The 10 Best Brewery Visits in Japan

1.3-Hour Kyoto Insider Sake Brewery Tour with Tastings & Pairings

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 917 reviews · from $84Our pick

3-hour Kyoto sake tour at Gekkeikan Okura Museum with 10 tastings, otsumami pairings, and label tips to pick your favorite back home.

“I’m so glad that I joined this tour, and I highly recommend it to anyone who is visiting Kyoto with time to spare. Kyoko was an incredible guide, and she made the experience such a joy. We began with a tour of the Gekkeikan Okura Sake museum where we learned about the brewery’s history, sakes role in Japanese culture, and the general process of sake production from rice grain selection all the way to bottling. We then sampled a dozen types of sake (Nihonshu) with and without food pairings to identify personal preferences. I can now identify a few important kanji on sake bottles for better selection, and I also…”

Check availability →Read our full review

2.Arashiyama Bamboo, Temple, Monkeys, or Secret Sake Brewery

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 886 reviews · 5 hours - 330 minutes · from $87

Arashiyama half-day walk with bamboo grove, Tenryuji temple, Okochi Sanso garden, monkey park views, plus optional sake lunch. Value at $87.

“It was a great tour. Beautiful nature, a very impressive garden and lots of monkeys. Don't worry about the walk to the top of the hill. Our guide Tom did a perfect job. We learned a lot from him. Thanks a lot!”

Check availability →Read our full review

3.Insider Sake Brewery Tour with Sake and Food Pairing

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 704 reviews · 3 hours · from $87

Kyoto’s Fushimi sake district tour with an expert guide, 10+ sake styles, otsumami pairings, and practical tips for ordering hot or cold.

“I learned so much about Nihon Shu and the different grades and flavors. How each paired with different foods was very informative whuch I will apply in my future dining.”

Check availability →Read our full review

4.Kyoto Sake Brewery & Tasting Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 623 reviews · from $98

3-hour small-group sake walk in Kyoto’s Fushimi with Gekkeikan Okura Museum and tastings of 18+ Kyoto styles, plus a local bar stop.

“We enjoyed our tour with Danny. The visit to the sake museum was very interesting as we knew very little about how sake was produced. The tasting at the museum was also helpful as the staff there provided helpful information about the different styles of sake (eg, dry vs sweet). The sake tasting at the restaurant was good, too, but a little overwhelming as you taste 18 different ones. We were a little disappointed that our host could not provide more information on the different qualities of all the sakes we were tasting.”

Check availability →Read our full review

5.KOBE Sake Tasting Tour at Breweries (tasting fee included)

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 154 reviews · from $109

Walk Kobe’s Nada sake district with a small group, visit historic breweries, and taste unfiltered and seasonal pours plus tofu.

“The entire experience was great, close and informative. Hiro was an excellent host and made us feel really welcome and excited for the sake breweries. Visited 4 different sake breweries and a tofu shop at a moderate pace, great energy throughout.”

Check availability →Read our full review

6.Hiroshima Saijo Sake Tasting Tour with visit to 7 Breweries

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 104 reviews · from $50Best value

Walk Saijo for 2 hours and taste eight sake styles from seven breweries, with an English guide and plenty of chances to learn as you sip.

“We loved this tour. It was about 2 hours, not much walking and a ton of information. The sake was delicious and we were able to get a local lunch at the information station.”

Check availability →Read our full review

7.Sake Brewery and Japanese Life Experience Tour in Kobe

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 39 reviews · from $83

Taste Kobe-area sake and learn how mirin, pickles, and historic brewing connect to Japanese daily life, plus a stroll through local arcades.

“My friends and I enjoyed this so much. Our Tomoko was so fun and extremely knowledgeable on Kobe. She was the best tour guide I’ve ever had. The amount of effort she put in to give us a good time was incredible. She also reserved an Read more”

Check availability →Read our full review

8.Yufuin & Beppu Day Tour (Dazaifu / Brewery Options)

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 31 reviews · 570 minutes - 10 hours · from $55

A 10-hour Fukuoka day trip mixing Beppu steam, Yufuin onsen town vibes, and either Hita beer plus Attack on Titan or the Dazaifu Tenmangu shrine.

“Fabulous day, great host “K” and an excellent driver. Wonderful places visited and lots to see an explore.”

Check availability →Read our full review

9.Private Tour: Tokyo’s Oldest Sake Brewery and Riverside Walk

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 25 reviews · from $229

Private 8-hour day trip from Shinjuku to the Tama River, Tokyo’s oldest functioning sake brewery, and Kanzanji Temple with lunch and tastings.

“Great time with Simon Very knowledgeable tour. Had lots of fun and lot of drinking . One of great tours I did.”

Check availability →Read our full review

10.3-Hour Sake Breweries Tour with Special Tasting

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 25 reviews · from $94

Walk Nada Gogo with a guide, visit three breweries, and compare sake styles with special tastings included on this 3-hour Kobe tour.

“Our guide was fantastic, with a wonderful dry sense of humour. This tour involves walking between the breweries, and it was nobody's fault that the temperature was 37°C, making it quite an ordeal. Atsuko kept our spirits up. It was fascinating learning about the craft of brewing great sake, and the tastings were very enjoyable. Our guide even bought us an ice cream each to help us deal with the heat”

Check availability →Read our full review