Experience Toyama's proud tradition and technology! Takaoka City [Nosaku] and Tonami City [Wakatsuru Taisho Kura]!

  • Toyama
  • Experience Gifu
Left: "Wakatsuru Taisho warehouse" Right: "Nosaku
Nosaku" and "Wakatsuru Taisho Kura," two attractive and popular spots where Japanese traditions and cutting-edge technology come alive and where visitors can experience Toyama's unique culture and artisan skills.

Nosaku, a cast metal manufacturer with 400 years of tradition and history

Takaoka City in Toyama Prefecture is known as a production center of Takaoka copperware with a history of approximately 400 years. Founded in 1916, Nosaku is a casting manufacturer that has continued to challenge new designs and technologies while inheriting traditions.

When you enter the entrance, you will see a variety of colorful wooden molds. These are molds used in the production of molds, and they are not models but actual molds. Wooden molds are generally pure white or with the grain of the wood as it is, but only in Takaoka are the original molds colored. The entrance hall, with its impressive colorful wooden molds, is a photogenic space.
Entrance hall of Nosaku

Factory tour" to experience the unique craftsmanship only found here.

Each Nosaku product is handmade by craftsmen. Cast metal is a metal material that is heated to a liquid state, poured into a mold, and cooled to the desired shape. In addition to the traditional method, Nosaku has developed its own silicone casting method, which allows for delicate expression. In addition, the sand and metal materials used in the production process are recyclable, making the manufacturing process environmentally friendly.

Visitors to the Nosaku factory can enter the factory and observe the work in action, rather than through glass. Visitors can see up close and personal the process of casting by craftsmen who carry on the tradition, including the process of making molds by hand without the use of machines. Factory tours require advance reservations, and foreign-language information is available in English, Chinese, and Spanish.

Time required: about 30 minutes
Fee: Free
Registration: Reservations required

Image courtesy of Nosaku Co.

After the tour, you can actually experience it for yourself!

"Nosaku" also offers workshops where visitors can actually experience the casting process and make tin products, such as drinking cups, using a method called the raw casting method, in which sand is pressed into a mold. Under the guidance of a craftsman, visitors can make their own tinware, including authentic pieces and cute original chopstick rests that can be made in about 30 minutes, making this a truly valuable experience! It is also great that you can take your work home immediately after making it.

Time required: 30-minute course, 90-minute course
Fee: Depends on the item to be made
Registration: Reservations required
Image courtesy of Nosaku Co.
Flower chopstick rest

Nosaku" continues to evolve

In 2024, the jewelry brand "NS by NOUSAKU" was launched, selling jewelry made of "Tin Gold," a unique material combining tin and gold for the first time in the world. The company sells jewelry made of "Tin Gold," the world's first material that combines tin and gold. By mixing light and supple tin and gold, the jewelry maintains the suppleness of the materials and feels comfortable to wear at skin temperature, making it popular as a gift. The facility includes a store where visitors can pick up "NS by NOUSAKU" jewelry and a variety of tin products, a tasting corner where visitors can actually try tin tumblers to see how they feel to drink, and a café where NOUSAKU products are used as tableware, allowing visitors to enjoy shopping at their leisure.

Nosaku" was a place where one could experience firsthand the spirit of Japanese craftsmanship, which is constantly evolving while preserving tradition.
Image courtesy of Nosaku Co.
Tasting Toyama water in a tin tumbler
For the official website of Nosaku, please visit

Wakatsuru Taisho Kura" transcends time to create an intoxicating space

Noted as a historical building

Wakatsuru Sake Brewery in Tonami City, Toyama Prefecture, is a historic sake brewery founded in 1862. The Wakatsuru Taisho Brewery, as its name suggests, was built in 1922, when the Echigo Toji sake brewery was established. While changing its appearance and purpose since then, the brewery has been renovated into a space that will continue to be used for many years to pass on the spirit of sake brewing to the next generation. The Wakatsuru Brewery also houses the Saburomaru Distillery, a whiskey distillery, and the Wakatsuru Taisho Kura now also serves as the reception desk for tours of this distillery.

