Top Japan Unique Experiences

Kiyomi, our sake sommelier, provided us with a wonderful insight into sake brewing and its cultural significance in Japan. We tasted eight different sake, then tasted them again with a selection of small bites. Kiyomi graciously shared her knowledge and her passion for sake. The next day we were reading labels and talking about how “polished” the rice was based on the label! A key factor in the making of saki. I recommend you take the time to learn about sake from an expert.

Shogo was the sommelier extraordinaire leading this exhibition. It started out with an 1.5 hour walkthrough of the museum (+3 sake taste tests as part of the museum tour). Normally museum tours can be quite boring, but I found the whole process very interesting. Granted I also knew minimal of the the sake process. You also get to learn about the history of the building and brand. After you walk 5 minutes to the separate tasting room and try at least another 7-9 sake shots. You also get little snacks like daikon, cream cheese, and edamame to pair with the sakes. It was a great experience. I've done brewery, vineyard, and distillery tours all over the world and this definitely stands in the top percentile.

Our guide has spent time planning our trip just after I booked the excursion, taking care of details what our preferences. Within 4 hours we covered different aspects of the city, from historial shrine, street scapes, witness people queling up for buy their favorate snacks, shopping streets with stunning waterfalls, nice city park with lakes and a lovely Japanese gardens, and few traditional residential streets. Experiencing travel on the underground train system to various sections of the city and as well as walking. A very nice experience!

An excellent introduction to Sumo! Very informative and entertaining. The included lunch prepared by the sumo wrestlers is delicious, and the show is fabulous (and interactive if you’re brave enough to take on an ex-professional sumo wrestler!). We also had the opportunity to ask any questions we had, and to take photos with the wrestlers at the end of the session.

This sake tour was an absolute highlight of our trip. From start to finish, our tour guide Jimmy was warm, personable, and genuinely enthusiastic. He made us feel welcome while sharing fascinating stories about sake history and brewing techniques. His explanations were clear and engaging, and he happily answered every question with patience and knowledge. The tastings were thoughtfully paced and well curated, showcasing a great variety of styles so you can really appreciate the differences. A big plus, he offers several tour options beyond the sake tour. We learned about his Nara excursions and food-focused tours, which sound fantastic for anyone wanting to explore more of the region. If you want a fun, informative, and friendly experience with someone who clearly loves what he does, book this tour. You’ll leave with new knowledge, great memories, and probably a favorite bottle or two.

Amazing experience. The host explains the historical significance of the ceremony and explains the key portions of the ritual. She also highlighted things that we would be doing different for our ceremony (due to the nature of it being a tourist event versus a traditional ceremony) and gave us ample opportunities for photos.

The tour of the outer market was great! Shoko-san did a great job in helping navigate the busy streets, pointing out long standing businesses in the area, and encouraging to try some delicious local foods. She allowed enough time to do purchases and also consume the food while we were moving around the area. She has excellent English and knows the area very well. As for the sushi class, it was such a treat. We have the pro-chef teach us the right way to prepare the sushi with a food instructional demo before we made our own. There was also a very professional presentation and presenter that helped explain what we were doing and the ingredients we were using. The objective of the class was to learn how to form the sushi pieces, not making everything from scratch. The rice recipe and other useful materials were shared at the end of the class via QR code. Overall, it was a good half day spent knowing better about Japanese food culture, and being able to assemble and then enjoy the shushi we made during the course.

This was the most fun activity that we did!! It was awesome to go kart around the streets! We were in the Ahkihabra area, but saw so much more!!! Our guide, Aaron, was great!! Very clear on rules and instructions and truly patient in the few times I got distracted by the amazing architecture and lagged behind a smidge. He also took some awesome pics that we will always have! Thank you Aaron!!!