We will go to 2 local izakaya in “Pontocho”. “Pontocho” is one of Kyoto’s most famous traditional dining streets, known for its narrow alley, wooden buildings, and charming old atmosphere. You can feel Kyoto’s historic and romantic vibe while enjoying local food, Japanese sake, and a unique night out.
Kamogawa river runs through the heart of Kyoto. “Kamogawa” is loved by locals as a place to relax, enjoy the scenery, and feel the changing seasons. You can experience a peaceful local atmosphere while seeing a more everyday and charming side of Kyoto.
We will walk through “Gion”, Kyoto’s most famous geisha district and visit a hidden bar. “Gion” is known for its beautiful traditional streets, old teahouses, and elegant Kyoto atmosphere. You can enjoy local culture, historic scenery, and Kyoto's unique bar scens.
The whole experience was a wonderful introduction to Kyoto. Our guide Marie was informative and fun, giving us the history behind locations. The bars and restaurants we visited had delicious food and great drinks. We ended the night with karaoke!
This tour was our very first experience on Kyoto and it was the perfect orientation. We got to learn about the city while also getting to sample it's flavors.
Absolutely recommend! We had so much fun with our guide, Nami! We learned so many interesting facts about Kyoto and Japan in general, and the food spots were excellent - in particular, we ended the night at a quiet, tucked-away rooftop bar that was fantastic. Nami was an excellent tour guide - she was engaging and fun, and she had so many great recommendations for the rest of our trip. Recommend adding this tour to the beginning of your trip to learn about the city!
Awesome night. Jimmy was great and brought us to several fun spots.
Fantastic tour. We had some great food and drinks and hit a karaoke bar with our host Jimmy. He’s very knowledgeable and a great laugh. Worth doing for sure
Think of the best night with friends going to bars that only you know about - that sums up this experience with Nami. She was fun and interesting and full of facts. You spend enough time in each venue to feel like it is a proper night out not a tourist event
Nami was a wonderful guide and took us to some places we never would have found on our own. We really enjoyed the tour and would highly recommend it to anyone visiting Kyoto!
SO amazing! Jimmy was the best and we had so much fun. He took us to the best hidden spots and ended the night at an AMAZING hidden karaoke bar where we spent the night singing and listening to amazing music. It couldn’t have been any better and Jimmy made sure we had fun all night! 100% would do it again.
Kumi was an amazing tour guide and adventure. She went out of her way to listen to you, find one or two things you are looking for in the city and made personal recommendations.
Mari was a lovely guide - considerate and thoughtful. We also enjoyed the engaging conversations and knowledge of Kyoto. Thanks Mari!
We had so much fun hanging out with Jimmy. Getting to know more about Kyoto but also Jimmy was amazing. We couldn’t have asked for a better tour and tour guide.
A great fun night with a very enthusiastic and entertaining host (Jimmy) Took us into places We would never find or probably go into to try foods we wouldn’t know how to order- a great treat if you can get Jimmy as your guide 👍👍👍
Jimmy’s knowledge and humour made for an entertaining and unforgettable experience
Great experience! We visited a cool selection of bars. The karaoke bar was a highlight, the owners were incredible ❤️
Jimmy was a gracious host. Nice company and selected delicious meals. Additionally assisted with other plans. Highly recommend
It was a really nice Tour, I learned a lot and had tons of fun 😁
Our guide Mari was very personable, shared interesting culture, and took lots of photos. We had a great time!
Kumi is so fun. We ended up being the only people in the tour at the timeslot and day but she made sure we had fun and had good insight on history and Kyoto. The three izakaya/bars were are all great especially the last one. Thanks again to Kumi, you are awesome.
Had a great time on our night bar-hopping tour with J through Gion and Pontocho. The three izakayas selected for the tour gave a good overview of the diversity of establishments that come under that category, from a standing bar in Pontocho who do a fabulous strawberry chuhai and snack plates to stepping away from the crowds at the end of the night and relaxing on cushion seats and low tables on a peaceful balcony in Gion. J is a great host, a Kyoto local who speaks perfect English and shares a lot of information that is well matched to the group's interests and existing knowledge rather than tightly following a script. He clearly knows the Kyoto leisure districts, drinking culture and food well and loves his city, and that comes through in this fun tour. The drinks allocation is generous, comfortably more than we got through in a night, and we really enjoyed the food. Favourites for us were the fermented firefly squid, in season in May, which paired beautifully with drinks, and the beef dish at the last izakaya, which was delicious. Equally, if your preference is for the more familiar karaage and tempura-style dishes, that is catered for too.
We went to places that we never would’ve found on our own.
Our guide was the wonderful “J”, he put up with our many confusing questions about the Japanese culture and set us straight ! His guidance and humour made for a fantastic evening . Highly recommend from Australia !!
I had a wonderful time with Yumi and truly appreciated her breadth of knowledge on the area as well as her amazing hospitality! I would highly recommend her and this experience to others.
It was a wonderful experience! Yumi was so kind and overall wonderful. We had fantastic conversations and she was able to really help us understand both the place and the culture. We would highly recommend this Kyoto local to anyone to anyone looking for great experiences!
