2026 Niigata Sake No Jin Annual Sake Festival Tour

Plus Sado Island, Shibata City & Tokyo

Enjoy your choice of Japan Airlines’ “Economy,” “Premium Economy,” or the affordable luxury of ”Business” class service. Premium Economy class customers will begin their journey with a relaxing visit to JAL’s “Sakura Lounge” and the “Sakura Lounge — Hale” for Business class.

• 13 Nights / 15 Days
• 32 Meals (13 Breakfasts, 9 Lunches, 10 Dinners)
• Escorted from Honolulu
• Includes an English-Speaking Local Guide

TOUR DATE & MANAGER:

March 03 – 17, 2026 • Tour Manager: Annette Nishikawa

VISIT:

Tokyo, Niigata, Sado Island & Shibata City

OVERVIEW:

The Niigata “Sake No Jin” was originally held in 2004 as a 50th Anniversary Celebration of the Niigata Sake Brewers Association. They studied the biggest beer festival, “Oktoberfest” of Germany and used it as reference. Their goal is for people of Niigata prefecture and people from outside of Niigata and abroad to have fun with Niigata sake and local foods. By holding the event annually, Sake No Jin has grown tremendously, and had over 100,000 visitors for the two-day event in 2012. Enjoy over 500 sake from about 90 brewers along with local cuisine. They also have various stage performances and sake seminars. Compared to other prefectures, Niigata Sake Brewers do not hesitate to polish rice. In fact, Niigata has the highest percentage of average rice-milled down ratio in Japan. In order to make Niigata sake, they only use the center core of rice, which contains purer, better starch. Because of this method, the artisanal sake production is small, and they are very particular about their sake quality.

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS:

Plum Blossom Festival at Yushima Tenjin Shrine, Tokyo Skytree, Shinkansen Bullet Train Ride, Sake No Jin Festival, Northern Culture Museum, Jet Foil Ride to Sado Island, Kirarium Sado, Gold Mine, Kitazawa Flotation Field (Drive By), Tarai-Bune Boat Ride, Shukunegi, Sado Japanese Crested Ibis Conservation Centre & Jet Foil Ride to Niigata Port

SHOPPING OPPORTUNITIES:

Ginza Area, AEON MALL, Miso Factory, Shoyu Factory, Michi-no-Eki Nagaoka Hanabikan, Knife Factory at Tsubame-Sanjo, Tonton Ichiba, Toyosu Senkyaku Banrai & Ameyoko Shopping

SAKE BREWERY SHOPPING:

Imayo Tsukasa Brewery, Asahi Shuzo Sake Brewery, Obata Sake Brewery & Aumont Sake Brewery

HANDS-ON EXPERIENCES:

Mochi Pounding, Senbei (Rice Cracker) Making, Soba Noodle Making, Oni-Daiko Drum Lesson, Kite Making, Fruit Picking, Edo Kiriko Edging & Sushi Making

MEAL HIGHLIGHTS:

A5 Wagyu Steak Dinner, Dinner with Geiko Entertainer, Dinner with Oni-Daiko Performance, Kaiseki Dinners & Dinner Zoshunkaku

HOTEL ACCOMMODATIONS:

TOKYO — KEIO PLAZA HOTEL TOKYO (2 NIGHTS + 2 NIGHTS = 4 NIGHTS TOTAL): The Keio Plaza Hotel Tokyo is at the perfect location to explore the delights of the city of Tokyo. Just outside the Tochomae Station and only a five-minute walk from Shinjuku Station, the most popular shopping and entertainment spots, this luxury hotel provides stunning experiences which will linger with guests for a long time. Stay in a Premier Grand Room (located on the 35th to 41st floors), with stunning views of the city, where you will have access to the Club Lounge on the 45th floor.

NIIGATA — HOTEL NIKKO NIIGATA (4 NIGHTS): Conveniently connected to the Convention Center (the location of the Sake No Jin Festival), the comfortable accommodations of Hotel Nikko Niigata are suited for business and leisure travelers. The hotel and structure appears as a luxury liner floating on the Shinano River with hotel rooms that are skillfully designed to be state-of-the-art, restaurants where you can enjoy the beautiful views of the Shinano River and Bandaijima, as well as complete banquet services at the Sky Banquet located on the top floor of the hotel.

SADO ISLAND — HOTEL AZUMA (3 NIGHTS): Offering traditional Japanese rooms with beautiful ocean sunset views, Hotel Azuma is right on Sado Island’s rugged western coast. Your room at Hotel Azuma will have tatami (woven-straw) floors and its own private open-air bath. Feel like you are a part of nature in the privacy of your own room.

SHIBATA CITY — SHIRATAMA NO YU KAHOU (2 NIGHTS): Relax in your Japanese-style room that includes a wide veranda. The hotel’s large public bath is equipped with an indoor bath, large sauna, cold water bath, circular open-air bath that includes a cypress bath, a large rock bath, a lying bath, and a sitting bath. The outdoor air bath and cooling space are equipped with infinity chairs. After getting out of the bath, you can enjoy the hotel’s special shrimp miso soup and various drinks in the spacious rest area, and at the back of the large bath, there is the dedicated beauty salon and scrubbing space. It’s no wonder the facilities are considered the #1 best onsen hot springs in ALL of Japan.