Nagano Sake & Oyaki Buns Tasting Tour: Brewery & Local Food

Walk through centuries of sake history, then taste what the brewery made

A guided tasting tour in Nagano that combines a former sake brewery tour with sake tastings and a freshly made oyaki bun at a traditional restaurant. Your English-speaking guide leads you through the sake-making process and the history of brewing in the region, then you taste several varieties before moving to a nearby restaurant. The brewery, active until 2010, opens year-round including winter when most sake makers close their doors.

Step-by-step itinerary

Sake brewery tour and oyaki tasting

• Tour former sake brewery
• Taste various sake types
• Visit traditional oyaki shop
• Enjoy freshly made oyaki

The experience

The brewery itself dates to 1637, when samurai and lords still walked Nagano's streets. It operated for nearly four centuries before opening to the public as a museum and tasting space. Your guide walks you through each step of the sake-making process (the grain, the fermentation, the aging), and shares the stories behind the craft. This is not an active brewery, so you're learning the history and technique without the noise of production. The focus stays on understanding what goes into the bottles.

After the tour, you taste several varieties of sake produced by the brewery: dry, floral, rich. Your guide and the shop staff introduce each one, explaining how the flavor profiles pair with different foods the way wine does. Whether you've tasted sake before or this is your first time, the tasting is designed as a warm introduction to Nagano's local flavors. Non-alcoholic options are available if you prefer them.

The tour ends at a well-known oyaki shop in a restored storehouse, where you eat one freshly made bun. Oyaki are steamed or baked dumplings filled with seasonal vegetables, sweet beans, or miso, vegan by default. Eating them warm and fragrant in the quiet of the old building connects you to how locals actually eat this regional comfort food, not as a tourist version but as the thing itself.

What’s included

• Guided tour of the former sake brewery with an English-speaking guide.
• sake tasting featuring several varieties with introductions from your guide and shop staff.
• non-alcoholic tasting options.
• one freshly made oyaki bun at a traditional restaurant.
• miso tasting.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day except WednesdayDepartures at 10:00 and 13:00

Book up to3h before

AgesAdult (20 and older) · Child (6 to 19 years) · Infant (under 6): free

GroupUp to 15

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated today

Good to know

Low physical effortPublic transport nearby

Operated by Welcome Matsumoto

Is this one for you?Book this tour if you're traveling with a small group or on your own and want a focused two-hour experience that moves between two locations. The fixed itinerary (brewery first, then oyaki) is what keeps both tastings and the food experience inside a single morning or afternoon without rushing either one.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (6 to 19 years); Infant (under 6): free.

What exactly is sake, and how is it made?

Sake is a fermented beverage made from grain, and while the process resembles beer brewing, the finished product is best paired with food like wine. Your guide walks you through each step of production at the brewery and explains the history of sake-making in Nagano, so you understand the time and craftsmanship before you taste it.

Can I taste sake if I don't usually drink alcohol?

Yes. Non-alcoholic options are available during the tasting, and children under 20 can participate in the tour and taste oyaki while the adults taste sake. The brewery also arranges free soft drinks for children.

What are oyaki, and what do they taste like?

Oyaki are traditional Japanese buns made from plain flour, salt, and oil, filled with seasonal vegetables, sweet beans, or miso. They're steamed or baked until warm and fragrant, and you'll eat one freshly made at a traditional restaurant as part of the tour. They're vegan-friendly by default.

Is the brewery still making sake?

No, the brewery stopped active production in 2010 and is now open to the public as a museum and tasting space. This means you can visit year-round, including winter, when most active sake breweries close their doors to visitors. The tour focuses on the history, the process, and the local culture rather than watching production happen.

How long does the whole tour take?

The tour runs for two hours total, including the brewery tour, sake tasting, and oyaki at the restaurant. Public transportation options are available nearby if you need to reach the starting point.