Stadtrundgang durch eine ländliche Brauerei: Halbtägige private Tour in der Nähe von Kyoto

I work in a profession where taking a break sometimes feels like a luxury. There’s always so much to plan, so much to execute and so little time for everything to be done that it’s easy to overlook the fact that breaks are needed. That’s basically what this tour was for me. It was an chance for me to disconnect from the hustle called “life” and take a moment to pause, and appreciate those moments my friend and I spent cycling through the beautiful and peaceful towns between Takatsuki and Kinomoto Station. PROS - We were provided one of the warmest individuals as a tour guide. She met us at the Takatsuki JR Station and guided us all the way to Kinomoto Juzo-in Joshin-Jo Temple we’re we met a few locals and paid tributes (very, very optional). She rode ahead of us and stopped intermittently to allow us an opportunity to rehydrate and learn a bit about the various places we visited. - Lunch was included. The best way for me to describe this meal is a “Taste of Nagahama.” (see picture attached). I understand - quite generic - but, it’s truly what this felt like to me. We had a mix of sweet and savory items. And of course, soup and rice. This was a meal that was prepared by the wife of a Buddhist at the Kinomoto Juzo-in Joshin-Jo Temple. - Nature. It was everywhere. Tall, towering trees, rice paddy fields that spread for miles and the sounds of birds everywhere. Just riding through nature was de-stressing for me. It allowed me to calm down and I found myself saying several times: “I would really live here” because I enjoyed that moment so much. CONS - To be very honest, I can’t think of any at this time. If any does come up, I’ll be sure to update this. But, overall, it was a day well spent outdoors and I’d definitely do this again; whether by myself or with a friend or few. It’s a nice way to bond, de-stress and relax while being surrounded by nature and getting in some exercise.

This tour of Kinomoto was fantastic and a true highlight of our family trip to Japan. We especially enjoyed learning about brewing soy sauce at Tomita Shuzo (and we savor the delicious bottle that we brought home with us) plus seeing all the frogs and doing the pitch dark maze at Kinomoto Jizoin. Most of our trip was otherwise in large cities so it was rewarding to gain new perspective visiting this small town and interacting with local artisans. Our guide was excellent and provided insight and access we never would have discovered on our own. I highly recommend this experience!

In Feb 2020 we arranged a private tour initery and went to Kinomoto as part of our schedule. Thanks Biwako Backroads for a wonderful day. The pace of our schedule was perfect for us (50s), our guides knowledgeable and charming. This was one of our most interesting days in Japan, as we really felt we we experiencing local areas, sites and business that we would never have found on our own, and got to do it all with guides who spoke english and Japanese. We really felt we were able to have more interesting conversations as a result.