Private Sake Tasting In Central Kyoto With Sake Sommelier

I highly recommend this experience! Kenji was an excellent host and made the sake tasting both enjoyable and informative. We learned a lot about the sake-making process and the different types of sake. Getting to sample eight different sakes was a great way to experience the variety. Overall, a fantastic experience and well worth it!

My brother and I had an amazing time during our private sake tasting! Kenji is incredibly knowledgeable and very kind. Highly recommend.

Kenji was great! He was very communicative and made everything very easy. We learned so much about sake that we didn’t know! We tasted 8 sakes, learned how to read certain parts of the label and which region it came from. Kenji answered all of our questions and his English was great. We had so much fun and learned a lot. We would definitely recommend doing this tour!

Very knowledgeable host and nice environment. Fun experience! Great variety in the products tried. A must try in Kyoto!

Kenji was a fabulous guide with an amazingly broad knowledge of the history, traditions and current trends around Japanese nihonshu (or sake). His patient explanations, including his experience in international sake sales, was a great privilege to hear about, alongside of great suggestions for very different types of sake. We tasted sake types that paired well with foods and types that were best to drink on their own. Great experience being guided by an expert who is also super interesting to talk to about Japanese culture and society :) Highly recommended for sake-lovers and for anyone who wants to learn more.

What a great experience. We learned so much from Kenji and enjoyed ourselves immensely. If you're interested in learning about Japanese sake & nihonshu, then this is the tour for you!

Kenji is a good time and very knowledgeable. Would highly recommend this experience for anyone looking to learn it all about sake!

My time with Kenji was exceptional from beginning to end. There wasn’t a single question I had that he did not have a meaningful answer or insight for. The selections Kenji made for the tasting were excellent, and he even helped select some bottles for me to take home. After we finished, Kenji was kind enough to share recommend a fantastic restaurant for dinner.

This was a lovely experience, sake was amazing and plentiful. Kenji was very accommodating of our children we would definitely recommend

We had such a delightful and educational experience with Kenji. He walked us through the basics of sake or Nihonshu including how to read the bottle, the different types, and the various regions of the breweries. We tasted several different varieties and brands. He is also a Japanese teacher so we were able to ask him questions about Kanji. He is friendly and has an excellent command of English. I'd highly recommend this tour.

We met Kenji for a sake tasting. It was a great experience for first time sake drinkers. We learned so much from Kenji about the process to brew sake and the different varieties. Kenji was very personable, and he answered all our questions. It was a pleasure to meet him and also talk with him about our travels in Japan. A fun and memorable experience - we highly recommend Kenji for sake tasting and tours.

We met Kenji for a sake tasting. It was a great experience for first time sake drinkers. We learned so much from Kenji about the process to brew sake and the different varieties. Kenji was personable, and he answered all our questions. It was a pleasure to meet him and talk about sake as well as our travels in Japan. We highly recommend Kenji for tours and for sake tasting.

We had a great time tasting sake with Kenji in Kyoto! He is very knowledgeable. We loved learning about sake in a relaxed and authentic environment. Definitely recommend!

The experience was great Kenji explain my wife and me all about the production of sake, types, materials, etc. Without let out any detail, and answering the questions we made, that were a few. The tasting also great, he explain how to taste and the types we tried to have a great experience, definitely 100% recommended! Thank you Kenji!

Kenji was great: personable and very knowledgeable about the regional sakes, the craft of making them, the breakdown of ingredients and resulting taste characteristics, etc. we sampled a wide variety at a leisurely pace.

Really great tasting with Kenji this afternoon. Learned all about sake from start to finish. All the tastings were amazing and each of us had our own favorites while knowing we would have no problem drinking any of them again. The snacks were a great touch to understand pairings. Thanks for answering some of our general Japan questions as well. Highly recommend to anyone coming to Kyoto.

Kenji was an amazing sake sommelier - really enjoyed the sake tasting - he was very knowledgeable and patient even though we lost our way and were a bit late . Definitely recommend this activity in Kyoto! Thanks Kenji for an amazing time!

Kenji was AMAZING!!!! He is so knowledgable! We had 8 sakes to taste and he explained every one perfectly- he gleaned our levels and went from there. The sake were like nothing I have ever tasted- super refined, mainly unpasteurized and anffordable- only found in Japan. Fabulous sake tasting! Choose Kenji!!!!!

Had such a wonderful experience with Kenji! Learned so much and left feeling so much more appreciative of sake, how it’s made, and Japan overall. Would highly recommend!

Our sake tour with Kenji was so informative. He’s worked in the sake industry for years and has a wealth of knowledge in this area. We met at the designated place then walked about ten minutes to the modern and welcoming sake shop that has so many sakes to choose from. It was only my husband and myself, so basically a private experience. Kenji explained the ingredients, process and different types of sake or Nihon Shu. We had six pours of different types of sake. Some were unpasteurized (like my personal favorite). He explained where each sake originated from. Honestly a very interesting and informative tour with delicious tastings. We asked Kenji for recommendations for food in the area. He gave suggestions and Japanese BBQ sounded good. He quickly made reservations online and walked us through Kyoto’s Nikishi market place to get to the restaurant. We had an excellent meal and more good conversation. I wish we’d met Kenji prior to a couple of other tours. I would’ve booked him instead of the others. Highly recommend!

Excellent experience with a friendly and knowledgeable host. We learn’t about the processes and factors that influence the flavours and had a wide selection. Would recommend.

