Asahi Brewery Tour in Saijo, Japan

As a group trip with other students at the Kochi University of Technology we drove to Saijo  for a tour of the Asahi Brewery. Keep in mind that drivers in Japan have a zero tolerance and zero alcohol policy so if you are the driver you will not be drinking. The tour is NOT in English but they give you a recording to listen to at each stop.  The tour basically walks you down a hallway with a view of the assembly lines and canisters that hold the beer at various stages. At the end of the tour you go into a dining room and get to have three glasses of beer (they only have three types on tap) but the catch is you only have 20 minutes so you can't really enjoy it and be social. You just really have to drink!

Asahi Brewery

Asahi Brewery

 There was a small patch of green space behind the brewery although the balcony was closed. I did manage to see an Oriental Greenfinch, which is a new bird for me.

Oriental Greenfinch

Barn Swallows nesting at a roadside stop were given little cute platforms to prevent floor messes. It's amazing how a nest of dried mud can hold so well on a completely flat surface.

Barn Swallow Nesting

Barn Swallow Nesting

After the Brewery Tour we went to a traditional Japanese Soba restaurant in Saijo. It was my first time trying it and I got the soup broth with duck. The noodles come separately and you dip them in the soup before you eat them. Then they give you hot water to dilute the broth before you drink it. It was very good and I am glad that the first time was so authentic rather than from a noodle box or pre-made meal. I would not have known how to eat it properly. 

The view  from the restaurant was a nice look outside to a small garden. I would have loved to have a house like that in Japan with the huge glass doors overlook a cute garden. But I still love my view of the river more and this house would have been way to big for us.

Japanese Soba Restaurant in Saijo

Japanese Soba Restaurant in Saijo