1.5-hour Kyoto Insider Sake Experience With Tastings & Pairings

Nanase was amazing! She made the experience very fun and interactive

Nanase was amazing!!! We had so much fun at this sake pairing with food. Loved learning all about sake and trying it even more. Our girl was knowledgeable and fun.

Went in with little knowledge of Sake other than drinking it on multiple occasions in restaurants. Relied on the restaurant to have a reasonable brand. When at a liquor store, I wouldn't know how to choose one bottle of sake from another. So I would eventually forsake the purchase. When I found this tasting experience, I didn't hesitate to sign up. Our hostess today was Nanase. She gave a comprehensive presentation of sake that was easy to follow, informative, and memorable. From this visit, I have a better understanding of the types of sake and how to identify the characteristics of the bottle of sake. We tasted several types of sake with comparison tastings to help identify our personal preferences. Nanase answered all of our questions. I could not have asked for a better learning experience. I highly recommend this tasting & pairings experience if you want to be educated in sake. It was well work the tuition.

Mayo made a perfect explanation!! Very good

Excellent sake tasting experience with food pairing as well. Well run and surprised by how much we learnt. Highly recommend as one if the best tours we've done!

Shogo was very knowledgeable, bright, funny, and his english was excellent. Highly recommend this experience to anyone in Kyoto who wants to learn more about sake, and have some laughs doing it!! Looking forward to seeing you in Canada Shogo!

Awesome experience with Chika and food pairings were spot on !

The Experience surpassed our expectations. Kyoko, the sommelier, was entertaining and knowledgeable. She gladly answered all of our questions and greatly added to our knowledge of sake or as she taught us Nihonshu. It was an immersive experience because she showed us how sake pairs with different types of foods. I highly recommend the “Kyoto Insider Sake Experience”.

Nanase-san was fantastic! Explanations were spot-on, the class was entertaining, and the sake was flowing. Came for the education, sake was tasty!

Absolutely fabulous! Highly recommend the tasting. We had a great group and our teacher was fabulous. He spoke fluent English and was well versed. I didn't realize how intense the process for Sake making is, so it was extremely educational. It's been a week and I wish I would have retained more knowledge, because I am now actually looking at the bottles and the meaning behind the numbers and specific words. Who would have thought that the different foods can enhance the flavor of the various sake's we have tried. Thank you for a great experience!

We learned so much about sake and enjoyed the tasting of 8 different sakes! Highly recommend even if you aren’t a drinker

Tasting was informative and fun. Would recommend if you are looking for a different type outing for adults and break from the sight seeing.

I had a great time during the sake experience! Our guide, Kiyomi, was absolutely wonderful. She was friendly, welcoming, and did a great job making sure everyone was taken care of throughout the experience. I learned a lot about sake, including the process behind making it and the culture and history surrounding it. Kiyomi explained everything in a way that was easy to understand and made the experience both fun and educational. This was definitely more than just a tasting—it was a great opportunity to learn something new while enjoying the experience. I really enjoyed my time and would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in Japanese culture and sake. I will definitely be going back!

Amazing experience! Rieko was patient, organized, thoroughly fun/engaging. Small group size meant a lot of time for her to answer our questions! Tasted 7 types of sake plus a few bonus ones! Well worth your time if in Kyoto and want to learn the basics on sake. Highly recommend!!!

A fantastic intro to sake for newbies! We learned so much about sake and this made us feel much more comfortable buying sake in the future. Great tasting and food pairings. Our host was fantastic and enthusiastic!

Loved it!!! Kiyomi explained everything clearely & passionately was a perfect experience!

I went with my husband and adult daughter and we had the best time. The guide, Mayo, was so nice and funny and explained the Sake process so well. I would highly recommend this attraction. One of the highlights of our trip.

I had such a great time attending the sake class. Before the class, I only knew what sake taste like. After the class, I now have a much better appreciation of how sake is made and the many different kinds of sake I can get in the store and how they will taste. I gain so much knowledge by this class. Next time I am in Kyoto, I will definitely attend the advanced class to continue the learning.

I loved this class! Such wonderful information, the sake and food together were delicious, and the whole experience was very personal. I have an even greater appreciation for sake now, and know a lot more about it. One of my trip highlights!

Had a great experience here doing the sake and food pairing tasting with Kyoko. She was full of information and could answer any and all questions we had. For what you get from the experience the price is more than reasonable. The delicious ninonshu (sake) and the food combinations will leave your tastebuds confused but wanting more. Couldn’t recommend this experience more!

This was one of the highlights of our whole time in Japan. Shogo was an excellent guide! We learned a lot from him. Obviously the sake was delicious but the food pairings were also great!

This was an amazing class! I wish I had signed up for the 3-hour version. I now know far more about sake (or nihonshu) than I did before, and I’m really excited to put my new knowledge to the test over the next couple of weeks while I’m in Japan! Definitely recommend this if you like sake!

If you like Sake - this is an absolute must must must do! We thoroughly loved this experience, one of our favorite on our trip to Japan.

We spent our day in Uji before taking the train and walking over to the location for this event (which is conveniently located on Google Maps). While we were expecting something that was heavily manufactured for tourists, we realized this is just a small kitchen/room in the middle of this small town with 2-3 people running the facility. We were also expecting to be attending this tasting with a number of other people, but we were surprised to learn we were the only couple for this timed tasting, which made everything feel like a personalized and private event — perfect for our honeymoon. Kiyomi was our sake sommelier and she made our experience one to remember. She took care to build out the 1.5 hours with an excellent presentation on learning how to read sake labels and understanding exactly what goes into the process of making sake — all before even taking a taste of the 7 curated sake bottles. What was nice, too, was that each sake was paired with food to help you differentiate and try on new tastes, which Kiyomi provided note cards so that we can take home and rediscover what worked for us personally. We truly had a wonderful learning and tasting experience and we would not hesitate doing this again with a different variation of the excursion, as they offer multiple versions. Highly, highly recommended!

