I don’t particularly like whiskey (or whisky, for that matter). Honestly, I can’t stand the stuff. It burns going down, it tastes terrible, and the smell singes my nostrils. I am not a fan.
My travelling partner, however, is quite a whisky devotee, and since Japan has a burgeoning whiskey industry that produces whisky in the Scottish style (which said partner prefers), we knew we had to visit at least one distillery as part of our Japanese adventure.
From our base in the Otaru in the northern island of Hokkaido, we took a city bus to Nikka Whisky’s Yoichi Distillery in the nearby town of Yoichi. The trip took about 25 minutes, and was a fascinating (and inexpensive – about 360 Yen) way to explore the area around Otaru. We had been spoiled rotten by the prevalence of English on the Japanese train system, and trying to figure out our stop on a local city bus was a bit nerve-wracking. Our growing sense of panic must’ve been written all over our faces, as we were quickly adopted by a kind older lady who assured us she would make sure we got off at the right place – which we did!
December in Northern Japan is no joke – it was cold, and the snow was starting to fall as we disembarked in Yoichi. It was stunningly beautiful, but we were very glad to be wearing about twenty layers of clothing.
The distillery is free to enter, there is plenty of English signage, and you can sign up for a free guided tour, which we did. Of course, the tour is conducted entirely in Japanese…but it was still an interesting experience, and being the only Westerners in the group (and pretty much the entire area) we quickly became objects of amusement, in the nicest possible way. There are several buildings to explore, and you can learn about the process of whiskey production from start to finish.
The Nikka Distillery has an intensely romantic history. A young Japanese chemist and businessman named Masataka Taketsuru arrived in Scotland in 1918 intent on bringing Scottish distilling technology and knowledge to his native country. There he met Rita, the young daughter of a doctor. The two fell in love, and despite opposition from both their families they were married. Masataka and Rita moved to Japan, and dedicated their lives to making Masataka’s dream of a Japanese whisky distillery a reality. Japan had only been open to foreigners for a few decades, and Rita had to start a new life in a country that must have felt very foreign, and often quite hostile. But it seems that Masataka and Rita were devoted to each other, and lived a long and happy life together building their company into one of the most successful distilleries in Japan.
What can I say, I’m a sucker for a sappy romantic story!
The distillery offers free tastings, and in the great tradition of Japanese alcohol producers there are plenty of non-alcoholic beverages to sample as well! Hokkaido is a major apple producer, and Nikka makes a wonderful apple juice for those who prefer not to imbibe.
After exploring the snowy grounds and soaking in all the history, we finally gave into the chilly weather and headed back to Otaru. This time we took the train, which had us back in Otaru in no time, and which was free with our JR Pass.
If you’re in Hokkaido, whether you’re a whisky fan or not, I highly recommend visiting the Nikka distillery in Yoichi. It’s free to explore, and easy to get to from Otaru. It’s beautiful in winter, but I’m sure it would be even more comfortable to explore in the rest of the year, too!
What a fun experience! I love the pictures too.
Thank you! It was a lot of fun, and definitely an interesting experience!
I love the romantic story and beginnings of this distillery. I never would have associated whisky and Japan. We’re not whisky drinkers but would love to visit this if ever in the area. Thanks for the info!
I can’t even stand the smell of whisky, but I do love history, and a good love story! It’s certainly worth a visit, just for the history itself, though of course for those who do like whisky, the free samples are an added draw. 😉
Wow – you had quite a tour, having read that you were also couch surfing at the time! I’m not a whisky lover either but I do seem to remember it’s warming qualities in a British winter! Such a gorgeous love story here too. Over the years we’ve had over 30 Japanese language students staying with us in Melbourne – every single one absolutely delightful, your post has reminded me to make some time to visit Japan, since we are in the area these days!
Have a lovely week and thank you for sending through your link
Wren x
Yes, I can’t recommend Japan enough – I’ve been there twice so far, and I can’t wait to go back! It was quite the adventure, and absolutely unlike any vacation I’d ever done before – I have to thank my partner for that, as I probably would’ve been too nervous to go that far out of my comfort zone without him!
The great thing about it being so cold is you need lots of the Whisky to warm you up! What a romantic story behind the distillery as well. #MondayEscapes
Yes, it was definitely a love story, kind of like Romeo and Juliet, star-crossed lovers, but this time with an actual happy ending! 🙂
Sounds like a fun experience and all for free! The pics look awesome!
Yes, free is definitely our preferred price tag. 😀
ha! it sounds like my husband and I he LOOOOVES whisky, me? NOPE. I’m a wine and tequila girl. 😉 OMG for a Canadian to say Japan was cold???!!! I’m in New England [which is on the icy side of things too] and I’m terrified of reading that LOL I would have drunk tons of whisky too. Glad you had fun 🙂
Well….to be fair…I come from the west coast, so, I can’t even stand a few flurries! I’m sure you get considerably colder temperatures and snow that I do here in Vancouver (which essentially has the climate of Seattle)! The Japanese people we stayed with found it hilarious that we Canadians were such wusses! 😉
Lovely winter shots!
