A special one-day sake event celebrating Japanese sake, food, and tradition opens on October 5, 2025 (Sunday) at NIPPONIA HOTEL Nara Naramachi, operated by VMG HOTELS & UNIQUE VENUES, a group brand of Value Management Co., Ltd. This event offers visitors a chance to experience the traditions and charm of sake in Nara, the birthplace of clear sake, in a more accessible way.
A Day to Experience the Appeal of Nara's Sake and Food
VMG HOTELS & UNIQUE VENUES operates hotels and unique venues by renovating historically valuable buildings such as guest houses, Western-style buildings, and mansions. One of these properties, the distributed hotel "NIPPONIA HOTEL Nara Naramachi" in Nara, is an 8-room hotel converted from the former brewery of Nara Toyozawa Brewery, which was founded in the Meiji era. With the concept of "SAKE HOTEL," the hotel offers pairings of Japanese sake from Nara Toyozawa Brewery with fusion cuisine that emphasizes local ingredients.
This event was planned as an opportunity to experience the traditions and charm of sake more closely in "Nara, the birthplace of clear sake," following the registration of "Traditional Sake Brewing Knowledge and Techniques Using Koji" as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in December 2024. The event is scheduled for October 5 (Sunday) to commemorate "Sake Day" on October 1 and to allow more people to attend.
Enjoy Sake Tastings and Chef's Special Appetizer Sets
At this event, visitors can enjoy complimentary sake from Nara Toyozawa Brewery, autumn-specific "hiyaoroshi," and sake tastings including hotel-exclusive varieties. Additionally, the event features a chef's special 6-item appetizer set made with Nara ingredients, including homemade sausages made with Yamato pork, grilled chicken marinated in sake lees, braised pork belly with grilled rice balls using soy sauce from Ikeda Shoyu (established in 1864 in local Naramachi), offering exclusive event flavors for guests to enjoy.
The venue will also feature sales of fresh morning-harvested vegetables grown by local farmers, allowing visitors to feel closer to Nara's food culture through direct interaction with producers. Furthermore, guest rooms normally reserved for hotel guests will be specially opened to the public, with staff providing guided tours of the hotel's history and culture, showcasing this brewery-converted accommodation.
Against the backdrop of UNESCO registration, this event aims to share the cultural value of Japanese sake while delivering a special day to deeply appreciate Nara through food and human connections.
Japanese Sake Event Overview
Date & Time: October 5, 2025 (Sunday) 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Admission: Free - A day designed to help you experience the sake, food, and charm of NIPPONIA HOTEL Nara Naramachi more closely. No advance reservations required, so please feel free to visit whether you're from nearby or traveling from afar.
Location: NIPPONIA HOTEL Nara Naramachi (4 Nishikido-cho, Nara City, Nara Prefecture)
Event Highlights
Feature 1 | Sake Tasting from Nara Toyozawa Brewery
Enjoy complimentary sake from Toyozawa Brewery plus autumn-specific "hiyaoroshi" and hotel-exclusive sake sets. Experience the full appeal of traditional brewing techniques recognized by UNESCO.
Feature 2 | Chef's Special Appetizer Set
A selection of 6 dishes made with Nara ingredients including homemade Yamato pork sausages, sake lees-marinated grilled chicken, braised pork belly with grilled rice balls using soy sauce from Ikeda Shoyu (established in 1864 in local Naramachi). Enjoy these casual, event-exclusive flavors.
Feature 3 | Local Farmer's Fresh Morning Vegetable Sales
Vegetables carefully grown by Nara farmers will be available for purchase. Learn about Nara's food culture through direct interaction with producers.
Feature 4 | Special Tour of the Brewery-Converted Hotel
Guest rooms normally available only to hotel guests will be specially opened to the public. Experience the history of the brewery and Nara's culture through guided tours by staff members.
About Nara Toyozawa Brewery
Nara Toyozawa Brewery began in the first year of the Meiji era (1868) as a sake wholesale business and celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2018. Starting with sake production in Nada, Fushimi, Nara and other locations, the company has maintained hand-crafted brewing methods without mechanizing many processes since its founding. Their signature brand is "Hoshuku." With particular attention to rice as the raw material, their Daiginjo Hoshuku, which maximizes the umami of rice, has won gold awards 15 times at the National New Sake Competition, which evaluates the quality of new sake nationwide, demonstrating their high achievements. The company continues to challenge new sake brewing while preserving tradition, including operating the standing bar "Kuramoto Hoshuku" where visitors can enjoy Japanese sake in train stations and hosting "Hoshuku-kai" events for Nara Toyozawa Brewery fans.
About NIPPONIA HOTEL Nara Naramachi
The former territory of Kofukuji Temple, Naramachi, still retains the streetscape from the Edo to Taisho periods. Water channels flowing from Kasuga Taisha Shrine run through this area, and breweries were once lined up along these waterways. "NIPPONIA HOTEL Nara Naramachi" was born in November 2018 as a hotel that revived one of these brewery buildings as a place to enjoy Japanese sake and discover new aspects of Nara's history. The hotel was created by renovating the former brewery of Nara Toyozawa Brewery, featuring Restaurant Luan with restored earthen floors and 8 guest rooms created from renovated breweries and tea rooms. Enjoy a stay intoxicated by sake and the charm of the ancient capital in Nara, "the birthplace of clear sake."
About VMG Brand
About VMG HOTELS & UNIQUE VENUES
VMG HOTELS & UNIQUE VENUES is a hotel and accommodation brand with 24 facilities nationwide, characterized by providing accommodation experiences that utilize historically significant buildings and culturally valuable locations. VMG regenerates and utilizes cultural property-grade buildings and regional resources, operating them as accommodation facilities that meet modern needs, providing special experiences for customers. The facilities are used not only for accommodation but also as unique venues for weddings, events, and MICE, creating environments where visitors can fully experience traditional Japanese culture and regional attractions. The appeal of VMG facilities lies in their ability to offer experiences that reflect the history and culture of each location.
Brand Official Website: https://vmg.co.jp
Company Overview
Company Name: Value Management Co., Ltd. URL: https://www.vmc.co.jp/
Established: August 1, 2023
Representative: Representative Director Junichi Tarikino
Location: Granfront Osaka Tower A, 17th Floor, 4-20 Ofuka-cho, Kita-ku, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture
Business: Restaurants and wedding businesses utilizing historical resources, etc.
