Kyoto Sake Tour: Discover Hidden Bars

Embark on a guided tour of Kyoto’s hidden breweries and indulge in local cuisine, sake, and craft beer. Discover the city’s pub culture and gain a deep understanding of sake from a certified sommelier.

Duration: 3 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Kyoto - Dive into Kyoto’s culinary delights, cultural experiences, and sake at a “machiya izakaya” (a traditional Kyoto townhouse turned bar restaurant specializing in drinks and small plates).
    Mingle with Kyoto locals at their beloved neighborhood “standing bars.”
    Enjoy premium sake and Japanese craft beer at specialized venues. Each tour will…
What's Included
  • An assortment of tasty adult beverages
  • Dinner
What's Not Included
  • Insurance of any type
Additional Information

Pub crawls – or “nomi aruki,” as we call them in Japan – are an excellent way to see a side of Kyoto that tourists usually miss.
Your guide, Kenji, spent many years working at a sake brewery in Hyogo. His duties included the pleasure of tasting over 1,000 sakes from breweries in Japan – and around the world.
Kenji will take you to two or three special…

Location
Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation - Kyoto Branch
Go to the intersection of Shijo and Karasuma streets. Look for the imposing Mitsui Building on the northeast corner of the intersection. There's a photograph of this building in the photos above. I'll be standing out front. You'll know me by my LINNELL'S backpack.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(21 Ratings)
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Christopher
Mar 5, 2025
Kenji the best Sake Sommelier! - Kenji is a rare find! His knowledge of Sake and Japan in general is phenomenal. Highly recommend if you want to learn how to identify quality sake and appreciate hidden gem restaurants in Kyoto!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jstrayer111
Feb 11, 2025
Nihon Shu - The first half of the evening was a lesson on history and production of Sake/Nihon Shu. This included several tasting at a Sake bar. The second half of the evening was spent eating local cuisine and socializing. Kenji is a wonderful guide and I highly recommend this tour for those looking for something more personalized.
Review provided by Viator
Ramin
Feb 10, 2025
Sake and food tasting with Kenji - We had a private tour with Kenji in Kyoto. We did sake Tasting and visited many local traditional Japanese yakitori and restaurants. He is an incredibly knowledgeable Sake Sommalier. Furthermore he has knowledge of all Japanese cultures and history as well. If you ever make it to Kyoto, a tour with Kenji is a must
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Laura_m
Jan 18, 2025
We had a wonderful night... - We had a wonderful night drinking sake and enjoying delicious food with Kenji. He is an exceptional guide with a lot of knowledge about sake and Kyoto. This tour was the highlight of our visit to Kyoto. I highly recommend to anyone that wants an authentic experience with sake and food.
Review provided by Viator
F5239fzemila
Jan 5, 2025
Amazing Sake/food experience Kyoto - Lovely evening we had with Kenji-San. Everything was organized perfect, starting in a sake standing bar, where we learned more about the process, and for us tasted the best sakes we ever had. After we had an amazing dinner in a local Yakiniku spot. Highly knowledgeable person, and a tour you can not miss when you’re visiting Kyoto and want to learn more about Japan as a whole. Thank you Kenji!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Chanelb_11
Jan 5, 2025
Fantastic tour with an in the know local - Taking this tour with Kenji was a highlight of our trip to Japan. He was so personable and professional and it was extra special to roam around Kyoto with a local. We booked our tour on New Years Eve and he was gracious enough to fit us in and make it work with our itinerary despite some locations being closed for the holiday. He was so knowledgeable about the production process and fine art of making sake (it’s clear he knows his stuff) and his passion for it was clearly evident. Book this tour!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
822lorainem
Nov 30, 2024
Fantastic Food and Sake tour - My sister and I spent a wonderful evening with Kenji-san. We learned about sake as we tasted numerous varieties, and had a chance to sample amazing food at small, "off the beaten path" restaurants. We loved the yakiniku !! Kenji-san is a true professional, interested in sharing his knowledge and love of sake and food. He is personable and attentive. He let our preferences guide the flow of the tour. I am sure he never does the same tour twice. What an experience- highly recommended.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sightseer36395469477
Oct 13, 2024
Kenji is a master sake sommelier - Our sake tour with Kenji was the highlight of our Kyoto visit! His experience in the sake industry and local Kyoto knowledge were apparent in his excellent choices of venue. We had so much fun learning about sake in the context of night life! Kenji is the master sake sommelier!!! Thanks Kenji!!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Extraordinary784658
Oct 8, 2024
"On the inside of Kyoto" with Kenji - san - We spent a great evening with Kenji-san during our second visit to Kyoto, Japan 🗾. Even though we have been here before we still felt a bit unsure about how to find various restaurants (many of them are not that easy to see), as well as to communicate and order with staff. This was a great way to be guided through this process, as Kenji walked us through a series of bars and restaurants. There are so many good eats 😋 Oishii! Kind of wish we'd done this evening with Kenji before, as approaching an Izakaya was much easier after and we were bolder to try new things. We picked up a few phrases from Kenji as well; local staff seem very happy when we at least try to approach them with some Japanese words. Of course others may have other goals than ours, but Kenji will listen to what you say and plan the evening as you go. For us this was a very rewarding learning experience. Thanks, Kenji!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Aussiechris045
Aug 30, 2024
A night out in Kyoto to remember - I have been in the hospitality business for 30 years and have a true passion for fine food and tasty beverages! Meeting Kenji out was like going out with a close friend and experiencing local bars and restaurants off the beaten path of Kyoto without all the tourists. Such a great night! A bit of education mixed with lots of flavour. Kenji never made us feel like we were on a time limit but rather just friends going out for a great night. Look forward to staying in touch with Kenji and having a sake and a beer in the near future! Cheers mate!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $245
up to 4 guests
2 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).