JR West offers free sake with Nara City travel pass

JR West and the Nara Chamber of Commerce have teamed up to promote tourism within Nara City and are hoping that visitors will be enticed by free sake from local breweries which will be included as part of a new rail travel pass.

The city of Nara is surrounded by a loop of trainlines made up by three of the main JR West lines – the Manyō-Mahoroba (Sakurai) Line, the Wakayama Line and the Yamatoji Line (Kansai Main Line).

The Nara “SLOW & LOOP” digital travel pass has been created to allow visitors to the Nara area to explore the city via these loop lines.

Visitors can purchase the “SLOW & LOOP” digital travel pass using the KANSAI MaaS app.

Kansai MaaS is a travel app developed and used by most major railway companies in the Kansai region.

The KANSAI MaaS app can be linked to an ICOCA card, a type of IC card issued in the Kansai area, so that any travel passes purchased can be used by simply tapping the IC card at a train station gate.

Purchasing the digital pass will allow visitors to use their ICOCA card to take an unlimited number of trips over the course of 2 days between stations on these three interconnecting lines and also entitles them to free sake at a number of breweries located throughout Nara.

Nara "SLOW & LOOP" Sake Promotion — Nara “SLOW & LOOP” Sake Promotion

Nara is considered to be the birthplace of refined sake. In the mid-15th century, the monks at Shoryakuji Temple developed a way to create a safe, consistent fermentation process and the city has been associated with sake since then.

The pass allows you to get free sake at 3 of the following 5 different sake breweries located throughout Nara. Pass holders can select which to visit based on their own itinerary:

Nakatani Shuzo Yanagimachi Brewery

1 glass of Junmai Ginjo Namasake or a soft drink
1 bag of snacks

Nara Toyosawa Sake Brewery

300ml glass of Kisenju Kitcho Junmai Ginjo Sake or a bag of Narazuke Pickles

Inada Sake Brewery

300ml glass of Kuromatsu Inaten Junmai Sake (300ml) or a bag of Kizami Narazuke Pickles

Kawai Sake Brewery

300ml glass of Honjozo Genshu Shusse Otoko (300ml) or Junmai Sake Unebi (300ml)

Sawada Sake Brewery

300ml glass of Kankiko Junmai Genshu (300ml)

Nakatani Shuzo Yanagimachi Brewery is approximately 11 minutes walk from Koriyama Station on the Yamatoji Line.

This microbrewery was founded in 1853 and offers hands-on brewing. Visitors can enjoy sake while looking at antique tools and brewing facilities.

Nara Toyosawa Sake Brewery is a short 10 minutes walk from Obitoke Station on the Manyo Mahoroba Line.

Since its founding, the Nara Toyosawa brewery has continued to brew sake by hand. Its main brand, “Daiginjo Toyoshuku” has won the gold medal at the National New Sake Tasting Competition a total of 15 times.

Inada Sake Brewery is an 8 minutes walk from Tenri Station on the Manyo Mahoroba Line.

With over 140 years of history, they produce sake using local water, local rice and local people.

Kawai Sake Brewery is approximately a 10 minute walk from Unebi Station on the Manyo Mahoroba Line.

Their main building has been designated an Important Cultural Property. It is the only sake brewery still standing in Imaicho, an area of Nara that still retains Edo period streets.

Sawada Sake Brewery is a 5 minute walk from JR Goido Station on the Wakayama Line.

This sake brewery was founded in 1830 and they are known for their careful brewing in small batches.

The Nara “SLOW & LOOP” digital travel pass costs 2,500 yen (approx. £15.85 USD/ £12.60 GBP) and with up to 900ml of sake available and 2 days of unlimited train rides, this pass provides excellent value for those looking to explore Nara.

Source: JR Odekake