Sunday, July 11, 2010

Saké Brewery Tours

Plenty of people have visited wineries and there are many companies that sell tours of wine regions all around the world. They can be great vacations, both fun and educational. I have visited numerous wine regions and am sure that I will visit more in the future. But what if you are seeking something more exotic? What are your options?

One interesting choice would be to take a Saké Brewery Tour in Japan. A collaboration of famed Saké expert John Gauntner, Tour Leader Etsuko Nakamura, and Michi Travel, their company has two trips currently planned for 2011. The first tour will be February 21 to 25 in Akita and the second tour will be March 14 to 18 in the San-in (Shimane and Tottori) area.

Each trip will start with a Saké educational session by John, which I am positive will be informative and un. Then, you will get to visit a number of breweries, taste just-brewed Saké with great meals, engage in cultural exploration, and have some quality onsen hot springs time. Though the tours are very Saké-centric, they will also touch on numerous other Japanese cultural matters from tea ceremonies to art museums.

I have not been on any of these tours but the idea is certainly very exciting. Saké has such an exciting history and I am sure that getting to tour some of their traditional breweries would be very cool. Wine tourism is great but there is no reason that Saké tourism can't make its own mark and attract adventurous travelers. I do know that it is on my short list.

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