Nada produces 30% of Japan's sake; several breweries with free tours and tastings 10 min from Sannomiya by train.
The Nada district, east of Kobe, is the largest sake-producing district in Japan, responsible for around 30% of all national production. The secret of its success combines three elements: the miyamizu water (a groundwater high in phosphorus and low in iron), the Yamada Nishiki rice of Hyogo (considered the best in the world for sake) and the cold winter wind (rokko-oroshi) that descends from Mount Rokko. The main breweries —Hakutsuru, Kiku-Masamune, Sawanotsuru— have their own free museums with exhibition halls, historic fermentation machinery and a final tasting. The most recommended is the Hakutsuru Sake Brewery Museum (free admission, tasting included), with models of the old fermentation vats and explanations in English. Hours: 9:30-16:30, closed on Mondays. It is reached on the JR Kobe Line to Sumiyoshi or Uozaki stations (10 minutes from Sannomiya) and then a five-minute walk.
