While it is very common for brewers and distillers in America to offer tours and tastings of their beer, wine, and spirits, sake-loving outsiders in Japan are much less likely to enjoy this luxury. According to The Wall Street Journal, Japan has a long and rich tradition of producing sake from fermented rice and has over 1,600 licensed breweries in the country. Despite its prevalence within the country, however, much of the sake produced there never finds its way outside the borders and the industry has been slow to embrace the idea of promoting tours to foreigners.
Luckily, this trend has started to change and organizations such as the Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association lists dozens of breweries that have opened their doors and also indicates whether or not they have English-speaking guides. For interested travelers staying in Japan, the country's excellent train system makes it possible to move from brewery to brewery and enjoy sight-seeing along with drinking.
Rick Good spent ten years in the newspaper business, including with The News & Observer (Raleigh, NC) and The Greenville News (Greenville, SC). He co-wrote, with Melinda Coleman, Rutledge to Riley: Governors of South Carolina, 1776–Present (Published by The Greenville News), and is the author of Mind Games Trivia #1 (Amazon). He has recently spent 15 years creating original trivia content through Sounds Good Mobile Entertainment and continues that with his new company, SGME Software. He edits The Smart Reader’s money, real estate, and business coverage.