Private Sake Pairing Night at Nishino Kinryo Brewery in Kagawa

When the shrine steps of Kotohira grow quiet, another side of Kagawa comes into view. At Nishino Kinryo, a sake brewery established in 1789, your group gets exclusive after-hours access to explore a tradition woven into the town's history. Meet your local guide at Kotori Coworking and Hostel Kotohira for a short orientation before walking less than a minute to the brewery. Inside the sake museum, discover how sake is made and learn about the brewery's connection to Kotohira-gu, where its sake is offered as omiki, or sacred sake. Your English-speaking guide interprets throughout, bringing the stories and brewing traditions into focus. The evening continues in the brewery's tasting area, where three kinds of Nishino Kinryo sake are paired with four dishes of Sanuki oden. In Kagawa, this comforting local specialty is often eaten at udon shops, with ingredients dipped in savory bonito dashi and finished with sweet Konpira miso. The pairing also features anmochi kinchaku, inspired by Kagawa's New Year tradition of adding sweet bean-filled rice cakes to soup, and Yamaji fish cake. These local favorites reveal a side of Kagawa's food culture that often gets overlooked in favor of its famous udon. The evening ends with kagami biraki, a traditional sake barrel-opening ceremony. After you and your group don happi coats, you can share a toast and celebrate the experience together before taking home a commemorative pen. Created by a local team rooted in Kotohira, this experience brings together a historic brewery, regional food traditions, and the people who help keep them alive. With the entire brewery reserved for your group, there are no other guests or shared tables. It is an opportunity to explore Kagawa beyond its best-known dishes and discover the stories behind what locals eat and drink.