1.5-Hour Kyoto Insider Sake Experience with Tastings & Pairings
Recommended by 100% of travelers
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Kyoto, Japan
- 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Sake—traditional rice wine—is Japan’s most famous drink, and Kyoto’s Fushimi District is renowned for its sake production, home to over 30 breweries. During this small-group experience, discover the wide varieties of sake and learn how to identify your preferences, led by a sake sommelier. Sample several different sakes, accompanied by tasty Japanese snacks, and leave with a cheat sheet to help you order your favorite sakes while in Japan.
- Sake-tasting workshop in Kyoto’s Fushimi district
- Sample several different sake varieties
- Choose from several departure times to fit your schedule
- Enjoy a personalized experience in a small-group setting
What's Included
- 7 carefully selected sake, chosen by a certified Sake Sommelier to help you discover your own taste
- Guided by a certified Sake Sommelier with clear, friendly explanations for all experience levels
- A private sake tasting room where you can relax, focus, ask questions, and taste at your own pace
- Traditional otsumami food pairings that show how Japanese people naturally enjoy sake with food
- A sake cheat sheet and tasting notes to help you confidently choose and enjoy sake after the tour
- Transportation to/from attractions
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Kyoto Insider Sake Experience271-1 Kurumamachi, Fushimi Ward, Kyoto, 612-8365, Japan
25 min from JR Kyoto Station : Take a train on Kintetsu Line to Momoyamagoryo-Mae Station. Walk for 9 min from the station. 20 min from Gion-Shijo Station : Take a train on Keihan Line to Chushojima Station. Walk for 7 min from the station. 20 min from Fushimi-Inari Station
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Itinerary
1
Kyoto Insider Sake Experience
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Most travelers can participate
- Legal drinking age in Japan is 20; customers under 20 years of age will only be served non-alcoholic drinks
- For safety and legal reasons, alcohol will not be served to guests who arrive by car or bicycle (non-alcoholic drinks available). No refunds if unable to participate in the sake tasting.
- Guests without a reservation (including children and non-drinkers) will not be allowed to join the tour
- Vegetarian option for snacks is available, please tell your guide on site
- Recommended to have your lunch or brunch prior to the tour.
- Indoor air-conditioned venue — perfect for rainy days, hot summer days, or any weather
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 14 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Natalie_K
Highly informative tour, Maya is very enthusiastic and patient, has a lot of knowledge about the subject. All the types of sake we tried were delicious and unique. I learned a lot and highly recommend this tour.
Reviews
5.0
based on 356 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Arvin_P, Jun 2026
If you like Sake - this is an absolute must must must do! We thoroughly loved this experience, one of our favorite on our trip to Japan.
David_F, Jun 2026
We spent our day in Uji before taking the train and walking over to the location for this event (which is conveniently located on Google Maps). While we were expecting something that was heavily manufactured for tourists, we realized this is just a small kitchen/room in the middle of this small town with 2-3 people running the facility. We were also expecting to be attending this tasting with a number of other people, but we were surprised to learn we were the only couple for this timed tasting, which made everything feel like a personalized and private event — perfect for our honeymoon.
Kiyomi was our sake sommelier and she made our experience one to remember. She took care to build out the 1.5 hours with an excellent presentation on learning how to read sake labels and understanding exactly what goes into the process of making sake — all before even taking a taste of the 7 curated sake bottles. What was nice, too, was that each sake was paired with food to help you differentiate and try on new tastes, which Kiyomi provided note cards so that we can take home and rediscover what worked for us personally.
We truly had a wonderful learning and tasting experience and we would not hesitate doing this again with a different variation of the excursion, as they offer multiple versions. Highly, highly recommended!
Cheryl_P, Jun 2026
Excellent lesson on Saki. What your taste buds like and what foods go well with various Saki. Love it. The guide was very knowledgeable and energetic. Great fun
Anonymous, May 2026
An excellent afternoon of learning and drinking sake. Kiyomi was amazing as she took us through all the various varieties and techniques and taught us how to read a sake bottle. I am now not overwhelmed when trying to buy and can go straight to the variety I like. Highly recommend.
Suzanne_V, May 2026
Very informative. Material presented in an accessible way. Learned a lot and had the opportunity to taste several varieties of nihonshu!
Barry_B, May 2026
We learned a lot! The length of the experience was perfect. The little cheat sheet/card is so helpful to remember what we learned. Great atmosphere and a really friendly group. And the good pairings was delicious!! Would highly recommend!
Joseph_D, May 2026
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.
Terri_G, May 2026
Very informative and there was a wide variety of sakes that were all different from what I had had in the States, and they tasted much better.
