The Sake Rice Fields Trail: Cycle through the sake rice fields

Letting the world encounter the terroir of Saku

“Sip Saku sake, recall the scenery of Saku”

New project

KURABITO STAY is close to celebrating four years since opening as a hotel! In that time, we’ve welcomed over 500 people from around Japan and all over the world to Saku for our unique kurabito experience programs, and we’ve treasured our encounter with each and every one. Thank you for coming to visit us, and to experience Saku.

Ever since KURABITO STAY was founded, we’ve tried to capture the nature of Saku sake. And as we considered the concept of “terroir” for Japanese sake, we were inspired to create a form of tourism that would make people think of the Saku area whenever they drink its sake.

They would remember the fresh breeze blowing through the picturesque fields nestled at the foot of Mt Asama and the Yatsugatake peaks. All the sights, sounds and smells of a rich tapestry of natural beauty endlessly reinvented throughout the changing seasons. A place home not only to a diverse range of plant and animal life, but also a proud tradition of rice farming that has flourished here for over a thousand years, with fields changing in color and texture over the half-year it takes the rice plants to grow. This is the Saku that we love, in all its splendor, like a hidden treasure known only to those lucky enough to live here. So, we wondered if there was a way to invite our guests to come even further into the heart of Saku so they can experience its beauty.

And realized that
a cycling tour through those beautiful fields was an ideal way of doing it!

Japan doesn’t have as many cycling trails as the West, and creating routes and running a cycling tourism business takes specialist knowledge and skill. However, we aim to be in the vanguard of developing new forms of tourism for changing times, and in particular we believe the time is right to promote environmentally friendly e-bikes for our tours. Perfect for sake fans, couples, families, or groups of friends, this tour takes you to the fields where the sake rice used by your favorite brewery is grown, plus lets you discover the locals’ secret spots for stunning panoramic views of Mt Asama, shrines and old temples sacred to the farming community, roadside markets, one-of-a-kind cafes, and favorite local restaurants.

Participating sake breweries (in no particular order):

Osawa Sake Brewery, Sakunohana Sake Brewery, Kurosawa Sake Brewery. Kamenoumi Tsuchida Brewing, Fuyou Sake Brewery, Otsuka Sake Brewery, Kitsukura Sake Brewing

The e-bikes for this new project run for approximately 90 km (56 miles) on full charge, and they weigh about 15 kg (33 lbs)–around 40% lighter than e-bikes from other companies. Our CEO Marika Tazawa gave one a test ride and found it really smooth thanks to its light weight, including at higher speeds (even though she admits she gets almost no exercise). The bike even made the steep slopes in Komoro feel easy! The bike provides a powered assist as you push the pedals and responds to your speed, so it feels like you suddenly became a better cyclist who doesn’t need to try so hard! You can also keep a bottle of brewery water in your bottle holder to drink as you go. (Water bottles provided for the tour)

Height requirement

Participants must be at least 155 cm (5’1”) tall to ride the e-bikes safely. Please check that you are tall enough before booking.

＼　New Project Launch! Celebration Event　／

Do you have plans for Golden Week yet?

At the end of April and beginning of May, trees emerge from their long winter sleep and start to bud, creating a detailed tapestry made up of countless tones of fresh spring green that glow against the blue sky over Saku–there’s no better season to experience the beauty of the area!

To celebrate the launch of our new project, we are offering three special 2-day, 1 night stays that include a special dinner party with guest sake brewers for each one.

The dinner will focus on the sake made by the guest brewers, and you can enjoy plenty of sake (6–8 varieties) made from the sake rice cultivated in the fields you saw during the 2 days.

Dates (all 3 tours)

*Cancellation due to bad weather: if rain is forecast, a decision on whether to cancel will be made by 15:00 the day before.

*The guest brewers may change depending on their availability.

Tour 1: Saturday April 27–Sunday April 28, 2024, 2 days 1 night

Guest brewers: Fuyou Sake Brewery, Kurosawa Sake Brewery. Cycling level: Beginner to intermediate
Sake brewery tours: Fuyou Sake Brewery (Day 1), Kurosawa Sake Brewery (Day 2)

Tour 2: Monday April 29 (bank holiday)–Tuesday April 30, 2024, 2 days 1 night

Guest brewers: Fuyou Sake Brewery, Kamenoumi Tsuchiya Brewing. Cycling level: Beginner (recommended for inexperienced cyclists)
Sake brewery tours: Fuyou Sake Brewery (Day 1), Kamenoumi Tsuchiya Brewing (Day 2)

Tour 3: Friday May 3 (bank holiday)–Saturday May 4, 2024, 2 days 1 night

Guest brewers: Osawa Sake Brewery, Sakunohana Sake Brewery. Cycling level: Intermediate to advanced (recommended for strong, adventurous cyclists)
Brewery tour: Osawa Sake Brewery (Day 2)
*Note that we will leave early in the morning on Day 2 (For the Saku Hot Air Balloon Festival)

Minimum number of participants
5
* The tour may be canceled if fewer than 5 participants sign up.

