What other travelers are saying about Hirata Sake Brewery
We visited hear for a brewery tour and surprisingly had the tour to ourselves as it was a quite day.
Nice experience with just us two and the tour guide, we were able to watch the Toji in action and taste sakes.
After trying many more sakes over the next day and a half in Takayama we decided that these were in fact our favourite and came back to buy more bottles before the end.
Also thanks to Fuji-san our tour guide for the local recommendations
An absolutely out-of-this-world experience! Mr. Fuji was incredible at explaining the entire sake brewing process in depth, making everything easy to understand and truly engaging. I walked away with so much knowledge and a deep appreciation for the skill, care, and hard work that goes into producing sake.
The sake tasting at the end was a fantastic bonus and a perfect way to round off the experience. Thank you again for such a memorable and educational session — highly recommend to anyone interested in sake or Japanese craftsmanship!
Having been to a few beer and whisky breweries in my life, the guided tour in this one was the best experience so far. Mr Fuji explained the process of sake brewing step by step and was clearly very knowledgeable about every single step. He was kind enough to also recommend some good restaurants and izakayas around! The Hirata sake itself is delicious and having tried a few different ones locally one of Hirata ones was a clear winner even before we knew we were going to visit the brewery.
Highly recommend this brewery tour! The guide is super nice and speaks great English. He answered all our questions (we had many) and was so funny. They clearly have a passion for sake and want to share it with tourists. There were only 3 people in this tour so it was super intimate. We bought 3 bottles to take home with us!
Amazing tour. Whenever you are around and are interested in the understanding of Sake brewery - stop by and check it out. There 3 good sake breweries in Takayama, but this one is outstanding for their hospitality and time taking for tourists. Go there and ask at least one day upfront for guided tours in English to miss this part of Japanese culture. The other breweries tours are guided by activity agencies - even if they offer tours for individuals or small groups. This tour is done by an employee of the brewery! Enjoy as we had a special time and a lot of fun with Mr. Fujisan
Yes, the brewery accepts walk-in visitors without reservations. The self-guided tour is available during operating hours on a first-come basis.
No, admission is free with no purchase required. Tastings and products are available for separate payment but entirely optional.
Yes, the tour focuses on the brewing process, historic equipment, and traditional architecture, making it educational regardless of whether you drink alcohol.
Hirata produces regional Hida sake using Alpine water and local rice. Several varieties are sold exclusively on-site or within Gifu Prefecture and cannot be found in other regions.
Plan for 30 to 45 minutes to tour the facilities and browse the shop. Add an additional 15 to 30 minutes if you intend to taste multiple sake varieties.