Dawn_D, Apr 2026
This tour is awesome!! We really enjoyed this highly informative tour about sake, who knew there were so many variables, types and options with sake?!! Our hotel was a bit away, but easily took the train and Apple Maps got us there with ease. We learned more than we could have imagined, enjoyed multiple sakes - loved how the tasting was divided by tasting and then tasting again with perfectly paired food bites- it was amazing! Highly recommend this tour, have a great time!
Greg_S, Apr 2026
Rieko is clearly passionate about sake, and her enthusiasm made the experience so fun! She carefully presented the variables that affect sake production, and the tasting was designed to demonstrate each variable.
Samantha_L, Apr 2026
This experience was great! We got to learn about the different types of sake, how they’re made, what makes them taste different, and what food pairs well with them! Our guide was super knowledgeable and engaging. Would recommend!
Gina_E, Apr 2026
Absolutely recommend this experience! Not only is it a nice way to explore outside of the city, but our entire experience at the tasting was incredible. Our instructor walked us through the history and process of sake making, and how different steps of the process influence the end product's taste. He gave us instructions on how to read sake bottles (even if they're in Japanese), and helped us discover which sake profiles we like best! As someone who did not like sake going into this, I would highly recommend doing it (turns out we were just drinking the wrong kind for us!).
Michael_S, Apr 2026
Great insights by Mai our Sake sommelier into the different Sake types and really well paired with food. Was a great experience. Thank you.
Lisa_D, Mar 2026
The tasting was both very informative and fun. Kyoko was our host, she's super knowledgeable and friendly, her hints for us non-Japanese speakers for how to remember the different types of sake have been very useful for the remainder of our Japan trip.
Isabel_G, Dec 2025
Our sommelier was very knowledgeable. She made sure we understood and appreciated everything. The experience was very well paced.
lorenzo_t, Dec 2025
We have been hosted by Kiyomi.
She is simply great! Her explanation was quick yet thorough. You can clearly see her passion when she talks about saké or wine.
We learned a lot in a very short time.
Absolutely recommended.
Thank you so much kiyomi!
Brooks_H, Nov 2025
We got to learn about the different types of sake and what makes them different. As well as how to pair it with food.
kyle_k, Nov 2025
The lady running the tour was grate. Funny and knowledgeable.
The pairings are vary well thought out
Jennifer_M, Nov 2025
Very educational and fun! The staff was excited to share information and very friendly! Got to try different types of saki and how it tastes with different foods.
Emily_M, Oct 2025
This was such an awesome experience! We learned so much about sake and had fun because of our great host Mayo. The food pairings were delicious and helped with the tasting experience - plus, we have a much better idea of how to enjoy sake during the rest of our trip. Highly recommend!
Florence_A, Oct 2025
Just the right amount of time for a little sake education, tasting, and food pairing. Our sake sommelier, Kiyomi, kept us engaged and had a great sense of humor. I would definitely recommend this. It’s not hard to find at all, using Google Maps.
Nick_J, Oct 2025
This was a great experience, it was super educational but not overwhelming. Miyuki did a great job presenting a lot of information in a way that was fun and easy to understand. Her knowledge of sake was super impressive and it was cool to learn about becoing a sake sommelier. They even send you the powerpoint at the end of the tasting so you ave some information to take away.
Cynthia_M, Oct 2025
Difficult to find this location but once inside, it was a nice venue. Our taxi driver had some challenges finding the place
Kamel_B, Oct 2025
Great experience to understand sake brewing and many of the different nuances of this art. The tasting and the pairing with food was very well done
Crystal_D, Sep 2025
Just the right amount of time! High energy sommelier whoal made learning significant points fun. And I enjoyed the tasting sake alone and then with food. Great class!
Mike_F, Jul 2025
Our evening with Leandra on the Kyoto food tour was filled with fun facts, great tastes and scenic views. The three Izakayas we went to were all very different. We’d highly recommend this tour.
Sonya_L, Jun 2025
Excellent! I learned so much about sake and they were generous with the tastings. Excellent instructor. You will leave with a solid base of knowledge about sake and what to order/buy. Highly recommend.
Natalie_K, Jun 2025
Highly informative tour, Maya is very enthusiastic and patient, has a lot of knowledge about the subject. All the types of sake we tried were delicious and unique. I learned a lot and highly recommend this tour.
Jaclyn_S, Apr 2025
We thoroughly enjoyed this experience. Yui was knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and personable. We learned so much about sake and feel more confident in ordering/ buying it in the future. We were also very pleasantly surprised by the pairings. The food was delightful and helped further our understanding of the sale experience
Kevin_G, Apr 2025
Excellent experience. Sommelier gave a lesson on the different types and showcased several sakes to illustrate the key differences. Overall great experience
From $67.98
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1.5-Hour Kyoto Insider Sake Experience with Tastings & Pairings
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