Book a tour to experience paper making and sake tasting

Saitama | 5.5h

Ogawamachi: The Land of Washi Paper and Sake Brewing

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Visit the historic town of Ogawamachi, also known as "Small Kyoto".

Learn about traditional Japanese paper; washi and Japanese sake in Ogawamachi, a town built around a river, roughly an hour away from central Tokyo. Ogawa, meaning small river, is where the name of this town comes from, and the water of this river is what is used in creating Ogawamachi's washi and sake. The creation process of washi in this town is registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, and on this tour you will get the chance to try it yourself! You will also visit a sake brewing factory and a 100% locally produced and consumed craft beer shop where you can taste local drinks. Make sure to explore the old back streets of Ogawamachi that have stayed unchanged for centuries!

Highlights

・Hand make washi paper and decorate it with flowers and leaves to create your very own unique piece of traditional Japanese paper!
・Visit a small, traditional sake brewery where the small number of workers have been making sake for years, using the traditional brewing method.
・Walk along the river and wander into the back streets filled with traditional Japanese architecture.
・Taste locally brewed beer in a brewery popular among the locals and repeat visitors from other prefectures.

Attractions

・Saitama Craft Center: See 30 traditional crafts of Saitama Prefecture at this craft center. You can also experience Japanese traditional paper making here.
・Kadokura Japanese Paper: Visit the long-established paper shop that creates paper that has been registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.
・Tsuru Musashi Brewing: One of the three sake breweries in Ogawamachi. It is a small brewery that swears by the traditional brewing method to create the unchanging taste of sake.
・Seiun Sake Brewery: A company that uses local water and local paper in producing sake.
・Tochimoto Shinsui Park: Visit the beautiful river that created and supported Ogawamachi's sake and paper industry.
・Town Scape (Nagaya): See the traditional Japanese houses that have remained unchanged.
・Town Scape (Dozo): Walk the backstreets and spot the magnificent traditional storehouse.
・Mugi Zakkoku Kobo Micro Brewery: Try their 100% wheat and hops beer. The wheat and hops are grown organically.

Notes

・Please come in comfortable clothing, as this tour involves a lot of walking.
・This tour includes a lunch/dinner venue.
・Please note that anyone can visit the sake brewery, but you must be older than the Japanese drinking age; 20, to be able to taste the sake.
・On Tuesdays Mugi Zakkoku Kobo Micro Brewery, and Tuesdays and Wednesdays Kadokura Japanese Paper is closed. If any of the scheduled places are closed on the day you visit, your tour guide will take you to an alternative location.
[IMPORTANT]
The paper you make must be dried before it is ready to be taken home. Once it has dried, the workshop will send it to you. Please note, however, that the paper can only be sent to a Japanese address, so make sure that you book the tour at least four days before you leave Japan.
eg. If you are planning on checking out of your accommodation on the 20th January, you must book the tour for the 16th January at the latest. Depending on the weather conditions, it can take longer for the paper to be sent to you, so it is recommended that you book the tour well before the date you return to your country.

Safety Measures

Expenses Not Included

The following expenses are not included in the tour fee. Please bring extra money to experience this tour to its fullest.
-Travel expenses and entrance fees (about JPY 1000)
-Money for food, souvenirs and extra activities not mentioned in the explanation of the tour above.

Meeting Point

By the Ticket Gate Exit at the Tobu Tojo line and the JR Hachiko line, Ogawamachi Station (Saitama)

*Note that this is NOT the Tokyo Metro Ogawamachi Station in Chiyoda City, Tokyo

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