Kyoto Evening Gion Food Tour Including Kaiseki Dinner

Great tour experience, our guide was incredibly knowledgeable and personable.. we spent time touring around Gion and then had a beautiful dinner experience .. thank you Morton for a great night!

Our family had a really fantastic time! Thomas was extremely knowledgeable with perfect English. He had a comprehensive understanding and deep appreciation for the rich culture and history of Tokyo. Our kaiseki meal was also delicious and Thomas did a good job explaining the different components of the multicourse meal.

We have had Kaiseki dinners previously in both Tokyo and Kyoto and have had incredible culinary experiences. AS we only had one evening in Kyoto with my sister who had never been to Japan, we decided to book the tour to see Gion and learn about the preparation and cultural significance of the Kaiseki dinner. At almost $300 each, we expected a fine dining experience. Previously we paid up to $200 each for an excellent dinner, including high end sake and drinks. The 90 minute tour of Gion was fine but that could be done separately for well under $100 each. The dinner was mediocre at best, typical of what you'd pay about $50 per person at other locations. Some dishes were of the same quality of what you'd buy at a food court. We did not learn anything about the history and culture of the Kaiseki dinner. The dinner only included one drink, basically beer or cheap wine or sake. The were out of white and plum wine. We had to pay for a second beer. Our advice is to book a tour of Gion lseparately and ask your hotel concierge for advice on restaurants.

We have had Kaiseki dinners previously in both Tokyo and Kyoto and have had incredible culinary experiences. As we had only one evening in Kyoto with my sister who had never been to Japan we decided to book the tour to see Gion and learn about the preparation and cultural significance of the Kaiseki dinner. At almost $300 each we expected a fine dining experience. Previously we paid up to $200 each for an excellent dinner, including high end sake and drinks. The 90 minute tour of Gion was fine but that could be done separately for well under $100 each. The dinner was mediocre at best, typical of what you'd pay about $50 per person at other locations. Some dishes were of the same quality of what you'd buy at a food court. We did not learn anything about the history of culture of the Kaiseki dinner. The dinner only included one drink, basically beer or cheap wine or sake. They were out of white and plum wine. We had to pay for a second beer. Our advice is to book a tour of Gion separately and ask your hotel concierge for advice on restaurants.

Our tour with Sae was amazing! Truly one of the highlights of our trips. We had a rainy day but still had a great tour. Sae was so knowledgeable on the area, the culture and the history of not just Kyoto but all of Japan. It was so cool to learn about all the nuances of the Geisha district and of Kyoto itself. Besides the cool walking portion, the Kaiseki dinner was amazing, and being talked through it and all the work that goes into it made us appreciate it even more. We learned a lot in the most fun way, Sae was the best guide we could ask for, so fun and kind and answered all our questions! On top of it all we were lucky enough to see some Geisha rushing past us at the end!

Really informative and interesting tour through the Gion district of Kyoto. Our guide, Sae was personable and wonderful. We stopped at a few local shops (delicious matcha cookies, plum shop, etc) for samples and explanation of the different specialities. The tour concluded with an amazing ten course traditional Japanese meal. The tour guide also taught us basic Japanese words of graffitied related to meals. We also learned about personal perspectives of our guide who has lived abroa and is now back in Japan. We have done a lot of food tours around the world, this was by far the best.

Yoshiko was an incredible tour guide. Kind, warm hearted, and very passionate about Kyoto and its history and traditions. We loved exploring the Gion district and sharing stories over a traditional Kaiseki dinner (delicious). This is a great tour if you are looking to experience the heart of Kyoto ♥️

Very fun evening with Yoshiko. She was super friendly and knowledgeable about local traditions.

We really enjoyed our guided tour of Gion! It gave us some amazing context into the area including shops that have been around the area for years. Our guide was very knowledgeable and helped answer all of our questions. For the price point, we expected dinner to be more filling and a higher quality experience but overall the food was solid.

We had a great time on our Gion tour. It ended up just being our family (two adults and a baby) and was a very informative and enjoyable stroll through Gion. The dinner was great, and they were very polite about our fussy baby. Highly recommend!

Our Kyoto Evening and Geisha Food Tour was awesome - sugoi! Thanks to our wonderful tour guide, Yoshiko. She showed us all the beautiful sceneries of the city. She was knowledgeable of each place's history. Best of all, we had a great time during our traditional Japanese dinner. We ate as a family, learning and sharing each other's culture and traditions. Yoshiko was very friendly, polite, warm and beautiful. We would love to have her as our tour guide on our next visit, and spread good words about her to friends/relatives who would tour Japan. Thanks Yoshiko for giving us a very memorable night in Kyoto! Take care.

