Commentary

• Our Sake visit was memorable!  Our guide Yuki was very friendly and knowledgeable.  Having him with us made it very accessible to connect with the sake brewers given his fluency in English/Japanese and his in-depth knowledge of sake that the brewers appreciated.  My favorite aspect was Yuki’s ability to tailor the experience to be more entertaining or more educational to suit the desires of the participants.  What I also loved is that he took us to remote, traditional, off-the-beaten track breweries that would have been impossible for tourists like us to book without him.  Arigato Yuki! (Lebanese / Canadian)

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• Yuki's Sake Experience was the highlight of my trip to Japan! Learning about Japan’s customs, through the “real Sake culture”, opened my eyes to a usually inaccessible part of Japan’s heritage. Yuki was an incredible host: deeply knowledgeable about Sake making and transmitting his passion to us! We visited one of the oldest breweries, which has been passed down from father to son through generations! What a day, and one I will remember every time I drink a bottle of Sake. Kampai! (English / Irish)

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• It was great to take part in this really well organized trip by a local Yamagatan, with an obvious love and great knowledge of sake. It was a wonderful opportunity to get to taste so many sakes from small independent breweries, some only available to buy in that region. Opened up my eyes and tastebuds to sake and I look forward to enjoying the bottles I came home with! Also really enjoyed the beautiful countryside of Yamagata. Thank you Yuki san! (Prototype tour guest, Irish)

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• Overall, it was very satisfactory and already spread words around to colleagues, ex colleagues and friends. I do like the all-inclusive concept, very good idea. (Prototype tour guest, Japanese)

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• Having been able to go to shops and ryokans that I would not be able to find myself, it was a very fulfilling trip! I also enjoyed great sake and local food. I am so satisfied. Thank you. (Prototype tour guest, Japanese)

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• This trip completely changed my mind toward sake. I had no idea as to how ingredients and brewing methods can change the taste of sake! Sake is much more profound than I thought it would be. As we covered how to pair sake with food, I will definitely try the pairing. (Prototype tour guest, Japanese)​

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• I fully enjoyed this trip with the itinerary that I cannot build myself. Having had opportunities to deeply learn sake, I am now much more interested in sake and would like to know more about it. This tour was very attractive as you can enjoy Yamagata's great sake, delicious food and superb onsen to the full extent! (Prototype tour guest, Japanese)

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• As the tour group was nicely small, the overall experience was very flexible and Yuki took care of each of us. I would definitely recommend this tour to those who are already fond of sake, but this is also highly enjoyable to the sake beginners. (Prototype tour guest, Japanese)

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• It was a very well-organised tailormade plan, which I highly appreciate. (Prototype tour guest, Japanese)

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• The tour was very fulfilling as all our demands came true.  We had all what we wanted to eat and drink.  Thanks to this tour, We have fallen into love with Yamagata. (Japanese)

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• It indeed was a fabulous experience to visit three sake breweries and listen to the stories from the real brewers.  To our heart's contents, we enjoyed the delicious local food and sake.  Hotels, rooms and staff were all gorgeous.  Moreover, it definitely is worth joining this tour just for the guide's hospitality. (Japanese)​

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• Thanks to Yuki, we were able to appreciate Yamagata sake and onsen which are not accessible if I were by myself. (Chinese)

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• It was good that we got to visit sake breweries which are not usually open to public.  I never got bored of the meals.  I have fallen in love with Yamagata and Yamagata sake.  I definitely would love to join this experience again. (Japanese)

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• We had a great stay in Yamagata!  Would definitely like to visit again.  The visit to Mitobe San's brewery, stay at Takinami and the next morning's tour was especially awesome!  Thank you so much for all your arrangement and even the gifts! (Chinese and Japanese)

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• Thank you so much for the wonderful weekend.  We did enjoy the stay in Yamagata and cannot thank you enough. I was not able to concentrate on the work today, thinking about the fun time we had in Yamagata. (Japanese)​

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• If I were to list three points that I can recommend about Story of Sake, they would be that (i) you can walk around the prominent sake breweries that are closed to public, (ii) you will become knowledgeable about Yamagata and (iii) the tour guide is awesome.  It was indeed a great experience and I love Yamagata now. (Japanese)

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• This was one of our all-time greatest trips! Yuki's hospitality and deep knowledge of sake and Yamagata was invaluable. We were able to see and do things that a non-local wouldn't normally be able to. He took really good care of us and made everything so comfortable, enjoyable, and flawless. We are eternally grateful for the experience and are looking forward to visiting again soon! Our heartfelt thanks and gratitude to Yuki-san, the unofficial Yamagata Ambassador of Sake. (American)

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• The best yamagata discovery tour with a beautiful story of sake and a great selection of venues which we cannot find without the guide. As it is fully personalized I would like to come back again and see the places where we did not see yet.  The itinerary and hospitality were perfect.  Only Story of Sake can offer this experience with a strong connection to each venue. (Japanese)

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• Absolutely enjoyed the Story of Sake tour with Yuki san as our guide!!  We went for a birthday celebration for our friend, and every activity and accommodation was curated and personalized based on our interests.  If you need a local host who is well connected to some of the exclusive sake breweries for the inside tours and shows you the cool sides of Yamagata, this is it. (Japanese)

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• Really enjoyed my sake tour, it was so authentic and unique to see how to produce sake rather than textbook. Also, the environment in Yamagata is so peaceful and natural. We had decided to come back here again. This sake tour is so unforgettable because people! 職人精神 is amazing!!! (Taiwanese and British)

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• Yuki was extremely helpful and accommodating, making every step of the process enjoyable and reliable. - The local breweries took great care of us and made us feel very welcome.  We had a wonderful time visiting local sake breweries thanks to Story of Sake. They arranged a personalized itinerary for us and communication was great throughout the process. Visiting the breweries was an experience we will never forget. They were so welcoming and showed us a whole new level of insight into the world of sake making.  We are so grateful that we got to have this experience thanks to Yuki and Story of Sake. We would recommend anyone we can to do the same! (Swedish)

• The tour organized by Yuki was fantastic. We are able to get into the sake breweries which are not opened to public and had great hospitality by the owners. I would highly recommend to join the tour organized by Story of Sake (Hong Konger)