Matsuoka Brewery

Tourist brewery in the countryside

Ogawa machi has a few tourist attractions that makes it worth travelling to the "inaka" countryside of the Hiki district of Saitama. The Matsuoka brewery is one of the drawing points of Ogawa. You can tour the brewery by reservation. They take reservations daily and a guide will show you around the plant while explaining the processing methods used. There are visual storyboards which help explain the more intricate parts of the process. I took the tour in Japanese, but I believe they have English tours available. Their website for one has good information in English. On the grounds there is also a restaurant and a shop. The brewery is best reached by car or with a bus tour. Free parking available.