

The district makes for a good half-day walk exploring its nice mix of older buildings and modern breweries. If time is limited, we recommend visiting the Hakutsuru Sake Brewery Museum: its well-presented exhibits have comprehensive English coverage and sake tasting is available, too.

Sawanotsuru Sake Museum

Hours: 10:00 to 16:00
Closed: Wednesdays, Obon and New Year holidays
Admission: Free

Sawanotsuru Sake Museum was opened in 1978 with the aim of commemorating the sake-brewing heritage of the Nada district. It was destroyed by the Great Hanshin Earthquake in 1995 and was subsequently rebuilt in 1999. Visitors can learn about traditional brewing methods and the ingredients involved. English pamphlets are available.

Kobe Konan Muko no Sato

Hours: 10:00 to 17:00 (Shop opens from 9:30 to 18:30)
Closed: December 9 to January 5
Admission: Free

Rather than sake itself, foodstuff, condiments and pickles that are made with sake lees (sake leftovers after filtering) are the focus here. Kobe Konan Muko no Sato has a small museum which showcases different varieties of pickles and their making process. It also has a couple of restaurants and a big shop which sells a huge range of food which make good sake accompaniments.

Kobe Shushinkan Brewery

Hours: 10:00 to 18:00
Closed: January 1 to 3
Admission: Free

Shushinkan has a large shop selling sake and sake-related products, as well as a restaurant serving Japanese cuisine in combination with sake. Free guided tours of the sake warehouse are held once per day except in December. Sake tasting is available as well.

Hakutsuru Sake Brewery Museum

Hours: 9:30 to 16:30 (entry until 16:00)
Closed: Obon and New Year holidays
Admission: Free

Good exhibits with life-sized replicas and models are presented at the Hakutsuru Sake Brewery Museum, a traditional building on the large grounds of a modern sake factory. The museum maintains a nice ambience and offers good English pamphlets and video clips explaining the sake brewing process. Sake tasting is available at its shop.

Kikumasamune Sake Museum

Hours: 9:30 to 16:30 (admissions until 16:00)
Closed: New Year holidays
Admission: Free

Kikumasamune Sake Museum is housed in a nice wooden-plaster building. Wooden tools, containers and machinery are exhibited in a room accompanied by atmospheric lighting and traditional music. Well-written pamphlets are available in nine languages.

Sakuramasamune Sake

Hours: 10:00 to 19:00
Closed: Tuesdays
Admission: Free

Sakuramasamune has a small exhibition space which showcases some tools and simple machines used in the past for sake production. There is also a video presentation showing clips of its traditional brewing process. Sake tasting is available at a shop selling its sake brews. There is limited English information at this location.

Hamafukutsuru Ginjo Brewery

Hours: 10:00 to 17:00
Closed: Mondays (following day if Monday is a national holiday)
Obon and New Year holidays
Admission: Free

Hamafukutsuru has won several awards for its high-grade "ginjo" sake. The exhibition space on the second level of the building explains to guests their sake brewing process through diagrams and written information (English available). Visitors are also able to peer through windows to look at brewing machines as they are being used.