![[Stay in Shizuoka City] A place to lose track of time surrounded by crafts: Izumigaya Crafts Inn "Waraku"](https://resources.matcha-jp.com/resize/200x2000/2024/12/06-213789.webp)
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2025/05/04 - 2025/05/11
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"Shizuoka SAKE Trip" Experience Report
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A two-day, one-night trip to enjoy the pairing of wine, whiskey, beer, and sake born from Shizuoka's land with cuisine made from the ocean and mountains of Shizuoka. We will report on a trip that can only be experienced here, including interactions with producers and chefs and a hands-on craft experience in Shizuoka.
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The "Shizuoka SAKE Trip" is a trip to visit the attractive sightseeing spots of Shizuoka while tasting three types of sake from Shizuoka. Shizuoka is an hour by Shinkansen from Tokyo Station, an hour and 50 minutes by Shinkansen from Shin-Osaka, and there is also a direct express bus from Haneda Airport, so it is a very accessible place. We will pick you up at Shizuoka Station in a chartered bus, so you can enjoy the tour easily and comfortably even if you have luggage.
- Table of Contents
- A chartered bus will pick you up at the location just 2 minutes walk from Shizuoka Station.
- Toast with Shizuoka's first craft rosé wine at Otsuka Vineyard in Shizuoka City!
- The dishes from the super popular bistro "ATO" and the bread from "Boulangerie Le Lien" are original menu items for this trip.
- Experience barrel-aged whiskey and a workshop at Gaia Flow Shizuoka Distillery, which is attracting attention from both Japan and overseas!
- Experience crafts at Takumishuku-yado, one of Japan's largest traditional craft experience facilities
- Enjoy the pairing of the two chefs' collaborative dishes and drinks at Simples, a restaurant visited by guests from Japan and abroad!
- Stay overnight and relax at Izumigaya Crafts Inn "Waraku"
- Visit "Nihon-daira" with its spectacular view of Mt. Fuji and "Kunozan Toshogu Shrine" where you can learn about history in a sacred space
- Enjoy Yui's Sakura shrimp dishes for lunch
A chartered bus will pick you up at the location just 2 minutes walk from Shizuoka Station.
It was very comfortable as we were taken to all the locations on a spacious Shizutetsu sightseeing bus.
Toast with Shizuoka's first craft rosé wine at Otsuka Vineyard in Shizuoka City!
The vineyard air, the aroma of charcoal, the fragrant bread, and the freshly brewed wine - it was a happy time that pleased all five senses.
It was a 20-minute bus ride from Shizuoka Station. A big sign welcomed us at Otsuka Vineyard, and we got excited!
Cheers with Shizuoka's first craft rosé wine!
"Craft Rose Wine" is a natural wine made from "Pione" grapes carefully grown at Otsuka Vineyard.
This natural wine is brewed using natural yeast. It has a gentle natural carbonation and the alcohol fermentation is more advanced than expected, resulting in a cool wine with a good crispness. The alcohol content is 8.6%, making it perfect for drinking during the day.
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The dishes from the super popular bistro "ATO" and the bread from "Boulangerie Le Lien" are original menu items for this trip.
The talk session between Takehide Otsuka, owner of Otsuka Vineyard, and Tabito Hattori, wine sommelier at Bistro ATO, was very educational!
We had game skewers made from a paste made from deer, wild boar, and badger meat wrapped around grape branches, and vegetable skewers similarly grilled with a paste based on yam and lotus root, served with wasabi and wild boar salsa sauce.
The game and vegetable skewers were grilled over charcoal and enjoyed piping hot.
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"Boulangerie Le Lien" is very popular for its croissants, and this trip's original grape bread is baked using raisins soaked in Gaia Flow whiskey.
Experience barrel-aged whiskey and a workshop at Gaia Flow Shizuoka Distillery, which is attracting attention from both Japan and overseas!
A 25-minute bus ride from Otsuka Vineyard takes you to the Gaia Flow Shizuoka Distillery in Oku-Shizuoka, Shizuoka, where you can see the whiskey-making process.
Alcohol fermentation tank. The room was filled with a fruity banana scent. The smell of mash reminded me of something nostalgic!
