San-in Tour 2012 : 3.12 - 3.16 (Registration closes on February 5, 2012)
highlights | map | itinerary | cost | optional tours | additional travel | contact us
Highlights
Sake
Food
Culture
Onsen
Map
Itinerary - 5 days
March 12, 2012 (Monday) Yonago and Sakaiminato, Tottori
Fly from Haneda Airport to Yonago Airport in the morning. Begin the journey with a sake lecture by John Gauntner and special brewery tour of Chiyomusubi Shuzo, known for their Kitaro label. See the popular Mizuki Shigeru Road where statues of spooky yet very comical Gegege no Kitaro characters welcome you. Enjoy Matsuba-gani crab in different styles: BBQ, boiled, and in soup. We'll be just in time to catch the end of the crab season.
Hotel: ANA Yonago Hotel
Meals: Matsuba-gani crab dinner with local sake
March 13, 2012 (Tuesday) Yasugi and Matsue, Shimane
Drive through the country side and visit Kiyomizu-dera Temple that served as a spiritual center since the dawn of Buddhism in Japan. Enjoy the tranquil woods and elaborate vegetarian lunch of Shojin Ryori, which originated as monk's food. Then, stroll in the beautiful Japanese gardens of the Adachi Museum of Art and appreciate their collection of Japanese paintings and pottery from renowned artists. After transferring to Matsue, visit Matsue Castle, one of the few remaining original castles from the Edo period. Enjoy leisure time in the evening.
Hotel: Route-Inn Hotel in Matsue
Meals: Breakfast; Shojin Ryori lunch
March 14, 2012 (Wednesday) Matsue, Shimane
Enjoy Matsue: a cultural center surrounded by water. Start the day by visiting Rihaku Shuzo, the producer of Wandering Poet. After our interview with the brewer at Rihaku, continue the quest on foot and visit a nearby artisanal soy sauce producer. In the afternoon, learn how tea culture developed; a private tea ceremony will show how people enjoy sweets with tea today in this graceful city. Learn the art of "wagashi" sweets making from a local expert. Savory banquet-style dinner served with local sake at a historical Japanese-style inn that once hosted Lafcadio Hearn.
Hotel: Ohashikan (Japanese style inn by the Shinjiko Lake)
Meals: Breakfast; banquet style dinner and sake
March 15, 2012 (Thursday) Izumo and Yunotsu, Shimane
Enjoy the beautiful city on your own or join the optional tour to one more sake brewery, Toyo no Aki. In addition to nihonshu, they brew local traditional cooking ingredients, jidenshu, or sweet cooking sake with a super dose of umami, and prized mirin. Then, wander the Izumo Grand Shrine, one of Japan's most ancient and important shrines. A visit to the Shimane Museum of Ancient Izumo to browse through the stunning collection of historical discoveries gives you insight into the prehistoric myth, religion, and history of this ancient crossroads. In the evening, stay at the quaint, tiny coastal onsen town of Yunotsu and enjoy a quiet, relaxing evening. Banquet style dinner and sake are served at the ryokan.
Hotel: Kiunso (Japanese style inn at the heart of Yunotsu Onsen)
Meals: Breakfast; banquet style dinner and sake
March 16, 2012 (Friday) Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine, Shimane and Hiroshima
At leisure, explore the town of Yunotsu on foot and tramp along a rocky coastal beach or visit a pottery studio where you can see a traditional kiln. Then, visit the most recent UNESCO World Heritage Site in Japan, Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine, where you explore the old mining town accessible only on foot at leisurely pace. Enjoy a very simple local home style lunch with the film taken during the restoration work of the 230 year old samurai residence, Abe-ke.
A private car takes you JR Hiroshima Station to continue your trip on your own.
Meals: Breakfast; lunch
Cost
Registration closes on February 5, 2012
220,000 JPY based on double occupancy
No single occupancy supplement at hotels for first two nights. Single supplement for two nights is 20,000 JPY based on availability. Single rooms are extremely difficult at Japanese ryokan in Matsue and Yunotsu. If not available, you may be asked to share a room with a fellow traveler of the same sex.
The tour price is based on a group of 8 and may change for a smaller group size.
Price includes
- Sake lecture by renowned sake expert, John Gauntner and a tour with him for the first brewery visit.
- Three special tours and tasting at sake breweries. In addition, private visits to a Japanese sweets producer and local soy sauce maker are planned.
- Accommodations for 4 nights based on double occupancy. 2 nights are at Western style hotels and 2 nights are at traditional style Japanese inns.
- 4 breakfasts, 2 lunches and 3 dinners. Dinners include selected sake from the breweries we visit. Shojin Ryori and special home style lunch at Abe-ke are included.
- Admissions to museums in the tour.
- All transportation during the tour starting March 12th through 16th, excluding the flights from Haneda and retuning transportation by Shinkansen bullet train
- A qualified tour leader who is an Advanced Sake Professional and a certified English Bilingual Interpretive Guide provides translation and informative commentary throughout the trip.
Domestic Transportation After Your Arrival in Japan
Your tour begins with a flight from Haneda, Tokyo to Yonago on ANA and ends at JR Hiroshima Station with options to fly to Haneda or continue your travel by Shinkansen bullet train. These are not included in the tour cost. In most cases, the best option is purchasing your onward tickets together with your international ticket. This is usually cheaper and simpler. If you choose to book the flight in conjunction with your international tickets, please see ANA Airlines' Visit JAPAN Fare or Star Alliance Japan Airpass for special domestic airfares.
For your convenience, we will of course coordinate your domestic transportation for you. Please see Optional Tours for San-in for transportation and additional accommodation packages.
For those planning to use JR Pass for more extended travel, please contact for details regarding Shinkansen return travel from Hiroshima.
Optional Tours for San-in
We hope to make it easy for you to travel with us to San-in. With the optional tours, you do not have to worry about any arrangements other than your international flights! You can simply enjoy stress-free vacation without complicated travel planning or worried about getting to places. You may choose one or more components listed in the package to design your own travel itinerary.
Two optional packages are available.
> Tokyo & Hiroshima Package for San-in
> Kyoto Free Time Package for San-in
Additional Travel Arrangements
Please see other travel destinations before and after the San-in tour. > Other Travel Destinations
Additional domestic travel arrangements and consulting are available by Michi Travel Japan. Please contact us at info@saketours.com for more information.Contact Us
To book a tour or any questios, please contact us at info@saketours.com or by using our contact form.
Terms and Conditions
Sake World Sake Brewery Tour is offered by Michi Travel and the Terms and Conditions in addition to the cancellation policies at Michi Travel are applicable.
Please visit Michi Travel Terms and Conditions for more information