Course Summary
This half-day course takes around 3 hours, departing from KURABITO STAY and staying near Usuda for a relaxed visit to three brewery-operated rice fields. Start by tasting Sakunohana Sake Brewery’s brewing water, then visit the rice fields where they grow the sake rice Sankei Nishiki and those in the Kiyokawa area that produce Hitogokochi. Enjoy cycling through the fields of the Kiyokawa area with a great view of Mt Asama on your way to Fuyou Sake Brewery, before a tour and sampling their craft cola, followed by a visit to the fields where the Kogen no Shizuku Koshihikari table rice they use to make their Yoyoi no Yoi sake is grown. You’ll also see two rice fields where the Kitsukura Sake Brewery grow their own sake rice.
Course Map
Course Details
After leaving KURABITO STAY, make your way slowly past Usuda’s shopping street with its KURABITO FRIENDLY stores. The first stop is Sakunohana Sake Brewery, where you can taste the water they use for brewing and fill up your water bottle. Then visit the nearby fields where the brewery grows their own Sankei Nishiki sake rice, and the fields in the Kiyokawa area where they grow Hitogokochi.
Enjoy the mountain scenery including Mt Asama and the Yatsugatake peaks as you cycle through the extensive fields of the Kiyokawa area toward Fuyou Sake Brewery, who produce not only sake but also shochu and spirits. Tour the brewery and take a break while sipping on their craft Asama Cola, before moving on to the Nozawa area where the Koshihikari table rice brand Kogen no Shizuku is grown. Fuyou Sake Brewery uses this rice to make their Yoyoi no Yoi sake.
As you travel the country roads leading from Nozawa back toward Usuda, you’ll come across the rice fields managed by Kitsukura Sake Brewery. The irrigation canals in Usuda carry a high volume of water even compared to other areas of Saku. Kitsukura Sake Brewery has recently started growing its own rice, tending two fields mostly by hand.
That’s the last stop before returning to KURABITO STAY, where in the evening you can enjoy Sakunohana Sake Brewery’s junmai daiginjo muroka nama genshu, Fuyou Sake Brewery’s Yoyoi no Yoi, and Kitsukura Sake Brewery’s Mujinzo and Kikuhide, all made from the rice fields you cycled by.