Takayama
In Takayama’s old merchant streets, the sake breweries are part of the townscape: look for the cedar balls hanging over their doors. Most let you…
Photo: Celuici, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Sake tours in Chubu: where to go?
We list 4 bookable sake experiences and 12 breweries you can visit across Takayama and Suwa. Each place with three or more listings has its own page with prices as shown on booking pages and brewery visiting details.
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Places in Chubu
Suwa (Kami-Suwa)
In Kami-Suwa, five breweries line a 500-metre stretch of the old Koshu Kaido highway. One ¥4,000 pass gets you tastings at all of them.
Photo: Sei F, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Two easy brewery crawls
Takayama has seven brewery shops with tastings in its old merchant district, several of them free. Suwa has five breweries along 500 metres of the old Koshu Kaido, covered by a single ¥4,000 tasting pass. Both towns are on scenic rail lines and fit into a wider Alps itinerary.
All sake experiences in Chubu
Showing 4 of 4 experiences. Prices are as shown on each booking page on 18 October 2026, in the currency shown; check the final price before you pay.
Authentic Sake Tasting at a Historic Brewery in Takayama
Brewery tours
An English-guided visit to one historic brewery with 5–8 sakes; 1–8 people, private option available.
¥5,500 per adult (children 5–19 ¥2,200)Book on operator site
See price on siteBook on GetYourGuide
Sake Tasting: Educational Tour of Six Takayama Breweries
Brewery toursTastings & classes
A two-hour old-town walk tasting at six breweries, in groups of up to four, with an optional look behind the scenes.
See price on siteBook on GetYourGuide
See price on siteBook on Klook
Suwa Five Breweries “Gokuraku Set” Self-Guided Tasting
Tastings & classes
Pick up a set at the tourist centre in JR Kami-Suwa Station, then taste 4–5 sakes at each of five breweries (Maihime, Reijin, Honkin, Yokobue and Masumi) along 500 m of the old Koshu Kaido.
¥4,000 per setBook on operator site
Takayama Sake Brewery Tour and Japanese Tapas Cooking
Brewery toursFood pairing
A Funasaka brewery visit combined with a small-plates cooking class; runs November to March only.
See price on siteBook on Viator
Some “Book on” links go to GetYourGuide, Viator or Klook through our affiliate links: we may earn a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you. Links to operators’ own websites and Arigato Travel are not affiliate links. Commissions never affect which experiences we list. Details.
Breweries to visit in Chubu
| Brewery | Visit | Admission | Tasting | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harada Sake Brewery原田酒造場Takayama | Walk-in | Not stated | ¥200 | Open all year |
| Kawashiri Sake Brewery川尻酒造場Takayama | Walk-in | Not stated | Paid: sake ¥500, plum wine ¥330 | Open all year |
| Hirata Sake Brewery平田酒造場Takayama | Walk-in | Not stated | Paid (credit cards accepted) | Tuesdays |
| Hirase Sake Brewery平瀬酒造店Takayama | Walk-in | Not stated | Free | Sundays |
| Niki Sake Brewery二木酒造Takayama | Walk-in | Not stated | Paid | Occasionally |
| Funasaka Sake Brewery舩坂酒造店Takayama | Walk-in | Not stated | Free (the expert tasting bar is paid) | Open all year |
| Oita Sake Brewery老田酒造店Takayama | Walk-in | Not stated | Free | Occasionally |
| Masumi (Cella Masumi)宮坂醸造 セラ真澄Suwa | Walk-in | Not stated | Yes (tasting salon); also one of the five Gokuraku Set breweries | Not stated |
| Maihime Brewery舞姫Suwa | Walk-in | Not stated | With the ¥4,000 Gokuraku Set: 4–5 sakes (20 cc each) | Not stated |
| Reijin Brewery麗人酒造Suwa | Walk-in | Not stated | With the ¥4,000 Gokuraku Set: 4–5 sakes (20 cc each) | Not stated |
| Honkin Brewery本金酒造Suwa | Walk-in | Not stated | With the ¥4,000 Gokuraku Set: 4–5 sakes (20 cc each) | Not stated |
| Yokobue Brewery伊東酒造 横笛Suwa | Walk-in | Not stated | With the ¥4,000 Gokuraku Set: 4–5 sakes (20 cc each) | Not stated |
From each brewery’s official site or the local tourism office, checked 18 October 2026. Click a brewery for hours and the source link.
Frequently asked questions
Can I visit Takayama and Suwa on the same trip?
Yes, but they are on different rail lines; most travellers visit them on separate legs of a central Japan trip.