Capacity
8–10 people
6 single rooms, 2 double rooms
*When applying for 2 people, please state if you want one double room or two single rooms. If no preference is stated, we will contact you by email to confirm.

Fee (same for all dates)
2 days 1 night, 3 meals (1 breakfast, 1 lunch, 1 dinner)

General: per person
39,800 yen (tax included)

Returning guests with a Kurabito Experience certificate number
34,800 yen (tax included)

Included in the program price:

Accommodation (1 night), dinner on day 1 (including sake), breakfast on day 2, lunch on day 2, visits to local businesses, cycling guide, e-bike and helmet rental (2 days), water bottle rental, insurance

* You will cycle following the guide. In principle you will not be cycling apart from the group.

* There is no support car. Leave any large luggage at the hotel. Please carry only essential items, food and drink in a rucksack or other suitable bag.

* Information on cycling insurance coverage is provided separately. (Hospitalization, outpatient treatment, liability, loss or damage to belongings and rescue charges are covered.) If you need coverage beyond what KURABITO STAY has negotiated with the insurance company, please arrange this yourself.

* The insurance does not cover theft of the bike on the trail or damage caused by negligence. These are the responsibility of participants in the tour. Please make sure you fully understand all instructions given before the tour starts, and cycle with care. (A guide will be with the tour at all times, so the risk of theft is low.)

What to bring:

Clothes that are easy to move in and suitable for cycling
Small backpack (to carry the bare essentials while cycling)
Sunglasses (suitable to use while cycling)
Sun protection (sun cream, etc.)
Small towel

Schedule (times are approximate)

=== Day 1 ===

12:45 Meet at KURABITO STAY (check-in is open from 12:00)
* Please eat lunch beforehand.

13:00 Orientation

13:30 Prepare to ride the e-bike (safety video), adjust bikes, prepare for departure, practice cycling

14:00–16:00 Cycling
* Sake brewery tours
* There will be rest stops at local points of interest.

16:30 Return to KURABITO STAY

18:00 Dinner in the KURABITO STAY lounge
“Oryouri Lemon” special bento served in the KURABITO STAY lounge

About Oryouri Lemon
Operated by an owner-chef who trained at high-end Japanese restaurants in Tokyo’s Ginza and Roppongi districts, Cuisine Lemon features locally sourced ingredients like Shinshu salmon and prunes and Saku carp all prepared masterfully into artistic, delightful dishes. Savor a gorgeous Japanese meal featuring tastes you can only find in Saku, paired with local sake for a singular experience.

Stay up as long as you like.

=== Day 2 ===

8:00 Breakfast

9:30 Leave KURABITO STAY
*For Tour 3 on Friday May 3 (bank holiday)–Saturday May 4, 2024 we will leave early in the morning (5:15 am) to go to the Saku Hot Air Balloon festival. We will eat breakfast there.

9:30–12:00 Cycling
* Sake brewery tours
* There will be rest stops at local points of interest.

12:00–13:00 Lunch (time may change depending on where we eat)

13:00–16:00 Return trip
* There will be rest stops at local points of interest.

16:30 Return to KURABITO STAY, tour ends
* If we return earlier then the tour will end earlier.

＼　Reviews from trial tour participants　／

“The surroundings, the rivers that nourish the land, the calls of the insects – this fantastic trip really does reveal the terroir of the area through cycling so you can experience it first-hand. It was wonderful to feel all the smells, sounds and the breeze for myself.

I particularly enjoyed meeting people from the sake breweries and Mr Nezawa from the Gorobe Memorial Museum, hearing all about sake and local fruit used to make craft cola, the fields and the work done to maintain local rivers.

The soft green of the moss we saw on the day we visited Teishoji Temple was so relaxing.

The places we cycled through were already dear to me, so the tour felt really special.

It was wonderful to see the area again, and I already want to come back. Saku is the best!”

“1. It was great to visit different sake breweries. 2. I loved seeing the brewery rice fields and the rice plants. 3. Being able to compare sake from the sake server was awesome. 4. I really enjoyed the trail on the afternoon of day 2, going through the farm roads. I’ve fallen in love with Saku. And I want to do a kurabito experience now!”

“I loved the farm roads, and I realized how much better it is to be on a bike as there’s no way a car could get through! Once I got the hang of the e-bike assist, it was very easy and pleasant to ride without getting tired! I was tired by the end of the day, but it was just the right amount of exercise!”