3-hour Kyoto Insider Sake Brewery Tour With Tastings & Pairings

I live in a region of Washington State, USA, with over 400 wineries. The process for making Japanese sake was fascinating. The guides presented the information easily, thoroughly, and now I know why I like Japanese sake better!

Great tour of a sake brewery followed by fun food pairing experience. Tour guide, Mayo-san, is very knowledgeable and ensured a fun time. ありがとうございます😊

Chika was a very knowledgable and engaging tour quide. The museum was interesting and she added extra insights. The sake tasting was extremely interesting. I would definately recommend this experience

This was an excellent experience. Shogo was very knowledgeable and interesting and the tasting at their office was outstanding. The pairings worked well and showed us the distinctions between the sakes. Today’s tour and tasting was a highlight of my time in Kyoto.

Kotaro was a very knowledgeable and experienced tour guide. I was thoroughly engaged the whole time.

We had such a great time. Kyoto, our guide, was awesome. She taught us so much about sake and its history while making the afternoon fun and enjoyable. The tasting was really interesting, and I now have a much better idea of which types of sake I like (and which ones I don’t!). We also had the chance to meet people from all over the world, which made the experience even more fun. A wonderful afternoon and a great experience.

Absolutely enjoyed the afternoon with Chika. We loved learning about how Japanese sake is made, its different types, and of course tasting & pairing them with food. Some of the things I've tried that day were very surprising. Chika was also very enthusiastic about the topic (and the drinks) and made it a very fun afternoon despite it being gray and rainy all day. Highly recommend it - nice break after exploring around Kyoto.

We had an absolutely phenomenal time on our sake tasting tour with Chika. As someone who spends a lot of time exploring fine wines, I found her deep knowledge of the brewing process, the local history, and the tasting notes of each pour completely engaging. Chika was not only incredibly informative but also a wonderfully warm and welcoming guide who made the complexities of sake both accessible and fun. It ended up being a major highlight of our time in Kyoto. If you are looking to truly understand and appreciate sake with an exceptional guide, booking with Chika is a must. Five stars!

This is a must do if you are in Kyoto and want to learn more about the origins of sake and get to taste a wide range of different styles. It is only a short train trip from Kyoto station to the Fushima Sake District. Kyoto Insider Sake Experience send you all the information about how to get here along with some good hints (like not to wear perfume). We did the 3-Hour Sake Tasting + Brewery Tour starting at 10.00am (don’t worry you don’t start tastings until after 11am!) The two fantastic, fun and knowledgeable sake guides met us at the Gekkeikan Okura Sake Museum. We learnt so much…. including that the term “sake” covers a range of different alcohol and what we Westerners call sake is really “Nihonshu”. Then it was on to the tasting room where we sampled a number of different types of sake with different food pairings. We thought we knew a little bit about sake but this tour expanded our knowledge 100%. We can now even read and understand some of the things on a Japanese sake bottle. Even if you have never tried sake before this is a wonderful way to start your sake experience.

A really fun and interesting experience learning about and tasting Sake. My first time trying Sake! Mayo is a great host amd we had a great time. She made the activity very enjoyable for everyone :)

Absolutely brilliant tour. Chika was an engaging guide with a clearly deep knowledge of sake Museum was very interesting and the sake tasting was beyond my expectations Would Absolutely recommend this tour

Our group had a great time learning about Sake, our guide was very knowledgeable and funny. I definitely recommend.

Fantastic! We've never done a sake tasting. It was a delicious and informative adventure. Unexpected - We learned a tremendous amount about Japanese Culture.

Namanse is the best guide ever! She was phenomenal… learned so much from the tour and generous pairings and Sake varieties. Would highly recommend!

I knew absolutely nothing about Sake before this tour but this tour was incredibly knowledgeable. This ended up being one of the highlights of our trip to Japan and wish I had gone sooner so I could have tried more Sake.

The tour was very lovely and the guide loved sake what made it even better. You could feel the love from it and she explained all very easy.

Kyoko - thank you so much for a wonderful experience. We had so much fun and we appreciate all you did to make our tasting so special..