Our guide, Zae, was great! You really feel that she loves her job and she loves sharing her knowledge with her customers. She told us a lot about Gion district and Japanese food. I’d definitely recommend the guide, although the tour was way too expensive.

Sae was a fascinating guide with impeccable manners and was truly gracious, making us feel incredibly welcome and appreciated.

The tour and dinner exceeded our expectations in every way. If you have never been to Kyoto or Japan this tour is a great way to experience the local Gion area.

Yoshiko was a phenomenal tour guide. We saw some beautiful side streets in gion, learned about miyako and geisha culture, and had an incredible, unforgettable kaiseki meal that left us stuffed to the gills. I went with my four sisters, and Yoshiko felt like a member of our family. We were all laughing and trading stories throughout the night. I couldn’t imagine a better night exploring old Kyoto. Thank you so much!!!

Booked this tour back in November with Thomas, and we had such an amazing time! Thomas was brilliant and gave a very thoughtful and really fun trip! He clearly knew all the ins and outs of Kyoto, and balanced being smart with being super personable. The dinner is amazing it’s like omakase but with more substantive food so definitely recommend coming hungry! Really recommend the tour!

Had a wonderful time in Kyoto Cute scenes Yoshi my tour guide was incredible - very helpful and informative !!

We had a fantastic evening with Russ and Mitsuki. The places we visited, the food, the sake and their company combined to make it one of the most enjoyable evenings of our holiday in Japan.

Highly recommend. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable about the district and the history of the places we passed on the way . I loved how we were able to stop at some of the best stops on our walking tour. We were able to see a total of 7 Maiko/Geiko on their way to work. The pièce de ré·sis·tance was the very delicious Kaiseki dinner. Every dish was very tasty.

Sae showed us around some of the beautiful sights and food shops of Gion, telling us snippets of history and culture as we went. She is an absolutely charming young woman and kept us entertained with stories of the city and her life (growing up in a mountaintop monastery with a bass playing monk for a father, is a pretty cool backstory!) Very highly recommend an evening out with Sae in this historic and atmospheric part of Kyoto.

Miki with Arigato was very knowledgeable and made the tour very fun. Dinner was excellent. Great to see such a historic district with so much character and Geishas!

It was drizzling that day, but what brought sunshine to the tour was Sae, our tour guide! Sae is Japanese, and speaks impeccable English, having studied abroad. (The tour company was also very supportive, calling and texting us just before our official tour start, to ensure we got help reaching the tour start point. ) We moved around at a leisurely pace, stopping an a number of interesting shops to taste (and buy) the various treats on offer. She was very gracious in accommodating my desire to buy something in practiically every store. Gion is quite a maze, and we certainly appreciated the guide and related stories. The Kaiseki dinner was great, but again I have to say that the company (Sae) was what made it truly memorable. Sae had dinner with us, and it really felt like having dinner with a friend (who just happened to be very knowledgable about Kyoto / Japan / culture / Geishas etc.) I would absolutely recommend Sae and Arigato Japan Food Tour company!

Seeing Gion in person was wonderful after reading Memoirs of a Geisha. Sae gave us great info on the origin of the geisha and maikos as well as the background of the Gion section of Kyoto. We had several stops to sample the treats available. Our Kaiseki dinner was fabulous and we got an explanation of every dish….how it was prepared and why it was included in our meal. Service was great and water glasses were always refilled quickly( not a common thing in Japan). Sae made sure everyone could hear her ( had perfect English) and answered all of our questions. Sae helped us get a cab back to our hotel and I would love to do another tour with her!

We just spent the most amazing evening with our tour guide Sae. She spoke impeccable English (for which we were very grateful) and was so knowledgeable about the areas of Gion & Ponto, everything to do with Geisha & Maiko and about the traditional architecture, customs and food. The tour was the perfect blend of culture and food. We ended with a delicious Kaiseki meal. Sae was very informative in the right way to enjoy this exquisite meal. We can highly recommend her and Arigato Japan. Iroiro Arigato Gozaimashita, Sae. A perfect introduction to Kyoto

Marie was fun, knowledgeable and engaging with our teen kids and us. We learned tons and stopped at a few sweets stores while walking thru beautiful Gion. Loved every Alley, Pontocho was great! Just a cold magical afternoon and evening. The magic was gone the moment we started the kaiseki meal at the Four Seasons Restaurant (not related to the hotel). The sashimi was chewy, the beef was sub standard, and among other things, we had to be calling the waiters to clear the dishes on the table. They seemed overwhelmed. Think Arigato is a great company and we had an outstanding experience with them in Tokyo, but they definitely need to look for a better restaurant to take clients after such an amazing tour in Gion.

