Osaka
Yamano Sake Brewery in Osaka & Hirakata city walk
Activity duration
About 4 hours
Maximum Participants
Up to 10 people
Languages
English
Meeting place
Keihan Hirakatashi station
Overview
Half day tour visiting the historic town of Hirakata and a local sake brewery. Optional lunch at a farmer's restaurant or (and) cycle tour to visit Osaka's rare forest area. The basic itinerary of the tour is as follows:
10:00 Meet at Keihan Hirakatashi station
10:10 Walking tour in the historic quarter of Hirakata city
11:30 Visit to Yamano sake brewery
13:30 End of the tour
or
(13:00 Lunch at Sugi Gohei restaurant - Optional)
(14:30 Cycling tour in Hoshino Forest - Optional)
(17:00 End of the tour - in case you take the both options)
Meet your Locals
Request to book, or just ask a question first — about this activity.
Route
- 1
Hirakata city walk
During the Edo period (1603 - 1868), Hirakata City prospered as a post-station town and as one of the main river ports on the main route between Osaka and Kyoto. Historic buildings remain along the former main street. A visit to the town will give you an idea of how people used to travel around Japan before the age of trains and cars. The walking tour includes a visit to a local museum housed in a traditional inn and a tasting of a local sweet called "kurawanka-mochi", which was very popular with travellers passing through Hirakata on their way to Osaka or Kyoto.
- 2
Yamano Sake brewery
The Yamano Sake Brewery was founded in the Edo period (1603 - 1868) in Katano, a municipality next to the city of Hirakata. The brewery does not normally offer factory tours to walk-in visitors, but this tour gives participants exclusive access to their sake production facility. Yamano Brewery is a small, family-owned brewery, which makes your visit a more intimate experience. Of course, the factory tour includes some tasting at the end.
- 3
Lunch at Sugi Gohei restaurant (Optional) *highly recommended
Additional fee: ¥7,500 yen / person 〜 Sugi Gohei is an organic farmer's restaurant located about 15 minutes by taxi (not included in the price) from the Yamano Sake Brewery. The place has extensive vegetable gardens where most of the food served in the restaurant is grown using a method called "organic recirculation farming". The restaurant itself is housed in a traditional, well-managed and carefully renovated house. Guests can enjoy a range of high quality Japanese home-style meals, carefully prepared according to the changing seasons.
- 4
Cycle to Hoshida Forest (optional)
Extra charge: ¥8,000 yen / person (including bike rental) Duration: Approx. 2 hours For those who want to explore the area a bit more, it is also possible to rent a bike from a nearby station (or take a taxi) and cycle to Hoshida Forest. This is one of the few remaining forests in Osaka where you can take a short walk. There is also one of the longest pedestrian suspension bridges in Japan, from which you can enjoy an amazing view of the forest. The area has a rich history dating back over 1,500 years and you can also stop at some of the oldest Shinto shrines in Japan along the way.
What's included
Admission fee
Not included
What happens after you request
- 1
Send your request
Pick your dates and party size and send a request. No payment yet.
- 2
Decide the details together
Chat with the Locals to work out the date, plan, and final price together.
- 3
Pay securely
Once confirmed, pay through a secure link to lock in your booking.
- 4
Enjoy your experience
Meet your Locals host on the day and enjoy. You can leave a review afterwards.
For cancellation fees, see our Cancellation Policy.
Meeting point
Keihan Hirakatashi station
Your guide will meet you at the central gate of Hirakatashi station on the Keihan Line.
Things to know
-Minimum number of participants: 2 guests
-
The lunch option is NOT available on Tuesdays as the restaurant is closed.
-
Between January and March it is usually possible to see the actual sake making process.
After April, you can still see the production line and get an explanation of the whole production process, but all the sake is already in tanks for maturing.
-No tours are available in December, as this is the start of the brewing season and the busiest time of the year for the brewery.
More to explore in Osaka
Spots in the same area as this activity. Some may be a train or car ride away.
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