The barley was grown by a farmer in Yaizu City, Shizuoka Prefecture. They were also trying their hand at making whiskey using ingredients from Shizuoka.
Distilled using firewood, which is rare even in the world. The firewood used is from local thinnings, and the fire is looked after manually while keeping an eye on the condition. It is said that this produces a richer flavor than steam distillation, so it is an important process that creates a flavor that can only be found here.
A barrel made from local Mizunara oak. A rare experience of drinking unpasteurized sake straight from the barrel.
As I warmed it in my hands, the first scent to emerge was that of wood, and then the aromas from the brewing barrels began to rise up.
The experience of chopping firewood for distillation. The joy of being involved in the whiskey-making process.
The stollen from Boulangerie Le Lien, which uses Gaia Flow's whiskey-soaked raisins, was a huge hit as a whiskey snack.
As a chaser, I had Kaneloku Matsumotoen's smoked black tea, which is smoked with wood from an old whiskey barrel. It had a deep aroma and flavor.
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Experience crafts at Takumishuku-yado, one of Japan's largest traditional craft experience facilities
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The lampshade at the front desk of Izumigaya Crafts Inn "Waraku" is a traditional craft designated by the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, made from Suruga Bamboo Sensuji Work. Everything is handmade, from the bamboo strips.
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We also participated in a workshop on making glass holders using the traditional craft of "Suruga Bamboo Sensuji Work." Since it was only the final assembly work, we were able to experience only the fun parts, and the finished product was also good.
This trip is a SAKE TRIP! Make friends with people you've never met before and drink Shizuoka Brewery's craft beer!
Enjoy the pairing of the two chefs' collaborative dishes and drinks at Simples, a restaurant visited by guests from Japan and abroad!
We ended the day at the popular restaurant Simples, just a minute's walk from Takumishuku. The moment you enter the restaurant, you'll feel excited.
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Pair it with Fuji sake "Waning Moon" produced by Saeko Shibaba (a Japanese sake called "Shitaizen" aged in Gaia Flow whiskey barrels).
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On this day, the dish was a collaboration between Chef Inoue of "Simple" and Chef Tozaki of the Chinese restaurant "Kaon". It was a masterpiece of steamed red snapper topped with white spring onions, drizzled with heated peanut oil (Cantonese style) to bring out the aroma, and served with XO sauce with a Shizuoka color.
The Mangenton pork was delicious, the fat melted in your mouth, and the aroma was amazing. There was still more to come.
The final dessert was mushroom ice cream with sliced mushrooms, paired with Gaia Flow whiskey.
Stay overnight and relax at Izumigaya Crafts Inn "Waraku"
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I stayed at "WaRaku", which is a one-minute walk from simple. I was able to spend a relaxing time surrounded by furniture made by skilled craftsmen.
For breakfast, we went to Wakamatsu, a Japanese restaurant located just a minute's walk from the inn. We enjoyed healthy Shizuoka oden and grated yam soup.
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Visit "Nihon-daira" with its spectacular view of Mt. Fuji and "Kunozan Toshogu Shrine" where you can learn about history in a sacred space
The view from Nihondaira Yume Terrace, overlooking Mt. Fuji and Shimizu Port. Mt. Fuji was covered in clouds that day, but it was still very majestic and beautiful.
Kunozan Toshogu Shrine, where Tokugawa Ieyasu's grave is located, can be reached in five minutes by ropeway from the top of Nihon-daira.
Enjoy Yui's Sakura shrimp dishes for lunch
Sakura shrimp dishes can only be found in Suruga Bay, Shizuoka. On fishing days, you can also enjoy raw sakura shrimp.
Please watch the video below to see the "Shizuoka SAKE Trip."
▼You may also want to read
The "Shizuoka SAKE Trip" is a trip to visit the attractive sightseeing spots of Shizuoka while tasting three types of sake from Shizuoka. Shizuoka is an hour by Shinkansen from Tokyo Station, an hour and 50 minutes by Shinkansen from Shin-Osaka, and there is also a direct express bus from Haneda Airport, so it is a very accessible place. We will pick you up at Shizuoka Station in a chartered bus, so you can enjoy the tour easily and comfortably even if you have luggage.
The contents on this page may partially contain automatic translation.
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