We have 8rooms in total, 6 single rooms, 2 rooms for 1-2 people.
* If you are applying for 2 people, please let us know at the time of application which room type you would like. If there is no mention about it, we will contact you by email.

Languages Supported

With additional explanation in English.

(Mainly held in Japanese, but supplementary explanations will be given in English.)

Minimum Number of Participants

4 people
*We reserve the right to cancel the event if we do not reach the minimum of 4 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
The price of  88,000 yen (per person, tax included)
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) ,commemorative 720ml bottle of sake, and another 720ml bottle of the sake you made to be delivered to your home approximately 50-60 days later. (*Please be aware that we cannot ship abroad. We will prepare another commemorative 720ml bottle of sake for travelers.), English support

*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.)

“All you can drink” service while your stay！

KURABITO STAY has also installed the first “sake server” in all of Nagano Prefecture on the first floor of our building. Guests can enjoy Kitsukura Shuzo’s limited sake and seasonal sake in the Saku area free of charge.

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 (Exchange meeting with the 19th head of Kitsukura Shuzo, President Tyler Ide)
Includes 3 types of sake recommended by President Tyler with featuring a special menu.

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)
Rest for the next day’s work.

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

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

8:15 – 10:45 a.m.  Sake brewing experience
(From rice steaming and carrying to the koji-muro or addition to the fermentation mash)
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, President of Kitsukura Sake Brewing Company.

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 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.)

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.

=== Day 3 ===

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

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

10:45 – 11:00 a.m.　Break

11:00 a.m. – 11:30  Final examination

A total review for 2 nights and 3 days!

We will hold a ceremony to hand over the “Experience Completion Certificate” from the brewer.

Checkout (payment)

After checkout, you’ll have the opportunity to buy souvenirs for the road.
The experience will end at around 12 noon.

For lunch, we encourage you to patronize another of the “Kurabito Friendly” shops in the area.

To apply, click here