In depth explanation of how to discern different type of sake. It was like taking a sommelier’s course in Nihon Shu. Would recommend to anyone who likes sake. Would also consider retaking tour as there was a lot of information to digest.

Kyoko was FANTASTIC. She taught us so much about sake - we’ve been ordering intelligently and reading labels since the tour!

This small group tour was a great experience! They certainly don’t hold back on the number of different types of sake you get to try! Shogo, our guide, was a lot of fun and very knowledgeable. I would highly recommend this tour.

Kyoko was an excellent guide!

Just the experience for a rainy day in Kyoto! It was fascinating to learn about how sake is made and the way that the different flavours are achieved. It was also a great way to try all the varieties!

Wow - I do a lot of wine/spirit tours when travelling, and this one was really excellent. Mayo was an exceptional tour guide, engaging and funny (and with perfect English too) - she made me feel really welcome as a solo participant. I learnt a lot about sake (although there was a LOT to take in!) and was very impressed with the range of sakes to sample. We did guided tastings of 10, plus food pairings, plus a bonus sake affogato. Recommended!

Very great experience into sake making, drinking and pairing. Our guide was very sweet and enthousiastic.

Chika-san gave excellent explanations, and I learned a lot about the process of making sake. I really enjoyed learning how to read the label better so I can find the sake I like in the future, and the food pairings were really interesting!

IMHO, this tour is a must-do if you are staying in the Kyoto area. I live in a tourist-y area in USA so I’m sensitive to things that are done just for tourists and aren’t really authentic. This tour was an authentic experience! My 21 year-old son and I did the 3-hour Sake Tasting + Brewery Tour. He was a tad reluctant before the tour but loved it. We both really liked our guide, Kotaro. He was very knowledgeable, kind, and effectively engaged the participants. My son and I agreed that we got more out of the tasting having done the brewery tour first. We learned a ton and we both really enjoyed the sake (I realized that I have only had crap sake before this tour). It was amazing how the flavor changed when paired with food! Don’t hesitate - do this tour!!

Kyoko led our tour today and was amazing throughout. Her English was perfect (believe she said she loved in the US at one point) and she effectively conveyed the process and history of sake, even to those of us with zero prior knowledge. We were in a group of 12, which was busy but not too busy and were consistently asked questions, to keep us engaged and also given tips, tricks and little pieces to remember. Kyoko really knows her stuff and was able to find the right flavour profile for every person on the tour. There is an opportunity to buy sake at the end (we did!) but unlike other tours, there is no pressure selling. You are told it's there and what is available, buy it or don't. We drank about 12 different types of sake on the day (don't go on an empty stomach!), including 5 with food pairings and advice on how to manage these. I've done two previous rum tours, have around 50 bottles of rum at home, but feel like I know sake far better after just this 3 hour tour. Can't recommend highly enough.

Chika was a phenomenal tour guide and extremely knowledgeable about sake! We had a great time learning about the process and history, and I love the fact that the sake tasting covered such a variety of sake styles, and was conducted in a way to really help you understand why each one tastes the way it does, and how that taste can change with food pairings. Really a wonderful experience that educated me! I highly recommend this to everyone who wishes to learn more about sake and try new types.

Mayo was an AMAZING guide! She is so knowledgeable and makes everything so interesting! We learned so much about Sake and now feel confident ordering it on our own!

Fantastic! So much fun and I know so much now.

Excellent! Our guide Mayo delivered an informative and entertaining experience with humour with a respectful perspective for this cultural experience. Mayo connected with all participants. It was educational a lot of fun. We learned about growing rice, types of rice, polishing, history, process, flavours and food matching Equipping us to choose sake with knowledge and discerningly. Highly recommend.

This was a very good tour / experince and one we would recommend to anyone interested in knowing about how sake is made and its history and also knowing the different styles of sake. The tasting session including the food pairing which was part of the experience was enlightening and enjoyable. Our guide Mayo was very experienced in the area of sake and was able to answer all questions. We rate this as one of our best experinces and highly recommend it.