What a wonderful experience! We learned so much and the food was fabulous. Sae was a wonderful guide, and made us feel very welcome with our baby in tow!

This tour is a perfect 10/10. To start, the tour operator was super quick to communicate — they initially apologized that they couldn’t do the tour on Jan 2 due to New Year holidays, but a day later, found a way to make the schedule work. During the tour, the star of the show was our tour guide, Mickey (Miyuki). She was so knowledgeable about Kyoto and Geisha history that walking around Gion and Pontocho areas felt very immersive. Finally, we ended the tour with a delicious 10-course kaiseki dinner. During the meal, Mickey made for fun conversation since she’s well traveled and was open to sharing her opinions and a few recommendations while in Japan. I highly recommend this tour, especially with Mickey as the guide (she takes great photos too!)

My wife and I spent 22 days in southeast Asia. This was one of our favorite activites. You get a lay of the land and get to try a lot of good food and drink along the way. You end the night with a traditional Kaiseki meal. This included many courses, sake, etc.. The guide was wonderful in giving us recommendations for the rest of our stay. We learned a lot about the culture and history while also throwing back some sake and having fun.

I had a lovely tour with Pia in February 2020. I very much enjoyed the evening walk in the Gion district and the sit down dinner which felt very authentic and interesting. The various foods were fresh and delicious. Pia was a well informed guide and Kyoto is a lovely city. Absolutely the only thing is that it would be great if, after the tour, you would walk the customers to the nearest major street. I didn't have a functioning phone, it was dark and didn't want to be a bother to the guide so I got lost trying to find my way back. Having said that, I got lost constantly in Japan.

Yoshiko did a great job guiding and teaching us (on a rainy evening) about the Gion District and the role of Geishas and Maikos in the cultural heritage of Japan. The Kaiseki dinner was a perfect ending to our tour. Yoshiko explained the nuances of each of the ten dinner elements, really making the meal much more meaningful. Thank you Yoshiko!

Our guide was incredible, the food was delicious, and the experience was unreal. Ada was our guide - she was energetic and highly informed. We had countless questions about Japanese culture and she was able to articulate in-depth responses with crystal-clear English. We had the opportunity to see two Flower Towns, several Geishas, and a 10 course meal that felt uniquely designed for our group. I would highly suggest trying to take this tour with Ada if you are looking to feel like you are taking a trip through Kyoto with a close friend.

Our guide Tomas was great! Despite not being Japanese, he passionately explained the making of geishas, the sweets we tasted, and finally the tradition of the Kaseiki dinner. All in the beautiful Gion district of Kyoto. A lovely evening well worth the cost.

Clear instructions beforehand meant we met our guide at the appointed time and headed off into areas of Kyoto that we may not have found ourselves. Guide was very enthusiastic and informative and we were very lucky to see some Geiko in the Gion area. The food experience at the local restaurant was a tremendous and took us to the edge of our comfort zones but was a great cultural experience aided by our guide. Overall an excellent cultural experience I would recommend to anyone.

This tour was one of our favorite memories from our Japan trip, strongly recommend for both adults and children. Our great guides Yoshiko and Sabreena provided lot of information about Japan culture, Kyoto, food and answered all questions we had. Just join!

We had a lovely evening with Yoshie. She was clear about where to meet, and she guided us to so many great little treats we never would have found on our own. Some of our favorite food gifts came from our stops with Yoshie. She provided an informative stroll through Gion - we learned so much about the Geisha culture (though we did not have the chance to see any for ourselves). Our meal was just lovely. I think we surprised her a bit at eating every last bite of every dish placed before us. The only thing that was less than perfect was the temperature of the room where we had our dinner. She inquired if it was comfortable; initially, it was. I wish I had spoken up when it got a bit warm. I'm sure she would've taken care of it. Our fault not hers... Speak up about what you need. She was kind, considerate, and committed to our enjoyment.

Part of my bucket list for Japan was to learn more about the geisha. Booking a tour of their main district seemed to tick that box. Well tonight we saw 3 Maiko and I was star struck. Lauren, our guide, knew so much about the culture, tradition and history. The food was fabulous and the interactions with others in the group was also rewarding. I can’t recommend this tour highly enough! Thank you so much Lauren.

