Nadagiku Shuzo Sake Brewery 灘菊酒造

Harima Plain, in Hyogo prefecture, has long been proud of its nihonshu, a sake (rice wine) with an excellent reputation. It is indeed in the area (today Prefecture of Hyogo, of which Kobe and capital Himeji are a part) that Yamada Nishiki, one of the varieties of rice that produces the best sake, is grown.

Himeji and its surroundings counts about twenty of the oldest breweries, including Nadagiku Shuzo, a family business that opened its facilities to the public there about twenty years ago.

Visits (and tastings) are organized several times a day, to see both the current manufacturing process of the Japanese national alcohol, and old utensils used until the 1950s.

Nadagiku Shuzo naturally offers a shop for lovers, with bottles of the four major sake categories (including one of the best: Daiginjo) and Maegura, a restaurant specializing in suminabe (pots of meat and vegetables cooked on cool) and several tofu recipes.