SAKE-WORLD PRESENTS

Sake Brewery T in San-in our

featuring a lecture by John Gauntner
5 days - March 12th through 16th, 2012 Highlights
Sake Learn about sake from the world's leading expert, John Gauntner, in an intimate class setting. Maximum group size is twelve people. Explore the area to visit two breweries. Each brewery introduces you to different aspects of the brewing tradition. Food Simply for foodies: Shojin Ryori vegetarian lunch at renowned Kiyomizu Temple, Matsuba-gani crab dinner in season, simple home-style lunch at beautifully restored historical samurai residence, and more! Immerse yourself in tea culture in the region. A tour of a traditional sweets maker and a private tea ceremony is the best introduction to Matsue, a refined tea cultural center. In Matsue, meet artisans who produce local foods using traditional methods. Try some very special soy sauce brewed in wooden barrels. Culture And the tour is not only about sake and food. Learn and feel the cultural heritage of Japan by touring this least-traveled region. Start with the myth of the nation's creation, remnants of thriving medieval period, modern Japanese arts, and even some of the best of modern-day manga, or comics culture. Cultural highlights are: Adachi Museum of Art with award winning gardens, Kiyomizu-dera Temple, Matsue Castle, Izumo Grand Shrine, Iwami Silver Mines and the film of the restoration work of a Edo-era samurai residence there. Onsen Soak in hot springs to fully open yourself up to San-In. Next, soak up local culture at the sleepy, coastal onsen town of Yunotsu. This last night in Yunotsu is going to be the complete opposite of any big city experience. Cost: 220,000 JPY per person based on double occupancy. Price includes:
Sake lecture by renowned sake expert, John Gauntner and a

tour with him for the rst brewery visit.

Two special tours and tasting at sake breweries. In

addition, private visits to a Japanese sweets producer and local soy sauce maker are planned. Accommodations for 4 nights based on double occupancy. 2 nights are at Western style hotels and 2 nights are at traditional style Japanese inns. 4 breakfasts, 2 lunches and 3 dinners. Dinners include selected sake from the breweries we visit and from other breweries in the region. Shojin Ryori and special home style lunch at Abe-ke are included. Admissions to museums in the tour. All transportation during the tour starting March 12th through 16th, excluding the ights from Haneda, Tokyo and retuning transportation by Shinkansen bullet train. A qualied tour leader who is an Advanced Sake Specialist and a certied English Bilingual Interpretive Guide provides translation and informative commentary throughout the trip.

