Calling all sake fans!
KURABITO STAY is pleased to announce the first authentic sake brewing experience of the season:

Fri. Oct. 23rd~ Sun. 25th

a 2-night, 3-day program where you can become a sake brewer.

 

Go to Travel Campaign Applicable

If you’re a foreign national living in Japan with a valid visa, you too are eligible for the discounts offered by the Japanese government’s Go to Travel campaign. (Excluding residents of Tokyo)

Please note that this is a limited-time offer that will end when the subsidy budget hits its limit, so we recommend reserving as soon as possible. Furthermore, the campaign may be subject to temporary suspensions depending on the spread of the virus.

 

Making Reservations

Warning: Please note that simply clicking the GOING button on the Facebook page does not mean your reservation has been finalized. Please be sure to make your reservation through KURABITO STAY’s official homepage, or contact us via email (info@kurabitostay.com) to confirm your reservation. When your request has been processed, you will receive a message from us stating that your reservation has been finalized.

 

Languages Supported

English, with additional support explanations in Japanese.

(*Currently, we have received applications from English-speaking customers, and therefore are planning on conducting the event primarily in English. If cancellations, etc. result in a group of only Japanese participants, we will conduct the event primarily in Japanese.)

 

Minimum Number of Participants

6 people
*We reserve the right to cancel the event if we do not reach the minimum of 6 applicants. Furthermore, we will judge the feasibility of holding the event based upon the state of the COVID-19 pandemic at the time, so please be aware that the event may be canceled at the last minute. We apologize for the uncertainty, and thank you for your understanding.

 

Fee

Includes lodging for 2 nights and 3 days, along with 3 meals (2 breakfasts, 1 dinner)

ーAdultsー
Includes the Kurabito Experience (A hands-on sake brewing experience where you can take part in everything from rice washing and steaming to making koji and starting the fermentation process) and souvenirs: an original KURABITO STAY Tenugui (hand-cloth) one commemorative 720ml bottle of sake, and another 720ml bottle of the sake you made to be delivered to your home approximately 50 days later. (*Please be aware that we cannot ship abroad.)

The usual price of 59,000 yen (per person, tax included) has been discounted due to the Go to Travel campaign, meaning that customers will pay only 38,350 yen! (per person, tax included)

Upon your arrival, you will also be presented with a 9,000 yen local coupon. (This coupon can be used at participating establishments around the city of Saku. We encourage you to use it to buy sake or patronize local eateries and pubs in the area.)

*Regarding the detailed conditions for participating in the Go to Travel campaign, please visit the campaign’s official website.

*Due to safety concerns, we cannot accept reservations from minors.

 

Special Presents

– All pictures taken during the Kurabito Experience will be made available for download. (For safety and hygiene concerns, please be aware that you will not be allowed to bring your camera or smartphone with you during the experience. Instead, KURABITO STAY staff will endeavor to take numerous and heartfelt photos of all of our participants.)

– At the end, you will be presented with a certificate commemorating your completion of the Kurabito Experience.

Also included in the fee:

Sake brewing lessons, rental boots to be worn during the experience, rental work clothes, tasting seminar fee (including course materials), two nights’ lodgings, dinner on the first night at Cuisine Lemon (featuring a special menu for sake brewers and three varieties of sake from Saku, carefully chosen by the proprietor), and breakfast (a healthy meal for sake brewers) on the second and third days(*)., completion certificate, and insurance.

(*Lunch and dinner on Day 2 are not included in the fee. You can go to eat at any restaurant of your choice in the area.)

 

– KURABITO STAY has also installed the first “sake server” in all of Nagano Prefecture on the first floor of our building. You can purchase sake by the cup (200 yen for 30 ml), so we encourage you to give it a try during your stay.

 

Schedule

=== Day 1===
Visitors should plan to arrive at KURABITO STAY by 5:00 p.m. (Check-in is possible from 3:00 p.m. onward.)

5:00 – 5:45 p.m.  Orientation

After orientation, we will travel on foot to the restaurant for dinner. (a 10-minute walk)

6:00 p.m.  Dinner and socializing
Featuring a special menu for sake brewers and 3 varieties of sake chosen by the proprietor.

*This photo is for illustrative purposes.

Restaurant: Cuisine 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.

* Food and drink orders in addition to the provided course will incur a separate fee.

