Yao Honten Sake Brewery Tasting Room

Yao Honten is a sake brewery in Nagatoro that has produced its Chichibu Nishiki brand continuously since 1749, drawing brewing water from the river system running through the Nagatoro gorge, one of the Chichibu region's best-known scenic sights. The tasting room offers a junmai tasting set built around Chichibu Nishiki's range, typically running from a lighter, fragrant grade through fuller-bodied junmai expressions, giving visitors a sense of the brewery's stylistic range in a single sitting. Alongside the sake, the shop sells sake-marinated pickles made using the brewery's own lees, and amazake, a low- or non-alcoholic sweet fermented rice drink that makes the tasting counter accessible to visitors traveling with children or those who prefer not to drink alcohol. The setting is unpretentious -- a working brewery shop rather than a designed tourist attraction -- with the historic gorge and its suspension bridge and rafting operators within easy walking distance, making a stop here a natural pairing with a Nagatoro sightseeing visit. Walk-in tasting is available without a reservation, though groups are asked to call ahead so the counter can prepare accordingly. The brewery closes on Tuesdays and keeps daytime hours from roughly 9:30AM to 4:30PM, fitting well into a day trip built around Nagatoro's river gorge scenery and nearby Chichibu shrine visits.