Fun tasting with the knowledgeable and friendly Kenji. We met up and went to a sake bar near Nishiki market, well located and easy to get to. Kenji knows his stuff but he is not stuffy-- he's got a great sense of humor. We enjoyed our time and feel like we gained some intel too. Kenji also teaches the Japanese language so we picked up a few new phrases, and got great insider restaurant suggestions too. One thing to know: sake bars are for standing, not sitting, so rest your feet ahead of time and prepare to drink and learn. Would definitely recommend this experience to others.

A great experience, Kenji was great and very knowledgeable. Answered all our questions, tailored the type of sake to our tastes, and the sake was tasty overall. Kenji also wrote the ones we tried down, so that is helpful for our next travels in Japan. Thank you!

Surprising experience, Kenji is a kind and reliable guide and will be easy for you to relate to, he explained everything about saké with patience and meticulousness. It was very interesting to understand the nature of saké and its production, with historical references too. The tastings that he will choose based on your tastes will surprise you from the first to the last glass.

My parents and I had a great time during Kenji-san’s fantastic sake tasting session in Kyoto. He was not only very kind and friendly but most importantly super knowledgeable about how sake is made which was very informative and useful for us, making the session much more interesting! It was a great experience and we are very grateful for Kenji-san’s great service!

We spent a wonderful afternoon with Kenji at a Sake-bar in Kyoto. We had a great conversation regarding sake and the culture of Japan. Very interesting to learn about sake-production, and to be introduced to different tastes an ways of making it. Kenji is a really nice guy, professional and knowledgable. Recommended.

My husband and I had a wonderful time learning about sake with Kenji! He is kind and very knowledgeable, and he selected a bunch of tasty sakes for us to try. We're relatively new to sake, and he was able to answer all of our questions and provide a lot of insights into the brewing process and sake as a category in general. We left with a better understanding of how to talk about what we like and dislike, and we were able to purchase a bottle of the sake we liked best, too. Highly recommend to anyone looking to learn more about sake while in Kyoto!

Kenji is the best! He was extremely prompt in all communications, a real professional, and very knowledgeable about sake. We met at a very convenient sake bar in central Kyoto and Kenji walked us through the similarities and differences in various sakes (rice used, milling process, yeast selection, etc.). As people who are very into wine, we were naturally curious about the details of sake production. We had many questions, and Kenji answered all of them. If you want a real highlight during your trip to Japan, seek out Kenji. You won't regret it!

Our hotel arranged a sake tasting with Kenji and we had a great time. We met at a sake bar he selected with a wide variety of sakes and he tailored the tour to our requests and then added in a few of his favorites. We had seen articles on up and coming female sake brewers and Kenji selected a variety of them for us to try and the side by side tastings were great. Highly recommend.

Kenji was incredibly knowledgable and attentive. We learned so much during our tasting. We were able to taste so many different types of sake and break each one down. I really discovered what qualities I like and why and what's drive that inclination. We also learned what to look for on the bottle which is knowledge we will definitely use in the future. Thank you Kenji!! We are so grateful.

In short: great experience! Highly recommended! We met at a neat sake bar in central Kyoto which is super convenient to get to. We had a very informative, relaxed and enjoyable conversation with a great host. Time just flew by. Kenji knows a ton about sake, but also a whole plethora about many other interesting topics as well. Thanks again, Kenji !

We had an amazing time sake tasting with Kenji. We learned so much, not just about sake but also about Kyoto and Japanese culture. Kenji happily answered all of our questions and we had a fun afternoon hanging out with him. Looking back on our trip this sake tasting was something that really elevated our experience. We will definitely book with Kenji again on our next trip to Kyoto!

We had a party of four (two couples), three of whom LOVE sake, and were very excited to learn more about the varieties, brewing process, history, sake terms/jargon, etc. Kenji was able to pencil us in at the last minute and met us at a very cool, convenient sake bar near Nishiki market. It was a perfect option as we were staying in Gion/downtown Kyoto. Many sake tours are in Fushimi, which is a bit of a hike, which doesn't always fit tight travel schedules. We tasted several flights of sake from different regions, and Kenji provided rich context for each, and kindly jotted down notes for us to take home. He was a wonderful host, spoke excellent English, and shared some great Kyoto/Kansai travel resources with us as well. He helped us pick out sake to take home and even took us to Nishiki market to buy delicious Japanese pickles because we expressed an interest during our tasting session. Will definitely be recommending him to our friends in the future. He's a knowledgeable resource regarding sake, the region, and Japan in general. Highly recommend, and the cost is a great bargain for what you get. Thank you, Kenji!

We had a brilliant Sake tasting afternoon with Kenji, he was so knowledgeable and informative. My husband and I came away with a lot of information about Sake, from how it is made, different types, flavor profiles and understanding the labels. In total we tried about 12 sakes and had a couple of traditional Japanese side dishes. The venue we went to was very modern and Kenji himself was a kind and lovely person to talk to too. It was a real highlight of the trip, and we would love to do Kenji’s food and sake tasting course next time we are in Japan. Thank you for a wonderful Evening Kenji, we will be recommending this to everyone, and we look forward to seeing you in the future.

We had previously experienced a sake tasting in Fushimi, the brewing district of Kyoto, but this time we were eager to try something different and opted for Kenji's sake tasting at a standing sake bar. Kenji, our guide, was incredibly friendly and knowledgeable, drawing from his extensive experience working in a sake brewery. The standing sake bar boasted a wide variety of sake from various regions, and we were particularly impressed by the unpasteurized sake, which tasted exquisite. I highly recommend Kenji's sake tasting experience in central Kyoto.