Best evening – My husband and I joined the session with Shogo, at first I thought it would be just a tasting but it was actually more than that with so much fun… read more and learning.

  Excellent experience, learned so much about sake!!  – This was a great experience in Kyoto! Kotaro is excellent and very knowledgeable on sake (he’s a sommelier) and we were fascinated to learn so much and how complex… read more the whole sake making process is and so many styles that exist. He goes into lots of detail but it’s just the right amount to leave informed but entertained as you get to try 10 different types of sake. Highly recommend the experience, it’s a small group so it’s very personal and lots of fun!! You will leave with a new appreciation of the sake world and sample some great sake too!

  One of the best experiences in Japan  – Easily one of the best experiences we had in Japan. 10/10 would recommend. Mayo was a very fun hostess as well. The accompanying snacks were great too.

  Sake is always a solution  – A very nice experience with Kyoko and Kiyomi. First we were shown the museum with a lot of insights about the history and making of sake. After that we did… read more a tasting with some many new thing to learn about that topic. The food pairing with sake was my highlight of the day.
Thank you so much for these awesome hours.

  Amazing Experience, High Recommend This Sake Tasting!! – We had such an amazing time at this sake tasting adventure. We love sake but didn’t realize how much there was to learn about the delicious beverage, and Kyoko taught… read more us everything and more!! It was so fun to listen to her expertise, ask her questions, and enjoy a fun time with only another two guests. The first 20ish minutes were learning all there is to learn about sake and we felt like we are now able to identify which sake we actually love vs struggling to pick one at the store based on price. After that, we tried the sake alone and then tried it again with our food pairing. SO COOL as this actually changed the ranking of the sakes we liked. I highly recommend this activity for anyone interested in sake or just a fun activity to do in Kyoto.

  Really good experience with Kotaro guide  – Kotaro was a really good guide, quite patient and demonstrated a deep knowledge about sake culture and history. I highly recommend him.

  Understanding the basics of Sake  – I am a passionate Sake drinker. As I mentioned in my introduction at the tour, I say I drink a lot of Sake compared to friends and family around me.… read more I even have a consistent stock of Sake at home with my wines, usually based on sake I have tasted in a restaurant or elsewhere and then purchased off the internet.

I never really understood what gives the various sake their respective flavours, what to look out for when buying sake or what makes the price difference. Lastly which sake pairs best with which foods.

After this tour under the guidance of very knowledgeable Kotaro, our guide, I feel totally enlightened and have a good idea what to look and go for when buying sake in future.

You get taken through some sake history at the museum, where one gets an introduction into the basics of sake production, including rice polishing, the essential koji mould, yeast etc, which is brilliant to get an understanding of what makes the difference in taste and in price.

Then you come to the “fun” part: the tasting and food pairing 😃

We tried a total of 11 different Sake giving you a full circle of the sake varitied and ranges. We even tasted a 12 year aged sake. These were also paired with various foods and flavours including sweets/desserts.
The tour took about 3 hours and our group consisted of 12 guests and one guide. Our guide Kotaro was brilliant. If I have an opportunity I will be doing the “advanced tour”.

Definitely recommend doing this tour, not only for sake fans, but also those who enjoy having the occasional glass of wine!

  Excellent, knowledgeable tour followed by a very enjoyable tasting. – We had a wonderful time, guided expertly around Gekkeikan Sake Brewery by Kyoko. We received a detailed history of the brewery, as well as a very knowledgeable explanation of the… read more sake brewing process and it’s unique Japanese quirks.

Following the tour we enjoyed a preliminary tasting in the brewery itself, where we were able to try 日本酒 (Nihonshu) that is only available to taste or purchase directly on site.

After the tour, we were then treated to a very professional tasting session where the different types of 日本酒 we’re explained to us as we tasted, and eventually each was also paired with a variety of Japanese おつまみ, or drinking snacks.

All in all, a phenomenal experience.

きょうこさん、教えてくれてありがとうございました！

  A great afternoon and insight into sake  – What a great afternoon, the tour of the brewery with information about how sake is made through to a wonderful, tasting session. The tasting was incredibly well done, crossing referencing… read more across types and then also comparing with food. This was incredibly professional and well done. Do I understand sake, no, but I certainly know a lot more now than I did before and am prepared to order on my own. The two guides we had were excellent.