A new tour is coming to Kagoshima's Osumi Peninsula, the historic home of shochu, giving visitors a rare, in-depth look at how the drink is made. The "Premium Shochu Exploration Tour," organized by a planning committee bringing together the Osumi Tourism Future Council and five local breweries — Taikai Shuzo, Kojika Shuzo, Kamikawa Shuzo, Tensei Shuzo, and Wakashio Shuzo — along with travel agency Sakura Kanko Soyokaze, runs for two days and one night from Wednesday, September 30 to Thursday, October 1, 2026. Open to shochu enthusiasts and industry professionals alike, applications begin on Thursday, July 2, 2026.
A New Way to Experience Osumi's Shochu Culture
Consumer interest has shifted in recent years from simply buying products to seeking out experiences, and travelers with a strong interest in food and drink increasingly want to understand the stories behind what they consume. This tour was designed to meet that demand, offering a chance to experience the climate, water, and hands-on craftsmanship of the Osumi Peninsula — the traditional heartland of shochu — with all five senses. Direct encounters with the breweries are intended to strengthen the region's reputation as the true home of shochu while building lasting ties between visitors and the local community.
Six Premium Highlights
The tour brings together renowned breweries across the Osumi Peninsula for a set of experiences not normally open to visitors.
1. Visits to five leading Osumi breweries
The tour visits all five of Osumi's leading breweries in a single trip: Kojika Shuzo, Taikai Shuzo, Kamikawa Shuzo, Tensei Shuzo, and Wakashio Shuzo.
2. Sweet potato harvesting and tasting
Visitors head to a contracted farmer's field to harvest and taste sweet potatoes — the essential raw ingredient in shochu — for a firsthand feel of the land they come from.
3. Brewing and craftsmanship at the distilleries
Beyond touring the traditional brewing process, guests can try cutting sweet potatoes alongside the brewers and stirring moromi (fermenting mash) using traditional methods.
4. The mystery of fermentation
In the quiet of the night, visitors can watch up close as koji and moromi bubble and stir with fermentation — a small but striking sensory experience.
5. A Japanese whiskey experiment
The tour also includes a look at the production of authentic whiskey made by a shochu brewery, a cutting-edge project built on traditional technique, along with a tasting.
6. A one-of-a-kind personal blend
The tour closes with a guided blending session led by a professional, letting each participant create a completely original shochu — bottle design included — that exists nowhere else in the world.
A Culinary Pairing With the Brewery Staff
The tour also puts real care into its food. Lunch features kanpachi (amberjack) and unagi (eel), for which the Osumi region is Japan's top producer, and in the evening, brewery staff join guests at a local izakaya for a special dinner pairing the region's seasonal ingredients with each brewery's finest shochu, served alongside the makers' own stories.
Tour Overview
Tour name: Kagoshima Osumi Peninsula Premium Shochu Exploration Tour
Dates: Wednesday, September 30 to Thursday, October 1, 2026 (one night, two days)
Price: ¥39,800 (tax included), including chartered local bus transportation, one night's accommodation, four meals (one breakfast, two lunches, one dinner), and experience fees. Transportation to and from the meeting/dismissal points (Kagoshima Airport or Kagoshima Chuo Station) is not included and must be arranged individually.
Capacity: 20 people (minimum 10 to run)
Application period: Through Monday, August 31, 2026
Organizer: Premium Osumi Shochu Exploration Tour Planning Committee (Osumi Tourism Future Council, Taikai Shuzo, Kojika Shuzo, Kamikawa Shuzo, Tensei Shuzo, Wakashio Shuzo, and Sakura Kanko Soyokaze)
Supported by: Kagoshima Prefecture Sake Brewers Association, Osumi Wide-Area Tourism Development Promotion Council
Breweries on the Tour
Each stop comes with a souvenir gift from the brewery.
- Taikai Shuzo (Kanoya City) — https://www.taikai.or.jp/index.html
- Kojika Shuzo (Kanoya City) — https://shochu-kojika.jp/
- Kamikawa Shuzo (Kanoya City) — https://kamikawa-syuzo.com/
- Tensei Shuzo (Osaki Town) — https://tensei-shuzo.com/
- Wakashio Shuzo (Shibushi City) — https://wakashio.com/
How to Apply
Applications are handled by Sakura Kanko Soyokaze. Apply here: https://sakurakanko-travel.com/original-tours/5964.html