This was a fantastic tour! We learned so much about Sake from production to how to taste and pair it with food. Our guide Shogo was very knowledgeable and friendly and had a clear passion for Sake. He was able to explain the different types of Sake, how they are produced, the different types of flavors and how to pair them with food. We had a wonderful time and would absolutely recommend this for anybody with an interest in learning about or drinking Sake!

Great educational experience about the making of sake. Chika did a great job detailing the various differences between the variations of sake. The tasting was fun and worthwhile.

A great way to learn about the history of sake and understand the basic differences between the various types. Kyoko was very friendly and knowledgeable, and we enjoyed plenty of samples to compare during the tasting. Definitely recommend this for anyone new to sake.

One of the best alcohol brewery tours I’ve ever done. Very enlightening and the sake was delicious. Came out with a deeper appreciation and understanding. Both your guides were incredible and would do it again.

The guide was wonderful! Very knowledgeable and had a good sense of humor ………………………………,,…………………………….

Kotaro was such a great guide. Very knowledgeable and learned a lot. Loved the tasting portion of the tour.

It was a wonderful tour. The guide was very informative and helpful.

Highly recommend this tour if you’re even remotely interested in sake (or wine in general). I learned so much about how the process of making sake highly influences the final taste, which is VERY different from wine-making! I didn’t expect sake to be able to taste strongly of different fruits just from changes in the processing (no fruit additives)! The tasting/food pairing was a great way to experience those differences firsthand. Honestly after this tour I’m convinced more people wordwide need to get on board with sake, especially if you’re a wine person, because it’s such a versatile drink. Our sake sommelier Kotaro-san was an incredible host and extremely knowledgeable. If I’m ever back in Kyoto I’ll definitely be going back here for the advanced tasting tour!

A great tour/experience. Our guide, Kyoko was fantastic. Her English is fluent so she was able to fully explain all the nuances of the many different options with sake. I highly recommend doing this tour.

A fantastic sake experience in Kyoto! I really enjoyed this experience. The guide was excellent and created a very friendly and welcoming atmosphere. Everything was explained through interesting stories in a very clear and easy-to-understand way. We also had a very nice group, which made the sake tasting even more enjoyable. I learned much more than I expected about sake—its history, how it is made, the different types, how to taste and appreciate it, and especially how different sakes pair with different foods. I can now share a lot of interesting information about sake with my friends. Highly recommended!

Very educational and informative, learn so much about sake

My husband and I absolutely LOVED this experience! Kotaro, our sake tasting guide (who was assisted by Mitch), was so knowledgeable. He led us through a tasting of more than 10 sakes, and along the way taught us so much about sake's history; how variations in the production process and ingredients impact the taste; how to read sake bottles so we can choose ones we most enjoy; and ideas for how to pair different sakes with different foods. We have so much insight to take with us to purchase sake or order it at restaurants, or to purchase bottles for ourselves or others. This was far better than many wine tastings we have done (and we have done a lot!). Thanks, Kotaro!

Knowledge based, great excitement. Our tour guide was great and enthusiastic. We would recommend it without hesitation

We learned a lot about the process of sake making and the different varieties. The tasting session exposed us to the differences that different sales have and how to choose specific taste profiles. Our guide - Chika a was simply amazing!

This was one of the best and most informative experiences we've ever enjoyed. Our host Chika was energetic, knowledgeable and an expert on the history, production and types of sake. We learned a ton and tried many types of sake during our tasting. Wouid highly recommend this experience in Kyoto.

I highly recommend this tour to anyone interested in learning more about sake. Momo and Mai were fantastic guides - knowledgeable, engaging, and fun throughout the experience. I came away with a much better understanding of the history of the Gekkeikan Distillery, the sake (nihonshu) brewing process, and how different styles are classified and labeled. The tasting was excellent, with 10 different sakes sampled before and after thoughtfully paired foods, making it easy to appreciate how food changes the flavor profile of each sake. By the end of the tour, I felt much more confident choosing and ordering sake to complement a meal. This was one of the highlights of my time in Kyoto.

The two guides were extremely knowledgeable and enthusiastic with their job and it showed! I never knew there was so much to know about Sake.