Safety for visiting Sake Breweries

Safety for visiting sake breweries:
Please keep in mind that the breweries and food producers we visit are not set up for hosting tour groups. We are allowed to access the special areas not open to public; rows of fermentation tanks, koji incubation room, or the area used for steaming rice. Sake breweries and food producers are under very strict food safety regulations and thrive to keep the production area clean to maintain the quality and prevent any form of contamination.

Also, the environment at the brewery can be quite hazardous or you can cause a huge problem to sake production if you do not follow the safety rules. So, please read this section to protect both yourself and the breweries hosting us.

Potential Hazards:
• Contamination of sake/food production by us
• Steep stairs and water on floors.
• Narrow paths next to big fermentation tanks with an open top.
• Going up ladders to see inside the fermentation tank
• Heavy machinery and tubes on the floor

About Contamination:
Lab coat and hairnet – To prevent any contamination, you may be asked to wear a lab coat and hairnet. Please be sure to tuck all your hair in the hairnet. Even if you are not requested to wear a lab coat, you may be asked to take off your jacket at certain times to prevent contamination.

Shoes – You will be often asked to remove your shoes to prevent bringing unwanted bacteria into the production area. You may be asked wear slippers or boots. However, these slippers do not give you good traction going down very steep stairs. So, please be extra careful.

Sanitizing hands – Please follow instructions how to sanitize your hands. Please do not touch anything during the tour unless you are told it is ok. (For example, brewers may tell you to take some koji to taste.) Please follow the instructions from facilities managers regarding what you can bring with you during the tour.

Strap everything! – While you are looking into a big open top sake fermentation tank, it is so easy to drop a cell phone, pen, or camera. Please be extra careful not to. If something is dropped in the tank, the whole tank is contaminated and you are liable for the tank. It’s a lot of sake and $$$$$!

No touching! – Tools may appear very interesting but please do not touch anything unless the tour leader said it is ok. At the breweries, they have to sanitize the tool you touched to prevent any bacterial contamination.

Things to avoid when visiting a sake brewery – Please avoid eating yogurt and natto the day of visiting a sake brewery. This is because these items contain yeast cells and breweries do not want different types of yeast mixing with what they use to make sake.
Also, you should not use fragrance such as perfume or aftershave. Avoid hair products with fragrance.

About Hazards
The working environment at sake breweries can be quite tough and hazardous. Please watch your step carefully and be extra careful, especially around open top fermentation tanks. The tank is filled with carbon dioxide don’t fall in or you will die.