After dinner, return to KURABITO STAY (10-minute walk)

Guests go to their rooms to sleep.

 

=== Day 2 ===
7:00 – 7:30 a.m.  Breakfast (a healthy meal for sake brewers; with everyone together saying “Itadakimasu!”)

8:00 – 8:15 a.m.  A traditional purification ritual will be conducted before entering the brewery.

8:10 – 10:45 a.m.  Sake brewing experience
(From rice steaming and carrying to the koji-muro, or koji room)

While the rice is being steamed, participants will be taken on a tour of the brewery facilities (you may bring your own camera at this time).

10:45 – 11:15 a.m.  Break
11:15 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.  Sake tasting seminar with Tyler Ide, Executive Director of Kitsukura Sake Brewing

12:00 p.m.  Free time

You are free to eat lunch at any establishment of your choice.

We encourage you to take this opportunity to eat at one of Saku’s “Kurabito Friendly shops”, which offer special food and drink menus for participants.

2:30 – 3:30 p.m.  Sake brewing experience(*)
3:30 – 4:30 p.m.  Sake brewing experience (washing rice)
4:30 – 5:15 p.m.  Sake brewing experience(*)

*If the timing is right, it will be possible for participants to take part in four aspects of the brewing process: picking out koji, temperature measuring, creating the starter mash (“shubo”), and mixing (“kai-ire”). Sake brewing, however, is a delicate and precise operation, and it is not possible to know precisely which elements of the process you will be able to experience until the day comes. In the event that the above experiences are not available, you will instead have the chance to participate in preparing sake for shipment or cleaning equipment, which are equally important parts of the brewing process.

(Sake brewing is depending on innumerable microorganisms, and thus specific details of the process vary widely any given day. We reserve the right to alter or cancel certain aspects of the experience if things do not go entirely according to schedule, and ask you for your understanding and cooperation.)

 

Break

5:30 p.m. onward          Free time

For dinner on the second day, you may eat at the establishment of your choice.

We encourage you to take this opportunity to eat at one of Saku’s “Kurabito Friendly” shops, which offer special food and drink menus for participants.

 

 

=== Day 3 ===
7:00 – 7:30 a.m.　 Breakfast (a healthy meal for sake brewers; with everyone together saying “Itadakimasu!”)

8:00 – 10:45 a.m.　Sake brewing experience
(Rice steaming and carrying to the koji-muro, or koji room)

While the rice is being steamed, we will conduct a “koji seminar”, where you’ll learn all about this remarkable fermenting agent and its many health benefits. You’ll also have the opportunity to create your own original sake bottle label.

10:45 – 11:15 a.m.　Break

Checkout (payment)

After checkout, a closing ceremony will be conducted at Kitsukura Sake Brewing’s ”Shuraku” store, and you’ll have the opportunity to buy souvenirs for the road. Here, you’ll also receive your certificate of completion from the brewer.

The experience will end at around 12 noon.
For lunch, we encourage you to patronize another of the “Kurabito Friendly” shops in the area.

 

 

A Request When You Travel

So that all our guests can have an enjoyable trip while being ensured of safety and security, we ask all participants to read and understand the following before applying for the campaign.

Our Efforts, and a Request to our Guests

The following page summarizes KURABITO STAY’s efforts to provide a safe, secure, and enjoyable experience during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as our requests for our customers. We ask that you read it thoroughly.

REGARDING KURABITO STAY’S EFFORTS TO PREVENT THE SPREAD OF COVID-19

 

 

• A Request from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism and the Japan Tourism Agency to All Participants in the Go to Travel Campaign

The Go to Travel campaign seeks to promote and establish a new concept of travel based in the “new lifestyle” adopted in the post-COVID age. We ask that all travelers obey the following guidelines to ensure safe and secure travel.

Please note that in the event that these guidelines are not obeyed, the usage of the Go to Travel campaign may be denied, or you may be asked to return the subsidy money given to you.

1. While traveling, take your temperature every morning. In the event that you have a fever or cold-like symptoms, please refrain from traveling. Also, please install and make use of the official COVID tracking app.

2. While traveling, please follow proper hygiene etiquette, avoid places and facilities where the “3 C’s” are likely to occur, and refrain from speaking in loud voices.

Further details may be found on this page. (Guidelines for participants in the Go to Travel campaign)

 

To apply, click here