Very informative & friendly sake tasting experience .

Highly informative and fun. Would recommend to anyone who wants to understand the range of sake and a relaxed enjoyable environment.

10/10 would recommend kimiyo was very friendly and informative. Answered all our questions and made the experience so much fun

I came with my brother and fiancé to this activity. We had a wonderful experience at Kyoto Insider’s sake (nihonshu) tasting in Kyoto. The session featured seven different sakes, each thoughtfully paired with food, and what really set it apart was how educational it was without ever feeling overwhelming. The food pairings were especially eye-opening. It was fascinating to see how dramatically both the sake and the flavors of the dishes changed when enjoyed together. At one point, the combination was so surprising and delicious that it genuinely left me speechless. I had to take a moment to process how completely the pairing transformed the taste of both the food and the sake. We definitely came away with a much deeper appreciation of sake and a better understanding of how to choose what we like. The instructor struck the perfect balance between informative and engaging, and the pacing was excellent throughout. As a lovely bonus, we were also given a special treat at the end. Highly recommended for anyone visiting Kyoto, whether you’re completely new to sake or already a fan, you’ll leave with both great memories and valuable knowledge. Will definitely come back for the 3-hour experience!

Kiyomi is a gem, she was a wonderful guide and I feel much more comfortable ordering sake now. I thought i didn't like sake, but I learned that I was ordering all the wrong ones! I like a more umami flavor profile. Highly recommend this fun and informative tour. Able to accommodate gluten free for pairings.

Had a great time! Kiyomi was an excellent somellier

Very informative and interesting sake tasting experience. Chika was very knowledgeable and was a great guide through tasting the various sake samples. We walked away knowing so much more about all things sake and can’t wait to apply that knowledge when choosing which to drink at our next meal. Thanks Chika!

Excellent lesson on Saki. What your taste buds like and what foods go well with various Saki. Love it. The guide was very knowledgeable and energetic. Great fun

An excellent afternoon of learning and drinking sake. Kiyomi was amazing as she took us through all the various varieties and techniques and taught us how to read a sake bottle. I am now not overwhelmed when trying to buy and can go straight to the variety I like. Highly recommend.

What an excellent afternoon. So informative. Our guide, Kiyomi was wonderful and answered all our questions. I now have a way better understanding of how to choose my favourite sake. Highly recommend

This informative, fun and lively sake tasting was excellent. I learned so much about sake that I never knew or understood until now. Well done!

Very informative. Material presented in an accessible way. Learned a lot and had the opportunity to taste several varieties of nihonshu!

We had a great time at the sake experience! Our guide Kiyomi was so knowledgeable and friendly — and her English was perfect. We tasted about 9 different sakes and paired with some food. I highly recommend this experience! Thank you Kiyomi :)

We learned a lot! The length of the experience was perfect. The little cheat sheet/card is so helpful to remember what we learned. Great atmosphere and a really friendly group. And the good pairings was delicious!! Would highly recommend!

Kotaro was very knowledgeable! I would take this to learn basics of sake. Turns out I actually don’t hate sake just a specific type

Amazing experience. A must to do when in Kyoto. Kotaru our kikisakeshi (sake sommelier) was amazing in easing us into the sophisticated world of Sake. Had a great time and learned a lot about Sake. Well organized experience. Will definitely come back for the advanced version

Kiyomi, our sake sommelier, provided us with a wonderful insight into sake brewing and its cultural significance in Japan. We tasted eight different sake, then tasted them again with a selection of small bites. Kiyomi graciously shared her knowledge and her passion for sake. The next day we were reading labels and talking about how “polished” the rice was based on the label! A key factor in the making of saki. I recommend you take the time to learn about sake from an expert.

Kotaro was a very personable instructor and smart! He’s a sake lover and made us lovers too. So many sake options to taste and goal met to have an idea of what to order/buy based on taste preferences. Wish there was more food or a heads up that it would be more snacks (we eat a lot!)

Very informative and there was a wide variety of sakes that were all different from what I had had in the States, and they tasted much better.

This was a super fun experience ! Mai was very knowledgeable about sake and made the experience super enjoyable. Would definitely recommend and would definitely return for the 3 hour experience.

I loved it. I didn’t expect that learning about sake would be this fun :) Fun, educational, got a bit tipsy, ate good food, I would definitely recommend. One of the best things I’ve done in Japan. Thank you Kyoko for making it happen!

Kyoko was wonderful. She was so entertaining and informative and the whole experience was fabulous. Will recommend everyone I know the visits Kyoto. Not only did you take sake, but came away with so much knowledge. Thank you for a wonderful experience.

This tour is awesome!! We really enjoyed this highly informative tour about sake, who knew there were so many variables, types and options with sake?!! Our hotel was a bit away, but easily took the train and Apple Maps got us there with ease. We learned more than we could have imagined, enjoyed multiple sakes - loved how the tasting was divided by tasting and then tasting again with perfectly paired food bites- it was amazing! Highly recommend this tour, have a great time!

Rieko is clearly passionate about sake, and her enthusiasm made the experience so fun! She carefully presented the variables that affect sake production, and the tasting was designed to demonstrate each variable.

My husband and I enjoyed this tasting experience so much! We learned a lot and our host was wonderful. I'll definitely be recommending this experience to friends and family!