Sake breweries all closed, except for one, to the public! Nice pictures obtained of the outsides, with closed signs. Went there 8 years ago, loved it. Now a lot larger, what town isn't, but we arrived there today, Friday, to tour the well-known sake brewery town, but only one was open. So if you decide to catch a train, be sure and mark Kamotsuru Sake Brewing Company on your map. They have a nice exhibition of the sake making process, and sell their sake on premises with very nice staff. No samples, free or otherwise. Nice to see how careful they are with their water and local rice as ingredients: consider buying their products on that alone probably anywhere in Japan. So with that disappointment, thought we'd get lunch. Saw few restaurants in the area but found a place with a downstairs and upstairs dining room up some wooden stairs we ate at years ago. No customers in it, but no walk ins, they told us, reservations only. We went back to the train station. One hour visit, max. What can I say?

If you want to have a relaxed stay, you have to choose Saijo, it is close to the airport, clean with all facilities available. Hotels with low cost and train available very where.