Exclusive Dassai Sake Brewery Tour with Puffer Fish Pairing Lunch & Private Chauffeured Transport

Dassai Sake, from Nature-Rich Iwakuni

Located in eastern Yamaguchi Prefecture, Iwakuni is an area blessed with abundant nature, nestled in coastal mountains alongside the Seto Inland Sea. Nourished by the clear waters of the Nishiki River, sake has been brewed here since the Edo period (1603–1867) and remains an important fixture of the local culture and industry. Iwakuni today is still home to around five major breweries. Dassai brand is just one of these.

Dassai sake is enjoyed around the world, and has been served at such esteemed events as the official Academy Awards afterparty. The brewery that brews it continues to do so with meticulous craft, prizing quality with unwavering dedication.

Dassai brews from Yamada Nishiki sake rice – the so-called “king of sake rices.” By carefully polishing away from the harvested grains everything that can mar the flavor even slightly, Dassai aims for a crystal-clear and highly refined palate. This sophisticated expressiveness through exacting rice-polishing ratios is one of Dassai’s signature selling points.

Refined Fugu Cuisine at Specialist Restaurant Sakaefuku

Begin with a relaxed chauffeured journey from Hiroshima Station, taking in views of the Seto Inland Sea along the way. Stop first at Sakaefuku – a fugu specialty restaurant operated directly by a fugu wholesaler. In the Meiji period (1868–1912), Yamaguchi was the first prefecture in Japan to legalize and regulate the consumption of the fugu blowfish – owing to the famously deadly tetrodotoxin in certain of the fish’s organs which demands meticulous and exacting preparation to be eaten safely. It carries this legacy on into the present day with Japan’s only fugu-specialized market, where not only the finest fugu catch but also a distinctive culture of heritage techniques and culinary tradition gather in one place. Fugu is a fish known for its clean, refreshingly delicate flavor and minimal aftertaste.

Sit down to a course lunch at Sakaefuku, and delight in a wide variety of fugu preparations, including assorted sashimi, karaage fry, lightly blanched shirako milt, hot pot, fugu-broth zosui rice porridge, and nikogori – a savory chilled jelly.

A Closer Look at Dassai’s Sake-Making and Philosophy

After lunch, travel again by chauffeured car – this time to the Dassai brewery. Enjoy a special look into the sake-making site itself, stepping even into areas normally off-limits to visitors from the public. The brewmaster or one of his deputies are your guide as you get up close observing such processes as the washing or steaming of the rice, or its fermentation. Discover Dassai’s brewing techniques and philosophy, and the series of delicate processes and meticulous craft required to produce truly great sake – from the temperature control of the water supply to the fine-tuning of the rice’s moisture absorption rate.

*In principle, the tour is guided by the brewmaster or assistant brewmaster, though other expert members of staff may guide in his stead depending on the circumstances of the day.

In a special climate-controlled room, fermentation unfolds slowly over more than a month – and brewers check on its progress daily. Opening a fermentation vessel fills the air with the distinctive aroma of fermentation, providing an olfactory window into the process of sake production.

The tour will also take guests through the pressing and analysis rooms, where you can observe how Dassai strives for the utmost consistency of quality through a combination of quantitative data analysis and qualitative examination by highly skilled and experienced craftspeople. The koji room is a particularly fascinating stop, showcasing up close the meticulous handwork involved in ensuring that the koji mold – essential for breaking the complex carbohydrates in sake into sugars that yeast can later turn into alcohol – grows evenly across each grain of rice. Upon request, tour even the centrifuge room – usually closed to the public – to see how the moromi (mash) is separated into clear finished sake and the leftover kasu (lees).

Sake brewing traditionally follows the natural seasons, and as a result its brewers typically man the brewery only during the winter season – when rice agriculture goes into hibernation and sake brewing kicks into gear. Dassai, however, trains its brewers as full-time employees through an innovative “four-season brewing” system that allows it to brew world class sake throughout the year. Dassai not only continues to hone these techniques, but to pass them on to each successive generation of brewers.

A Premium Tasting Available Nowhere Else

After touring the brewery, proceed to the special VIP tasting room at Dassai’s “Store at the Brewery.” This is a room off-limits to the general public, with a luxurious traditional-style setting for tasting elegance. Sample four to five types of sake, venturing beyond the standard tasting lineup into more exclusive labels and limited seasonal selections limited according to the timing of your visit. Details of the lineup vary depending on timing, featuring the classic Dassai 23 (brewed from rice grains polished down to 23% of their original size) alongside other premium lines or limited editions.

The new knowledge and insider insights gleaned during the tour elevate the tasting to more than a simple tipple, as the techniques and philosophy behind the brewing imbue the delights of palate, mouthfeel, and alcohol content with a deeper narrative that enhances the drinking experience. Dassai believes in brewing “sake to be tasted” rather than “sake to sell” or “sake to get tipsy on,” and it pursues this philosophy rigorously through a meticulousness only possible through deeply refined brewing sensibilities and experience, and a masterful control over each minute step in the process.

A Deep Dive into Japan’s Sake Culture

Fine fugu cuisine paired with exceptional Japanese sake is only the beginning in this Wabunka-exclusive experience, which provides an illuminating look into the background from which sake is born and the philosophy of Dassai, an internationally-acclaimed Japanese sake brand. Despite its large-scale facilities and high-tech production, Dassai’s world class sake is only made possible through delicate work rooted firmly in finely cultivated human sensibilities. Its flavor is truly the best of both worlds.

With a visit to the actual production site of Dassai sake, guests deepen their understanding of the brand and everything behind each bottle. Delight in luxurious full-day experience bringing together the rich culinary and agricultural life of Yamaguchi Prefecture with the craftsmanship of Dassai – a top shelf sake brand that continues to captivate connoisseurs the world over.