Inada Sake Brewery: Local Sake and Nara-zuke in Tenri
A family sake brewery and shop on Tenri Hondori, selling the local Inaten label and house-made Nara-zuke pickles.
Verified site photographs are being prepared.Discover Inada Sake Brewery: Local Sake and Nara-zuke in Tenri
Founded in 1877, Inada Sake Brewery sits along Tenri Hondori, the covered shopping street linking the station area with Tenrikyo Church Headquarters. The brewery makes sake under the Kuro-matsu Inaten name and also produces Nara-zuke pickles, a traditional preserve made by repeatedly pickling vegetables in sake lees. One product line, Himuro no Sato, uses rice grown in Tenri according to the maker; check the bottle-level provenance rather than assuming all labels use local rice. This is an operating business as well as a place to learn about sake: the shop is listed as open 9:00–17:00, while a brewery tour needs advance contact and may change with the brewing season.
Taste Tenri through its sake and pickles
The brewery's own history describes its establishment in Meiji 10 (1877), on the Tenri Hondori shopping street. Its products include sake under the Kuro-matsu Inaten label and Nara-zuke made with sake lees and fresh vegetables. Nara-zuke is not simply a side dish: the maker says it salts vegetables before repeating the lees-pickling process over almost three years. Its current product note says watermelon pickle is now offered only in gift assortments as local farm production falls, and assortment contents may change when stocks run out. Treat these as producer-published process and stock notes, not a promise that a particular box will be on the counter. Ask what is available that day and whether tasting is being offered.
A small brewery shaped by local rice
Inada's current sake catalogue identifies a Tenri-grown rice line, Himuro no Sato, and names the local rice Ginnosato. That is specific product provenance supplied by the maker; do not extend it to every bottle. Ask staff which locally grown line is currently available if this is central to your visit.
Ask ahead about a brewery visit
The brewery's official site says visitors can request a free brewery tour by telephone, email or fax. It cautions that visits may not be possible during the busy brewing season. The official Nara Travel Guide describes tours as free by appointment in winter, while the brewery's own page says to enquire throughout the year and notes the seasonal difference: summer visits focus more on meeting the brewer and tasting, while winter may include seeing production and fresh sake. Treat the tour as a request, not an always-available walk-in attraction; contact the brewery before arranging transport.
Walk the Tenri Hondori arcade
From JR or Kintetsu Tenri Station, the official Nara Travel Guide estimates about ten minutes on foot to 379 Mishimacho. The brewery lies midway along Tenri Hondori, a covered shopping arcade that is also the everyday route toward the religious headquarters. Look for the shop frontage at street level and allow extra time to browse other local businesses. The walk estimate is a directory figure; use current mapping or ask the brewery if you need a step-free route or exact entrance.
Check what is open and how to buy
The brewery and prefectural visitor bureau list opening hours of 9:00–17:00 and irregular closing days. The brewery's site gives 0743-62-0040 and a toll-free enquiry number, 0120-1710-54. The tourism guide lists cards, but its detailed payment information should be confirmed at the shop. If you plan to taste alcohol, do not drive; ask in advance whether tasting is available and whether the shop can pack purchases for travel. No fixed current tasting menu or tour calendar is asserted here.
What to look for
A Tenri brewery founded in 1877, on the covered Tenri Hondori shopping street
Kuro-matsu Inaten sake and Nara-zuke made with sake lees
Free brewery tours may be requested in advance; availability depends on the brewing schedule
Photo notes
No MyNara-cleared photographs are available. The brewery's own product and facility images and tourism-directory photographs are reference sources, not reuse permission. Ask before photographing staff, production areas, labels or customers; production hygiene and business operations take priority. Do not photograph active worshippers or religious interiors at nearby Tenrikyo sites without permission.
Make a day of it
Explore guides close to this map point, then check the actual route before travelling. Distances below are straight lines, not walking distances or travel times; map points may not be entrances.
Sources & editorial status
Original MyNara draft based on the linked sources. Sources reviewed 20 October 2026. Opening arrangements, prices and offers may change; use the operator's current information before travelling.
- Inada Sake Brewery — official history, products, address, hours, contact and brewery-visit policy
- Inada Sake Brewery — sake lineup and Tenri-grown Ginnosato rice product
- Inada Sake Brewery — Nara-zuke process and watermelon assortment stock note
- Nara Prefecture Tourism Bureau — Inada Sake Brewery, Nara-zuke, founding, hours and contact
- Official Nara Travel Guide — directory details, station access and winter tour listing
- Tenrikyo Church Headquarters — official visitor access, nearby on the same arcade