Itinerar y March 12, 2012 (Monday) Sakaiminato and Yonago, Tottori Fly from Haneda Airport to Yonago Airport in the morning. Begin the journey with a sake lecture by John Gauntner and special brewery tour of Chiyomusubi Shuzo, known for their Kitaro label. See the popular Mizuki Shigeru Road where statues of spooky yet very comical Gegege no Kitaro characters welcome you. Enjoy Matsubagani crab in different styles: BBQ, boiled, and in soup. We'll be just in time to catch the end of the crab season. Hotel: ANA Yonago Hotel Meals: Dinner March 13, 2012 (Tuesday) (Tuesday) Yasugi and Matsue, Shimane Drive through the country side and visit Kiyomizu-dera Temple that served as a spiritual center since the dawn of Buddhism in Japan. Enjoy the tranquil woods and elaborate vegetarian lunch of Shojin Ryori, which originated as monk's food. Then, stroll in the beautiful Japanese gardens of the Adachi Museum of Art and appreciate their collection of Japanese paintings and pottery from renowned artists. After transferring to Matsue, visit Matsue Castle, one of the few remaining original castles from Edo period. Enjoy leisure time in the evening. Hotel: Route-Inn Hotel or equivalent Meals: Breakfast; Shojin Ryori lunch March 14, 2012 (Wednesday) Matsue, Shimane Enjoy Matsue: a cultural center surrounded by water. Start the day by visiting Rihaku Shuzo, the producer of Wandering Poet. After our interview with the brewer at Rihaku, continue the quest on foot and visit a nearby artisanal soy sauce producer. In the afternoon, learn how tea culture developed; a private tea ceremony will show how people enjoy sweets with tea today in this graceful city. Learn the art of "wagashi" sweets making from a local expert. Savory banquetstyle dinner served with local sake at a historical Japanese-style inn that once hosted Lafcadio Hearn. Hotel: Oohashi-kan (Japanese style inn by Lake Shinjiko) Meals: Breakfast; banquet-style dinner March 15, 2012 (Thursday) Matsue, Izumo and Yunotsu, Shimane Enjoy the beautiful city on your own or join the optional tour to one more sake brewery, Toyo no Aki. In addition to nihonshu, they brew local traditional cooking ingredients, jidenshu, or sweet cooking sake with a super dose of umami, and prized mirin. Then, wander the Izumo Grand Shrine, one of Japan's most ancient and important shrines. A visit to the Shimane Museum of Ancient Izumo to browse through the stunning collection of historical discoveries gives you insight into the prehistoric myth, religion, and history of this ancient crossroads. In the evening, stay at the quaint, tiny coastal onsen town of Yunotsu and enjoy a quiet, relaxing evening. Banquet style dinner and sake are served at the ryokan. Hotel: Kiunso (Japanese style inn at the heart of Yunotsu Onsen) Meals: Breakfast, banquet style dinner March 16, 2012 (Friday) ) Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine, Shimane and Hiroshima At leisure, explore the town of Yunotsu on foot and tramp along a rocky coastal beach or visit a pottery studio where you can see a traditional kiln. Then, visit UNESCO World Heritage Site, Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine, where you explore the old mining town accessible only on foot at leisurely pace. Enjoy a very simple local home style lunch with the film taken during the restoration work of the 230 year old samurai residence, Abe-ke. A private car takes you JR Hiroshima Station to continue your trip on your own. Meal: Breakfast, lunch

Note: No single occupancy supplement at hotels for first two nights. Single rooms are extremely difficult Japanese ryokan in Matsue and Yunotsu. Single supplement for two nights is 20,000 JPY based on availability. If not available, you may be asked to share a room with a fellow traveler of the same sex. The tour price is based on a group of 8 and may change for a smaller group size. Domestic Transportation After Your Arrival in Japan

The flight and train fare for San-in Tour are not included in the final tour cost. In most cases, the best option is to purchase your onward ticket together with your international ticket. This is usually cheaper and simpler. If that is not convenient for you, we will of course purchase domestic tickets for you. However, ANA will not announce pricing until September 2011.
San-in Tour Domestic Transportation

Your tour begins with a flight from Haneda, Tokyo to Yonago, Tottori and ends with a ends with a return by Shinkansen bullet train from Hiroshima to Tokyo. These are not included in the tour cost. If you choose to book the flight in conjunction with your international tickets, please see ANA Airlines' Visit JAPAN Fare or Star Alliance Japan Airpass for special domestic airfares. If purchased separately, round trip connecting air fare and train fare run from 35,000 to 44,000 JPY depending on the time of the booking. If we book for you, we simply ask for credit card fee and processing fee totaling 10% added to the then current cheapest air and train fare available. You will be asked to pay the full transportation cost at the time of booking. About John Gaunter
John Gauntner, known as the Sake Guy in Japan, is the world's leading sake expert. He has published five books and written hundreds of articles on sake. He teaches a series of intensive educational sake courses in Japan and in the US. He is also the only non-Japanese to function as an advisor and consultant for the Japanese government on sake promotion and the worldwide sake market. Learn more at http://www.sake-world.com

About Tour Leader: Etsuko Nakamura

Etsuko Nakamura is a Sake Advanced specialist and a certified English Bilingual Interpretive Guide [Registration Number: EN02400]. She shares her passion for sake and food on her blog Tokyofoodcast.com and has toured more than 60 sake breweries around Japan. She creates and leads customized tours for special interest groups.

Sake World Sake Brewery Tour is offered by Michi Travel Japan and the Terms and Conditions in addition to the cancellation policies at Michi Travel are applicable. http://www.michitravel.com/terms Please visit http://saketours.com for more information or contact us at info@saketours.com for registration.