Kyoto Casual Evening Pontocho Food Tour

Yukiko was a fantastic guide. She brought us to lovely local spots with great food and put it in context in the lives of a typical Kyoto resident. The livened the experience with historical and cultural insights. Additionally, she gave fantastic recommendations for our following days based on our desires and interests. Go with Yukiko!

We had a great evening with Lin and Olivia. We got to see Geisha during the tour and sampled lots of local cuisine and daily life. It was a great way to learn about Kyoto without any struggle to understand. A personalised experience I would recommend to others.

We had such a great time with the knowledgeable and entertaining Tak-san. Many food experiences that we wouldn't have had otherwise. So great to experience Pontocho with a local!

Absolutely the best food tour I’ve ever been on! Our guide, Lin, shared expert insights not just about the region’s cuisine but also its rich history and the culture of the geisha district. She answered all our questions—and then some. I haven’t laughed so much in ages while chatting about different cultural norms!

We did the Pontocho Food Tour in Kyoto last week and had a really great time. ‘H’ was our guide and what a lovely, funny, knowledgeable man he is. We learned so much about Kyoto and, in particular, the Pontocho and Gion Shirakawa districts. We loved the food and drinks and it was so good to experience that part of the city on a busy Saturday night.

What a great night! Wonderful food, lovely tour guide and being able to experience some of Kyoto’s gems with confidence made this tour truly worthwhile!

My friends and I had a great evening! Our guide, Hiro, was amazing! We had a great time getting to know him and he told us lots of interesting things about the area and food. We also got some great recommendations on where to buy a yukata and matcha tea. It was a rainy day, but that did not matter at all. We walked a bit around the area and visited a couple of restaurants. Hiro ordered some very delicious dishes and recommended some very tasty sake. Overall an amazing evening and definitely recommend this food tour and Hiro!

Ana took my husband and me on this private tour and we thoroughly enjoyed both walking through the traditional charming streets and the delicious small local restaurants we ate at. We learned just the right amount of history and details about food & sake. Thank you Ana!

"Our experience on the Pontocho Food Tour with Noboru was absolutely fantastic. It was one of the best food tours I have ever been on. Noboru started the tour with a wonderful tour around Gion, which set the perfect stage for our culinary adventure. Throughout the tour, we indulged in a wide array of delicious foods, including yakitori, sweet fish, soba noodles, pickled plums in various preparations, and a flavorful broth made with local spices. One of the highlights was visiting an Izakaya, where we got a true taste of Japanese pub culture. I highly recommend this tour to anyone looking to explore Japanese cuisine and immerse themselves in the local food scene. Noboru's expertise and passion for food truly made this tour a memorable and authentic experience.

Had a great time with Rakel. Rakel gave us a fantastic introduction to Kyoto and its food. These tours are a really useful way to orientate yourself to a new location and to get an introduction to the local food. We also picked up lots of tips about the city. Would definitely do again!

Ane was such an amazing guide and was very knowledgeable about the culture and history. The food was all amazing and so good, definitely recommend this foodie tour.

We had a fantastic evening with Ana who was great fun very informative about the food and culture, she clearly loves living in Kyoto .Can thoroughly recommend !

We had a wonderful evening with our guide Eduardo and learned a lot of interesting things about life and food in Kyoto. The food stops were awesome, more delicious food than we could eat. Most of the stops were places we would be too shy to go in as tourists or would not have thought about. Overall it was such a fun experience that we booked another tour with the same company in Osaka.

Midway through our June trip to Japan, our family had lucked out mostly avoiding rain until our evening tour of the Pontocho and Gion districts of Kyoto. This didn’t faze our guide Mickey at all and she ensured we all had a fantastic time tasting delicious snacks, skewers, noodles, and desserts along with some sake for the parents and ramune for our two boys! Mickey was incredibly knowledgeable about the area and its history and we came away with a much deeper appreciation for the experiences we were having than we would have on our own. This was our fourth Arigato tour during our Japan trip and continued on from the great experiences we had earlier. Mickey’s kindness and fun energy easily overcame any rainy weather and we had a fabulous time - thank you Mickey!