Thank you! Snow certainly does make for lovely photos!
I’m also not a big fan of whisky or bourbon, but while we were in Kentucky now that my parents live there, my husband wanted to visited all of the distilleries on the trail. If you’re husband is interested and if you ever make it to KY, check out my post! https://www.caliglobetrotter.com/a-complete-guide-to-the-kentucky-bourbon-trail/ ON the trail it was really interesting to learn about Japan and how much they loved Bourbon there and they actually helped save Four Roses because they loved it so much! #CityTripping
Oh, I’m sure my husband would be in heaven in Kentucky!! 🙂
looks like a fun thing to do:) #citytripping
It’s definitely something different! 🙂
Oh yeah.. taking buses in Japan can be such a pain compared to the trains. Which is why I always end up driving to avoid messing around with their buses. I was at Nikka last Summer and I LOVED this distillery! They were so generous with the tastings. My kids drank lots of apple juice! haha.. #CityTripping
Yikes – I’m not brave enough to drive around Japan, since we drive on the other side of the road here! I’d be too scared to turn the wrong way…! :S
Yes, I drank a lot of apple juice, too! 😉
I would love to visit Northern Japan in winter!! And I’d never tasted Whiskey before we visited Ireland. We did a tasting and I have to admit, there was one whiskey I actually liked a lot! But there were also the ones that just hurt your throat and taste weird…
Aw what a lovely story of romance! I, too, am not a big fan of the stuff despite being Scottish, but I’d admore the interior decoration!
Loved hearing about this!! Honestly did not know Japan was big on whiskey, Thanks for sharing your adventure 😀
To be honest, the only thing I knew about Japanese whisky before we visited was Bill Murray’s character doing a Japanese whisky commercial in “Lost in Translation”! 🙂
This is right up my alley as I love whiskey! I only drink it in the winter though. This sounds very cool and even if you don’t like the stuff at least it was a unique experience. What a great love story too. #citytripping
I am also a sucker for a romantic story and I love Masataka and Rita’s version of Romeo and Juliet 🙂 (minus the unhappy ending!). I am also not a whisky fan, but if you recommend this despite the fact that neither you or I like whisky, then it must be good … probably for the experience, the fact you were the object of fascination and the story behind it more than the whiskey itself but nevertheless, it sounds like a lovely trip! Pinned for future reference #feetdotravel
I’m not a whisky fan but love the romantic story behind the distillery and would be intrigued to see how it was made. Thanks for linking #citytripping
I’m with you in saying I’m not a big fan of whiskey – there’s just something about the taste that doesn’t agree with me. However, I do love visiting these producers (especially the smaller local ones) and seeing how they do things, plus I enjoy Japan also. Great photos by the way.
Thank you! We visited sooooo many sake breweries that it was a nice change to visit a distillery for a change! 😉
That weather sounds perfect for a wee dram. To be honest I’ve only just started enjoying whiskey and, as is often the case, my taste leans to the more expensive of them. Champagne taste, beer income. 😉
Oh yes, perfect weather for a warming drink or two to chase away the chill! 🙂
I’m a recent Whisky (or Whiskey) fan so this was fascinating. Hokkaido is big on my list to visit when I return to Japan. I’d love to see the Ice Festival
Yes, I’d love to see the Ice Festival, too! They do have a beautiful winter illumination festival in Sapporo in December, too, that’s definitely worth seeing.
I love factory tours! I’m not a whiskey fan, but would have to try a sip or two.
It is fun to get a behind-the-scenes look into how something is made!
Awww what a cute story of the young couple. It would be fun to visit a distillery although I also do not fancy whisky. Your 20 layers of clothes sounds about right, it looks so cold there!
Thankfully they had plenty of non-alcoholic tasting options for those of us who aren’t whisky fans. 🙂
What a great adventure and enjoyed the history. Looks like a good place to visit even with all that lovely snow outside. Thanks for sharing 🙂 #feetdotravel
Wow that’s quite the tour isn’t it! I’m not a whisky fan either but it looks like a wonderful adventure. #MondayEscapes
I would have loved this what an incredible experience, but I cant imagine how cold it was, I bet you needed a drink. Thanks so much for linking up #MondayEscapes x
Love your adventure. I would love to visit this distillery, we do here in the states as much as we can. Thanks for sharing the history too! Will pin for a future visit!
Sounds like a great experience. I’ve tried Japanese whisky before and liked it, so visiting a distillery there would be really cool!
Wow, what an awesome experience! I am not obsessed with whisky, but I do enjoy it (on the rocks of course) so this would be a fantastic day trip. Also good to know that the JR Pass works which would make the trip a bit more affordable too! The snow makes it all look so magical too!
I love whiskey, and we had no idea that Japan had a whiskey scene at all. We will definitely be saving this and visiting here on our future Japan trip. Sweet article 🙂
That sounds amazing! Like you, we are not whiskey lovers either. But would love to check this out. Japan is a place we want to visit so bad! Hopefully soon 🙂