Japan · SAKE TASTINGS
Sake is a brewing category, not a drink, and a decent flight makes that obvious in forty minutes. These 15 cover Tokyo bars, Kyoto’s Fushimi cellars and the Nagano breweries, with pour counts and food included or not.
A small-group Kyoto night walk through Gion and Pontocho with 9+ dishes and 6 sake tastings, plus local stories and backstreet dining.
“This tour was a great way to try food and sake around Kyoto! You get it learn some history along with it, I highly recommend!”
A full day in Nagano combining Zenko-ji Temple, a guided sake tasting, and the Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park for a classic winter wildlife fix.
“Our guide Tom was a great guide! He was fun to listen to and super knowledgeable about the locations we visited. He made learning about the history really fun. Zenkoji temple was beautiful and the snack recommendations were on point. Bring ice cleats for trekking up to see the monkeys, the combination of slope, ice and trampled snow makes it very slippery. They do sell cleats onsite but if you bring your own then you dont have to buy more. Tom even took us on a quick walk thru of the nagano station food area and recommended some snacks that were satisfactory purchases 👍🏻 especially after knowing some of the…”
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…”
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!”
Guided Nagano day trip with Zenko-ji Temple, sake tasting, and Jigokudani snow monkeys soaking in hot springs, from Hakuba or Nagano.
“I had a great time on this tour. Brent our guide was informative, friendly and professional in sharing his deep local knowledge regarding the locations we visited.”
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.”
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.”
1.5-hour Kyoto sake workshop in Fushimi with 7 tastings and otsumami pairings. Small group, sommelier guidance, cheat sheet included.
“This was a great experience, it was super educational but not overwhelming. Miyuki did a great job presenting a lot of information in a way that was fun and easy to understand. Her knowledge of sake was super impressive and it was cool Read more”
Tokyo ramen and sushi cooking class with sake pairing in a small group. Make sushi, brew ramen broth, and eat with expert guidance.
“Definitely pay the extra for this class I have done many cooking classes and this was one of the best”
Learn Japanese sake in Shinjuku with a pro, tasting 6+ styles and snack pairings in a small group over about 2 hours.
“This was such a fun and informative activity! Loved how prepared and knowledgeable Tadashi was - he definitely made this experience even better. The sake and snacks were great, in addition to endless recommendations in Tokyo and beyond. Great way to start my Japan trip! Highly recommend.”
Learn Kyoto sake step-by-step with 7 tastings, otsumami snacks, and a cheat sheet to order confidently in Japan.
“This was such a cool and fun experience! We learned so much about tradition sake, the history of the drink, and how to make our selections in the future. I highly recommend for a fun and interactive way to experience something specific to Kyoto!”
Tokyo sake omakase with certified multilingual sommeliers, 7 Japan-only pours, unlimited refills, and bite-size pairings in 2 hours.
“This is a MUST do on your trip to Tokyo! You will learn all about sake, different flavor profiles and the types of pairings that work best with each one. I definitely came away from this experience as more of a sake lover than I already am.”
Private Kyoto tea ceremony in a 300-year-old samurai house with organic Uji matcha, plus sake or whisky tasting and dress-up photos.
“The house and grounds are beautiful. They provide a wonderful history of the house as well as the history of the tea ceremony. They made us feel extremely comfortable. We both ended up doing the sake/whisky tasting and the host was so fun and easy to talk to. It exceeded our expectations!”
Cook personalized takoyaki in Osaka, then taste 10+ sakes with expert Momo, a former brewer, learning what to order with confidence.
“We were four adults age 44 to 70 and we had an amazing time with Momo. The sake class was the perfect amount of information to allow us to carefully select a tasty sake in the future. The takoyaki cooking was perfect, fun, and had us laughing at our great cooking skills. As many have said, we think it’s the best takoyaki we have ever had. Momo explained everything in detail and made the class even more enjoyable but ensuring we had snacks and water to enjoy along the way. After cooking, we began the sake tasting. Be prepared to not just try sake, but to drink sake. Each tasting…”
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.”
Pick the experience, read what travellers said, book the good one.