It was an average food tour - and I've taken many around the world. Decent but not outstanding. The guide did go over and beyond and remained with us for a longer duration than we expected.

Great tour with Daniela. Excellent food choices and really enjoyed the Pontcho area. Daniela was very knowledgeable and helpful. Would thoroughly recommend this tour

What a great tour, we tried food we’d never have done on our own, plus the insights on culture and history brought the city alive. Great fun and Russ was always checking in with everyone. This a must do!

Spencer gave us a terrific tour of Kyoto food culture. We particularly appreciated the historical aspect--what was in vogue during different periods of Japanese history--and his ability to connect what we were eating to the culture and agriculture of that part of Japan. We also enjoyed learning about Japanese dining culture--not just the food, but the etiquette & the way it fit into Japanese life. & of course, the food itself was great and we were taken to off-the-beaten-path places that we would never have found ourselves.

Wonderful food tour with Tomas , who expertly weaved history and Japan info with amazing street food and new tastes in the atmospheric Gion and Pontocho areas ! We tasted food we had never seen before - and it was delicious! Highly recommended

We had Emma as our tour guide and she was fantastic! She was upbeat and fun! She took us to many delicious places and even helped me with my dietary needs. She also taught us about the history of the area and was able to answer all our questions. Would highly recommend this tour and Emma!

Favorite part was going to places that we never would’ve stopped otherwise. That, and having tables reserved for us so all proprietors were expecting us. No wait!

Arigato food tours soar above all others. Expert local guides. Personable, knowledgeable and most welcoming!

We hit several restaurants and bars and the guide was really helpful and even found vegetarian options (in fact the one soba place that we went to had great veggie options).

We really enjoyed this tour with Cole. He took us to a variety of locations with really great food. The tour was very informative about the local culture and taught us a lot while having a really great time. Highly recommend this tour!

This is a great food tour. We had an awesome time with Russ. Russ is very knowledgeable about the local customs. Loved the food and the places he chose to take us! You will definitely not go hungry on this tour!

Yoshie was an excellent guide. We were the only two on the tour, so we got very personal service. The food and sake was very good We enjoyed Yoshie’s easy going personality. She was so easy to talk to and was easy to understand. Wish we had time to take a tour with her.

Our guide was Masaki. He was really nice and made this the best experience we've had in Japan.  We went to 6 different places and tasted really good food - that we probably wouldnt have otherwise. Along the way we talked about the food, Japan's history and culture and a lot of other things and got to see a few typical Kyoto neighbourhoods.  It was a really fun afternoon (that because Masaki was so nice was actually a bit more than the 3 hours) and we really advise everyone to do this :) Thank you Masaki!

The trip was a walk/ food tour. It was very interactive and fun, with Lauren as our guide who gave an unique insight of the city and Japan's culture. She was lovely to get to know and definitely made the tour worth it. The food was delicious and more than enough to fill your belly. I would suggest to not eat anything before the tour cause you don't want to miss out on the once in a life time experience.

We had a fantastic night with Russ, our friendly Welsh tour guide. Russ lives in Kyoto and was able to weave through the streets and alleys expertly, pointing out areas of interest in Gion. His casual approach made for an authentic experience. We sampled food and visited restaurants that we wouldn’t have discovered on our own. Our 11 year old daughter loved the tour and ate everything. My husband enjoyed the sake tasting!

I was very lucky to participate in this tour a couple of weeks ago. Koichiro was a fantastic guide, the selction of venues was very good and the food & sake were plenty. I can only recommend the tour as well as the company. Everything from first contact to saying goodbye after a great evening went exactly as it should be.

So many great moments on this food tour! Go with Russ Mainwaring he was a great, super informative about Kyoto history and with extensive knowledge about the street taking us though lots of areas otherwise missed by every day tourist. The food was great and they are very good at making adjustments if someone in your group has food allergies. This is definitely a tour with taking.