The Official Hokkaido Adventure Travel Guide

Tracing the Origin of SAKE Making in Otaru – Mt.Tengu Hiking Tour

1-DAY

DIFFICULTY

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GREEN SEASON

  • 1 day

  • Min. 15, Max. 25

  • Hiking

    Hiking

HIGHTLIGHTS
  • Hike Mt. Tengu, the waterway route for accumulated snow used as mother water for sake making
  • Guided tour and sake tasting at Tanaka Sake Brewery
  • Visit Okusawa Water Source, which supplies the essential water for Sake brewing for one hundred years
LOCATION

Otaru City

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In the woods of Mt. Tengu

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Beginning of the Hike

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Tanaka Shuzo / Sake Brewery

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Sake Tasting

OVERVIEW

Just one hour away from the great city of Sapporo, the port city of Otaru is surrounded by the Japan Sea and also by mountains rich in nature. This unique terrain produces a difference in temperature day and night even in a warm climate. In the springtime, snow accumulated during the severe winter starts to melt and flows through the mountains like Mt. Tengu, into the city. This melted snow water supports the lives of the people living in Otaru. It also serves as an important aspect when making Sake. Water and temperature difference are 2 major factors when producing Japanese Sake, and Otaru has both factors. In this one day tour, you will first hike Mt. Tengu and learn about the importance of water. After lunch, you will visit the most famous Sake brewery in Otaru, Tanaka Shuzo, and try the actual Sake made in Otaru.

ITINERARY

08:15AM

Met by English Speaking Guide at Sapporo Station. We will board a chartered coach and head to Otaru City. The drive will be about an hour and a half.

10:00AM

We will be greeted by our hiking guide and start our hike up Mt. Tengu. Along the way, we will enjoy fresh air of the primeval forest and the chirping of the birds. A beautiful view of the city of Otaru and the Japan Sea will greet us at the summit of the mountain. When we go down the mountain, we will board a ropeway down to continue our tour.

11:30AM

Before we go into the city of Otaru, we will stop by at Okusawa Water Source.
Here we will see the actual water melted from the mountains which are used to make Sake.

12:30PM

Lunch will be at a local sushi restaurant.

14:00PM

After our delicious lunch, we will head on to a sake brewery located in Otaru City
that actually uses water from Mt. Tengu. A staff from the brewery will lead us into the brewery for a tour. In the tour, we learn about the history of sake making. Once the tour is over, we have a chance to actually taste the sake made in this brewery. Also, there is a well in front of the brewery where we can taste the mother water from Mt. Tengu. So we can try both the mother water and the sake made from this water.

15:30PM

Before we return to Sapporo City, we will have some free time to stroll around Otaru Canal.

18:00PM

We will be back to Sapporo City around this time.

LUNCH

We will be enjoying some Sushi for lunch at a popular local sushi restaurant. The fish used for sushi are caught around the ports of Otaru, so it is fresh as it can be !

Tour Operator / Contact

Nippon Travel Agency Hokkaido

Address

5F Nippon Travel Agency Sapporo Bldg., South 1 West 4, Chuo-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0061 Japan

Contact Person

Takahiro Murayama

TEL

+81 (0)11-208-0182

Email

takahiro_murayama@nta.co.jp

Official web site

https://www.ntainbound.com/

We, Nippon Travel Agency Hokkaido (NTA Hokkaido) launched business in 1994, spinning off from “Nippon Travel Agency (NTA)”, the first travel agency in Japan founded in 1905. This spin-off helped us become a specialist in all types of travel in Hokkaido, the largest prefecture of Japan, ranging from Destination Management, Outgoing Tourism, MICE Solutions to Special Interest Tours. We extended our business from the Sapporo office to 8 branch offices within Hokkaido, from Hakodate of southern Hokkaido to Kushiro of eastern Hokkaido. From our 115+ years of experience in the travel market, we are committed to offering travel services of the highest quality, combining our energy and enthusiasm. Our greatest satisfaction comes in serving large numbers of satisfied clients who have experienced the joys and inspiration of travel. If you have any questions or concerns about a trip to Japan, please feel free to contact us. Our mission is to provide the best experience on your next exciting trip to Japan !

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