Very enjoyable and informative night with"J“. Highly recommended. Thanks J!
Great, fun night walking tour with yummy food and drinks. J was funny & knowledgeable. Highly recommend!!
You will greatly enjoy it .The venues were very nice and attended by the locals. I specifically enjoyed the karioki .Loua was just great
We had a fabulous time with Nami! We went to izakaya bars we would have never seen without a guide. Nami taught us about the history of Pontocho, showed us how to read the sake bottles to learn about their qualities, and had fascinating discussions about Japanese culture. Highly recommend this experience, was definitely a highlight of our trip to Japan. Thank you Nami!!
Nami was so sweet and knowledgeable. We had a ton of fun hanging out with her around Kyoto! Thanks for taking us to the coolest places. See you next time!
Our tour guide Woohee was amazing! We had the best time on our Bar Hop Tour with her. She showed us so many beautiful streets, gave us mini history lessons, and even helped us map out our day tomorrow in the same area with cool local coffee shops and restaurants that we would like. So helpful! If you can book a tour with her you will really enjoy her positive energy and fun attitude. She made us so happy to be in Kyoto. What a delight!!!!
Our guide was the sweetest and we had a blast! We met 4 fun people and ended up at the karaoke bar for hours having a great time.
J was a lovely and kind tour guide! Thank you for exploring Pontocho and Gion with me 😄
The best time ever! It was so much fun! Highly recommend to anyone who wants to get a local cultural bar vibe.
It was in a very beautiful part of town. I loved all the little bars and restaurants. Our guide, Nami, was very informed and really fun to hang out with as the tour guide.
Had a great night going to three bars we wouldn't otherwise have found with Nami. Would highly recommend!
J was a great tour guide and was extremely friendly!
J was amazing and knowledgeable!!! He made the tour entertaining!!
Noriko-san is a knowledgeable and well-traveled guide. I had a great time enjoying some of the nightlife of Kyoto with her. Okini!!!
This was an absolutely amazing experience! Loved the tour, loved hanging out. 100/10 would absolutely do again. Nami was a ton of fun and very informative about the history and culture of both the area and Japan in general. Would love to hang out with Nami again! Wish we could bring them along for the rest of the trip.
Was a fun experience! Loved the karaoke at the end! Thank you for the brilliant night out! Definitely something for a solo traveller to enjoy.
It was intimate and phenomenal! Our guide was amazing and personal. I would do it again. Ended the night singing karaoke!!!
Super lucky to have 2 guides take us around Kyoto. Each of them were amazing in the their own way which provided a well rounded experience. Looking forward to the next one.
J was such a kind, thoughtful and fun guide! Being from Kyoto he provided great history and shared his favorite spots. He handled everything with such care and couldn’t be happier! We topped the evening off with a memorable karaoke duet! It was a such a wonderful time. Thank you, J!
I had a great bar hopping tour experience with Shiori! She is very friendly and took me to some great local spots in Kyoto.
We have only good things to say about Nami-san and the tour we were taken on. Nami was a fantastic host, full of interesting facts about Kyoto and most of all great company to drink with! The places we were taken were all great as well, felt to us like a more 'local' experience than we would have had on our own and all the staff we encountered were friendly and accommodating. Really recommend this tour if you have a free night in Kyoto!
Our night tour with Miku was truly one of the highlights of our time in Japan through 6 cities! From the beginning, she was everything we could have hoped for in a guide — attentive, open, and carrying such a gentle yet genuinely kind presence. She brought Kyoto to life in the most beautiful and authentic way. Through her, we were able to experience the city beyond the surface — interacting with locals, visiting wonderful spots we never would have found on our own, and feeling truly immersed in the culture. This wasn’t just a tour — it was a meaningful memory we’ll always cherish. can’t recommend Miku highly enough! 💛
This was a great tour to visit places that you might not stumble across yourself. We had a great time and would recommend anyone wanting to check out new places and just relax into the night. Highly recommend this tour and our guide was also very accommodating and friendly.
Hide was amazing! What a fantastic time - he was knowledgeable on so many subjects, happy to teach tons of history, and made it a beautiful experience all the way through. Of all the guides I've had, he went the most out of his way to capture memories and videos. Absolutely book with Hide any time for this great tour!
Nami was amazing . We had such a good tour. The Food, Drinks and service was excellent. We Enjoyed every Place Nami took us. Nami's Knowledge of Kyoto was great as well and we learnt a lot. We Would Definitely recommend Nami and her Kyoto Bar Hopping tour . Her Vibrant personality made the tour so much fun for the whole family .
The Kyoto bar hopping night tour was an absolute blast! We couldn’t have asked for a better guide than Nariko. She has such a wonderful personality and took us to some very fun and memorable bars. Places that we would’ve never found on our own. I wish that we could give Nariko six stars.
Nami is AMAZING!!!! Food, drinks, experience, conversation, energy, happiness… absolutely wonderful! We left full, merry and with great memories.
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