Hakutsuru Sake Brewery Museum

Tasting sake is a quintessentially Japanese experience, and visiting this informative museum is an excellent primer for learning about the popular drink. A good way to enrich your knowledge is by visiting the museum with a guide who can answer questions and provide insight into things that may not be clear. The museum features on local sake-tasting tours, or you can visit the museum as part of a private, customizable Kobe tour.

• Reservations are required for groups of 10 or more visitors.

• Admission to the museum is free.

• After your tour, you can get free sake samples at the on-site museum shop.

The Hakutsuru Sake Brewery Museum is located in the eastern part of Kobe and is easy to reach by public transportation. The Hanshin Sumiyoshi is a 5-minute walk away, while the JR Sumiyoshi station is a 15-minute walk. The Hankyu Mikage station, with direct connections to Osaka on the Tokaido-Sanyo Line, is a 10-minute taxi ride away.

The Hakutsuru Sake Brewery Museum is open throughout the year, except during the annual Obon festivities in August and the New Year's holiday, when it's usually closed for just over a week. The museum also occasionally closes for maintenance, so it's a good idea to call to confirm it will be open before you visit.

Culinary travelers to Kobe may want to add a visit to the UCC Coffee Museum to their list of things to see in the city. Here, you can learn about the history of coffee production, try a couple of different types of coffee beans, and even take a quiz to earn an honorary "Coffee Doctor" certificate to prove your newfound coffee knowledge to the world.