Yoshi presented us a memorable and magical last night in Japan! She guided us down the Gion streets & across the beautiful river at sunset as we nibbled along our way and explored charming shops. Yoshi was very warm and personable. She taught us about the culture and language in such an inviting and approachable style. We absolutely adored her and her selections were superb. Her tour was delicious, interesting, and excellent quality. We appreciate your gift of exploring Kyoto and it’s delicious treats tonight...arigatougozaimasu!

This was a great tour, our guides Russ and G were excellent. The shops we were introduced to we would have never found without their knowledge, they made us so comfortable during the tour and so informative, would do this tour again in a heartbeat.

Yoshiko and Yoshie were fun tour guides. They gave us a lot of history about Kyoto, in general, and the different "Flower Districts". Gion was the main district we toured. We were treated to macha sweets, ume samples, and several other items as we made our way to the restaurant - Hamacho Four Seasons. There we sat upstairs on tatami (hole in the floor). The food was interesting, and tasty. The menu changes often so I won't provide details on the dishes we were served. Yoshiko also told us about making dashi - traditional way, and quick way. As each course arrived, Yoshiko described the dish and told us about the preparation. I would consider going on this tour again. I am recommending it to friends who are visiting Kyoto.

We had a great time on this food tour. Our guide was excellent, the food was fun and plentiful, plus we learned a lot from our guide. We highly recommend this as an activity in Kyoto. I wish I remembered the name of the spice store we went to. I will be recommending this as a fun activity all over Japan.

We met Lauren outside the Kanji Museum just as the sun was going down and walked through picturesque narrow streets of Gion and then Pontocho. The light was beautiful and couldn’t have been better for photos. Lauren is very knowledgable and personable and was the perfect guide for both the preamble and dinner at the restaurant. We sat in a private room and each course was brought to us by the young waiter. Lauren described what we were about to eat and shared some history. We highly recommend this activity.

We have been on many food tours (including another great Arigato tour in Tokyo), however Yoshiko’s tour of Kyoto Gion was the best! She is such an interesting tour guide, and provided us with lots of great history, neighbourhood background and recommendations. The format of this tour is a bit different than others - first part walking tour with a couple of stops for free samples at some shops, history and neighbourhood background, then a sit down meal for the remainder of the tour. The meal was superb and Yoshiko gave us lots of food tips throughout. Highly recommend!!

Thoroughly enjoyed the Kyoto Gion tour by Arigato Food Tours. The walk around Gion and Ponto-cho was very pleasant and informative, with several stops for sweets along the way. But the highlight of this tour was being able to enjoy a kaiseki dinner at Yoshina with our guides, Hiroe and Agustin. The food was very good, served in a beautiful, private room along the river. But the best part of the tour was the conversation, and learning about Japan, Japanese culture, and Kyoto, in the company of other like-minded travelers. This was truly a unique experience, and I especially recommend this for solo travelers – it was a great way to enjoy an evening in Kyoto!

This food tour in Kyoto was fun, informative and tasty! We started with a tour of the Gion district which is one the the geisha districts in Kyoto. We learned the history and current lifestyles of geishas. We stopped at a couple stores to sample chocolate, plum juice and cookies. Then we went the restaurant which was along the river. We had an 8 course dinner all of which was extremely tasty! Out guides were fun and full of interesting information. I highly recommend this tour.

My friend and I booked an evening walking tour through Gion and Kamogawa that was capped off by a delicious kaiseki meal. We were met by Russ who is Welsh and who is married to a Japanese native, we were lucky since we were the only ones on the tour, so Russ was our very own private tour guide. Russ is so personable and he was knowledgeable about the Gion area and we were so excited when he pointed out a maiko and a geiko. He pointed out many interesting facts about the Gion area, but I think my friend really liked the sake containers and wished she could have taken one home. The kaiseki meal was delicious too. I would not hesitate to take another tour with Arigato Japan Food Tours and I want to thank Russ who made our Kyoto visit so wonderful!

This was an absolutely DONT MISS Tour. Lauren was our tour guide and she had a great handle on the history of Gion. We had an great experience and learned a ton about the history, culture, and art of the Geigos. Lauren took us throughout the district explaining the meaning of the different signs and symbols on doorways. Just fascinating. this was probably the best tour we took during our 2 weeks in Japan. The dinner at the end was amazing too. I think it was 12 courses and there was an explanation for each course. It was delicious. This tour does entail a bit of walking but really doable. Lauren, Thanks so much for making our tour so good!

We experienced so much more than the standard food tour. Lauren was excellent as a hostess and took us around the older part of town and explained some of the history. Well worth it.

Excellent Our young guide was excellent I am not sure why I have to write a minimum of 100 characters

Excellent tour. Very accommodating with food allergies. Our guid was very informative. Made the evening very fun.