In 2010, it was selected as one of the "100 Modern Historical Heritage Sites of Toyama. Furthermore, it was registered as one of the "Tonami City Hometown Cultural Properties" in 2011, and its stately appearance itself is one of the highlights of the site. It has an earthen storehouse-style exterior, with plastered exterior walls and a pantiled roof. In particular, the wooden truss structure allows the ceiling to be high with few pillars, creating a very open space with the warmth of wood. It is currently used for various events such as concerts and lectures, and has a store selling original products such as sake from the Wakatsuru Sake Brewery and whiskey from the Saburomaru Distillery, which is also located there, as well as Hokuriku snacks and goods.
Wakatsuru Taisho warehouse
Taisho warehouse hall

Find your favorite at the tasting!

At the Wakatsuru Taishogura, there is a sake and whiskey tasting corner where visitors can compare sake and whiskey for 500 yen. Insert the coin into the machine and press the button for the sake you want to sample, and a cup will be poured. You can purchase additional coins if you want to try different kinds of sake! Find your favorite! But be careful not to drink too much... The sake and whiskey you tasted can be purchased at the store. I purchased a limited edition apple-scented sake recommended by the staff, which is only available here and is popular among women and those who are weak on alcohol. Also, if you bring the previously mentioned Nosaku-made sake cups to the Wakatsuru Taisho Brewery, you will receive a little surprise.
Taisho warehouse store
Tasting Corner
Limited edition sake "Batch2," "Kaga Renkon Chippu," and "Saburomaru Distillery's Smoky Highball" purchased as souvenirs

Guided tours and dining on the premises of Wakatsuru Sake Brewery♪

Visitors can also enjoy a guided tour of the Saburomaru Distillery, a whiskey distillery located next to the brewery. Whiskey lovers will not be able to resist the tour course, which includes exclusive stories and souvenirs such as whiskey not for sale.

Time required: about 60 minutes
Fee: 4,000 yen (tax included)
Registration: by reservation only

Also on the premises is the brewery's restaurant, which serves rice cooked in a stove and made from ingredients from Toyama's rich nature, cooked daily by craftspeople. The restaurant "Kamado flamme Tanzaburo" offers a unique blend of Japanese and Western cuisine, using ingredients from Toyama's rich natural environment. Please visit the restaurant after your tour.
Example of souvenirs for guided tour participants

A long-established shop that continues to challenge itself

Wakatsuru Sake Brewery has always taken on new challenges to meet the changing needs of the times, while cherishing the sake brewing techniques and spirit that have been handed down since the company's founding. For example, we have challenged yeast and production methods that have not been widely used in sake brewing to create a variety of sake with different aromas and flavors. The brewery's enthusiasm to pursue new possibilities for sake, while maintaining the framework of sake, is evident in their desire to propose new sake that is in tune with modern lifestyles and tastes, without being bound by the production methods and ingredients they have used up to this point.
Taisho warehouse counter
For the official website of Wakatsuru Sake Brewery, please visit
At Nosaku and Wakatsuru Taisho Kura, visitors can experience the culture and craftsmanship unique to Toyama. Both are fascinating places to experience traditional Japanese culture and innovation. When you visit Toyama Prefecture, why not visit "Nosaku" and "Wakatsuru Taisho Kura" and experience the passion of Japanese craftsmen and the spirit of craftsmanship?

Combine your favorite train with lodging or a day trip plan for a great travel experience!

You can make your own original trip!

JR East View Dynamic Rail Package is a variable price individual travel product available only on the web. Depending on the timing and conditions of your application, you may be able to get a discount as early as the day of departure. We also offer one-day trip plans! Enjoy your own unique trip according to your schedule and purpose.
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