Nada Sake Breweries

Nada, the eastern district of Kobe, is one of Japan's most important sake-producing areas. The combination of excellent water from the Rokko mountains, rice from the surrounding plains, and cold maritime air from Osaka Bay has made Nada-sake synonymous with quality for over two centuries. Several of the major breweries are open to visitors for tours and tastings.

The three main brewery museums in Nada — Hakutsuru, Kikumasamune, and Hamafukutsuru — are all within walking distance of each other near Uozaki station on the Hanshin Line. The tours explain the sake-making process from rice polishing through fermentation and pressing. Tastings are included, and the brewery gift shops are a good place to buy sake at competitive prices. The sake styles produced here tend toward the dry and robust — food-friendly rather than delicate.

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A story
Nada's sake production depends on a specific local water source called Miyamizu — "shrine water" — from springs in the Nishinomiya area. Miyamizu has an unusually high mineral content that accelerates the fermentation process, producing a dry, clean sake style known as Nada-mono. When this connection was discovered in the early 19th century, the Nada brewers rapidly became the dominant force in the Japanese sake industry, and they have remained so ever since.