2026 Niigata Sake No Jin Annual Sake Festival

Plus Sado Island, Tokyo & Minakami

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.

• 12 Nights / 14 Days
• 29 Meals (12 Breakfasts, 8 Lunches, 9 Dinners)
• Escorted from Honolulu
• Includes an English-Speaking Local Guide

TOUR DATE & MANAGERS:

March 02 – 15, 2026 • Tour Managers: Dean & Annette Mizumura

VISIT:

Tokyo • Niigata • Sado Island • Minakami

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 • Ginza Area • Shinkansen Bullet Train Ride • Minato Marche Pier Bandai • Jet Foil Ride to Sado Island • Kirarium Sado • Sado Gold Mine • Kitazawa Flotation Field • Tarai-bune Boat Ride • Shukunegi • Japanese Crested Ibis Conservation Centre • Jet Foil Ride to Niigata Port • AEON MALL • “Sake No Jin” Festival • Northern Culture Museum • Niigata Furusato Village • Miso and Shoyu Factory • Michi-no-Eki Nagaoka Hanabikan • Knife Factory at Tsubame-Sanjo • Takumi no Sato • Toyosu Senkyaku Banrai • Ameyoko Shopping

HANDS-ON EXPERIENCES:

Soba Noodle Making • Obata Sake Brewery Tour and Tasting • Mochi Pounding • Senbei (Rice Cracker) Making • Asahi Shuzo Sake Brewery with Tasting • Kite Making • Fruit Picking • Paint an Omen (Mask) • Edo Kiriko Edging • Sushi Making Class