1.5 Hours Kyoto Insider Sake Experience

Kyoto, Japan

90 Minute Kyoto Insider Sake Experience with Guide

From $65.51

Select Date and Travelers

-You will not receive a refund if you cancel.

1 hour 30 minutes
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. On this tour, find out how sake is made, discover the many varieties, and learn which sake suits each occasion. Sample seven 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 seven different sake varieties
Choice of afternoon or evening tour departure
Small-group tour with a maximum of 12 people

What's Included

Local English speaking guide
7 Sake tasting (They are carefully selected for you to understand all sake categories from sweet to dry, freshly squeezed sake, and cloudy sake.
Snacks for pairing with sake
Cheat Sheet & Tasting Note (These will help you to choose your preferred sake in the future even you don't read Japanese!
Snacks
Alcoholic Beverages

Transportation to/from attractions
Hotel pickup and drop-off

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Kyoto Insider Sake Experience
271-1 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.

What To Expect

Kyoto Insider Sake Experience

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Near public transportation
Not recommended for pregnant travelers
Most travelers can participate

Legal drinking age in Japan is 20; customers under 20 years of age will only be served non-alcoholic drinks
Vegetarian option for snacks is available, please advise at time of booking if required
Please note the venue for sake tasting session may be changed due to its availabilities.
Recommended to have your lunch or brunch prior to the tour.
Drinking and driving is strictly prohibited by law in Japan. Make sure to come to the tour by public transportation.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 14 travelers

Cancellation Policy

This experience is non-refundable and cannot be changed for any reason. If you cancel or ask for an amendment, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

5.0

150 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

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Showing 1-10 of 150 reviews

Recommend! We had a great time with Mayo!

Katya_V, Apr 2024

A very nice and insightful tour. The location is a bit remote, but I think it's worth it :) We had a great time with Mayo.

Great time and really informative

Katherine_L, Apr 2024

Great experience. We were taught all the basics of sake and it really helped our understanding and we even received a little card which we used throughout our trip to pick our sake. I would really recommend this experience!

Must Do Cultural Experience!

Andrew_C, Apr 2024

Wow, what a perfect and fun cultural experience in Kyoto! Our guide Greg did an exceptional job blending knowledge, fun, and of course sake! I learned a ton, and I feel so much more prepared to explore and enjoy Japan’s sake culture. If you’re even remotely interested in Sake, then I would highly recommend this tour. Even my wife loved it! 5 stars for the tour and for our excellent guide, Greg. Don’t miss out!

Must do!

Maria_G, Apr 2024

Excellent experience. Really informative. Better than expected. Mayo was a great guide, we learnt a lot about sake and it’s history. You leave with clarity on what you like vs what you don’t

Knowledge, Humor and Great Flavors

Whitney_W, Dec 2023

Mayo was a wonderful guide to all things sake. The food pairings were a fun way to expand your pallet and give life to the sake. It's a great way to learn more about the art of making sake. The goal was to understand your taste preferences and how to buy sake was achieved. Mayo made this a personal experience that kept the guests engaged and at ease as guests from different groups mixed.

Entertaining and educational!

Monique_B, Dec 2023

Mayo-san was super knowledgeable and made it fun to learn about the different types of sake. My nephew and I really enjoyed this class and especially enjoyed the aged sake, delicious and surprising!

great experience!

Hanna_P, Nov 2023

very educational! had so much fun. the host was very good and the location was easy to find. the food was good and sake excellent!

Make sure you book with Momoko!

Mariam_K, Oct 2023

Momoko was fantastic! This was such an enjoyable experience and have definitely found myself referencing what I learnt in this course in my ventures in nihonshu across Japan!

Learn how to read sake bottles, learn the sake creation process, and try 7 different kinds!

Robert_P, Oct 2023

The Kyoto Insider Sake Experience was fantastic. You try 7 different types of sake both prior to and then with food pairings while the host walks you through a power point slide deck going through all the different processes involved in sake preparation as well as how to read sake labels for all the pertinent information to help you select what kinds you may enjoy most. It was super informative and very interesting to see the "normal" steps of sake preparation and then try sakes that also deviated from the normal route. Momoko was our host and she was great, very engaging presenter and answered all questions asked. There is going to be an advanced sake tasting course, so I'm excited to take that one in the future!

Highly recommended

TinaLykke_P, Oct 2023

A really good experience. Mayo (out host) had a lot of knowledge and could answer all the questions that was thrown at her :) A fun time - which we left a lot smarter than when we came.

Definitely recommend. Delightful host!

Lise_W, Oct 2023

My daughter and I celebrated her birthday by learning about the different types and origins of sake, and how they are perfectly matched with a variety of delicious foods, all provided by the knowledgeable host. Her passion for the Japanese traditions and customs were explained enthusiastically. 😊

It was excellent. The...

delphine_C, Aug 2023

It was excellent. The staff was really good, explaining very well how the sake is produced and what the differences are between the different types of saké. The tasting of sake associated with food is very interesting.

Best Nihonsake experience highly recommended

Suellen_B, Jul 2023

Great experience learnt a lot about how to choose a Nihonsake that we can all enjoy. Very knowledgeable host and wonderful to learn from.

Excellent sake tasting experience

Loren_V, Jul 2023

Momoko was awesome! She was so informative and made out tasting so enjoyable we now have such a better understanding of sake to apply to our everyday lives.

Unique, fun, and educational

Annie_G, Jun 2023

We really enjoyed our host. She taught us so much about sake and I can't wait to use what I've learned. I never knew there were so many differences in varieties and now I know what I like. This was perfect for our family of four (adults).

Best Sake Tasting Ever!

Federico_C, May 2023

Rieko was an amazing host and I would definitely come back again. The sake was delicious, the presentation was incredibly informative, and overall it was a great time and a fun learning experience!

Sake lesson and tasting

Suzanne_F, Apr 2023

This was a fun and informative activity. We learned enough about sake that we can now look at a bottle and understand what it might taste like.

Exceptional learning experience

Scott_J, Mar 2023

Great Sake tasting and Snacks. This is a chance to learn about Sake paring with foods and learning about Sake!

Great and tasty experience

Justyna_G, Mar 2023

Our guide was very nice and friendly, we had a great time with her. Her english was very good and she shared a lot of knowledge about sake. We did the 1.5h tour so it was not too much, just the right amount and she presented it quite interesting. The sake for the tasting is very well chosen, so in the end you can write your preferences on a tasting sheet and you will be able to buy the sake you prefer on your own. You can try the sake and later you try it paired with food and you can see how the flavor changes. We had a really great time with our group and it was worth every penny. I can only recommend it.

Our sake knowledge went way up

Paulina_L, Mar 2023

It was wonderful to sit for a while and learn the ins and outs of sake. We learned a lot of practical tips and tried some interesting sake. Highly recommend!