Inuyama Brewery Tour from Nagoya: Sweet Sake Tasting & Bottle Labeling
Kojima Jozo in Inuyama, Aichi is a licensed brewery, but they have never made ordinary sake. Since 1597, they have perfected one unique specialty: Nindoshu, a traditional botanical sweet sake (liqueur) brewed from Japanese honeysuckle and locally grown Inuyama rice. Tour the historic cellars, taste 4-5 pours including unfiltered Nindoshu, then seal and hand-label two bottles — taking one home with you the same day, and laying the other down in the cellar to age.
- 90 mins
- 1-6 Participants
- Inuyama, Aichi
- Moderate
★★★★★
?? Reviews on Trip Advisor
From
¥ 22,000
Per Person
- Shared brewery tour at Kojima Jozo, brewing since 1597 with English Interpreter
- Guided tasting of 4–5 pours, including unfiltered Nindoshu
- Bottle sealing and custom label making on the brewery's hand press
- 2 bottles: 1 home with you, 1 aged in the cellar
- Registered Tangible Cultural Property, not open to the public
Experience Overview
Kojima Jozo in Inuyama, Aichi is a licensed sake brewery, but they have never made ordinary sake. Since 1597, they have perfected one unique specialty: Nindoshu, a traditional botanical sweet sake (liqueur) brewed from suikazura (Japanese honeysuckle) and locally grown Inuyama rice.
Step into cellars protected as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property, where historic equipment remains untouched and ceramic jars sit sunk into the earthen floor—buried to let the earth naturally regulate the temperature. Taste four to five pours, including the family’s fruit-infused expressions and unfiltered Nindoshu.
After the tasting, you will seal the bottles yourself entirely by hand using a traditional, machine-free method. Hand-write your own custom labels for two bottles: take one home with you the same day, and lay the second down in the cellar under your name to mature for at least two years. It will be waiting to be poured upon your return to Inuyama, or it can be shipped to you once ready.
The secret recipe has never been written down. For over 400 years, it has been passed to a single heir in each generation by word of mouth, never once leaving the family.
From the Journal
The recipe has never been written down. For four centuries, it has been spoken once a generation, to a single child — and this generation has decided that is no longer safe enough.
We spent a day at Kojima Jozo with the fifteenth generation. Read our journal entry to discover the origin story the family tells, the domain ledger that reveals the true scale of this historic house, the secrets of the jars buried in the earthen floor, and the heavy decision to finally record what has only ever been remembered.
The Recipe That Was Never Written Down: Japan’s Last Nindōshu Brewery in Inuyama → https://www.honeyj-tours.com/journal/nindoshu-inuyama-sake-brewery/
Your Experience & Highlights
What to Expect
A Brewery Since 1597
Step inside Kojima Jozo, a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in Inuyama's castle town
Taste 4–5 Pours
Sample unfiltered Nindoshu and the family's fruit-infused expressions
Seal and Label by Hand
Cap two bottles by hand using traditional methods, then write your own custom labels.
Lay One Down
One bottle comes home with you; the second ages in the cellar for at least two years, then travels to you or waits for your return
Why Choose This Experience
The Only Brewery Making It
Nindoshu was once made in Hamamatsu and Kishu. Only here has it been made without interruption since 1597
A Recipe Never Written Down
Passed to a single heir each generation, by word of mouth, and never out of the house
Inside a Protected Property
Cellars designated a Registered Tangible Cultural Property, not otherwise open to the public
A Bottle Waiting for You
Your second bottle ages under your name — collect it on a return trip to Inuyama, or have it sent to you
Important Details
Know Before You Go
- Duration: 90 mins
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Group Size: 1-6 participants
- Shared Experience
- Food allergies can be accommodated with advance notice. Halal preparation is not available.
- The legal drinking age in Japan is 20. Guests under 20 join the tour, bottle sealing and label making, and take home their bottles in the same way. Nindoshu is 24% alcohol. No non-alcoholic drink is served.
- The aged bottle is not available immediately; aging takes about 2 years. It can be collected on a future visit to Inuyama, or sent by EMS where the destination country permits alcohol imports, at additional cost and subject to local duties.
Cancellation Policy
- 100% charge if cancelled within 23 hours
- 50% charge if cancelled within 2 days
- 20% charge if cancelled within 7 days
- The experience runs in rain. In the event of an official weather warning, we will contact you to discuss options
Meeting Point
小島醸造（犬山忍冬酒) / (宿-SHUKU-)
The brewery and the SHUKU inn share the same historic property.
〒484-0083 Higashikoken-633 Inuyama, Aichi
Note: Located in Inuyama’s castle town, a 10-minute walk from the west exit of Meitetsu Inuyama Station. Inuyama is about 30 minutes by limited express from Meitetsu Nagoya Station.
