Fun and Educational – Most Popular Sake Tasting Tour in Kyoto!
Fun and Educational – Most Popular Sake Tasting Tour in Kyoto!
We Are the Only Sake Tour Company Based in Kyoto’s Fushimi Sake District
We have been sharing our passion for sake since 2018. Our strong relationship with local breweries and insiders allows us to provide you with a deeper sake experience. Meet our local sake experts on the tour – we invite you to dive deep into the world of sake!
Through our expert-led tasting session you’ll get the chance to learn the unique characteristics of different varieties of sake and what food to pair it with. After joining Kyoto Insider Sake Experience, you will discover which type you most prefer and how to identify your favourites on menus and bottle labels. Joining our sake tour is surely a great introduction to your sake experience.
What Makes Our Sake Tour Unique
Private Sake Tasting Rooms
We have two sake tasting rooms dedicated to sake. Our tasting rooms are exclusive and inaccessible to the general public, allowing for tastings that focus on the subtle aromas and flavours of sake.
Certified Sake Experts
Because our tours are led exclusively by certified sake experts, we are able to answer your questions, find your sake preferences, and guide you deeper into the world of sake.
Fun and Educational
The entire tour is designed to be both entertaining and educational, with visual information and actual sake-related materials used throughout the tour. After the experience, guests can purchase their favourite bottles on the spot.
Take a tour with us and you will: -Discover the history of sake and the Fushimi Sake District of Kyoto whilst touring a traditional brewery/museum
-Come to understand the differences in flavour and smell and how these are produced. You’ll focus on the secret methods of sake brewing which have been passed down for generations
-Get the chance to compare the differences between Western wine and beer production and sake brewing, to understand what makes the sake brewing process so unique
Sake Tasting with an Expert
Through our expert-led tasting session you’ll get the chance to learn the unique characteristics of different varieties of sake. You will also discover which type you most prefer and how to identify your favourites on menus and bottle labels
Our expert will help you notice the difference in taste between ‘junmai’ sake (which has no added alcohol or sugar) and alcohol-added sake. We’ll also explain the effects of rice-polishing on the aroma and flavour
Pure rice sake, refined sake, cloudy sake, aged sake – we’ll help you discover the distinguishing characteristics of each type.
Food Pairing
Discover the way the taste of sake can completely change when paired with different dishes. We hope that the food pairing section of our tour will also allow you to find out a little about Japan’s food culture, as well as sake.
Reviews by Our Guests
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.
Savannah P 2025-10-26
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.
joaoRBorges 2025-10-24
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!
markluering 2025-10-22
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!
Jordan H 2025-10-21
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.
jwroblewsk 2025-10-21
A wonderful journey learning about Sake in Kyoto – It was amazing!!! The whole experience was enjoyable, very educational and Miyuki was so well prepared everything was Perfect!!! I highly recommend this and I am looking forward… read more to her advanced Sake experience.
Mitch N 2025-10-21
Good sake of experience. – Slideshow informative, sake and food pairing delicious. Had a great experience, worth the time and money to learn about Japanese food and sake. Kiyomi was terrific.
Xavier D 2025-10-20
very interesting. – Very interesting. I have had a fair amount of sake, but really never understood what I was drinking. Interesting to see its history and how it is made. It is… read more a lot like wine as we learned about pairings of different types of sake with different types of food. Very interesting. Mo Mo our guide was excellent.
cloverato 2025-10-19
All About Sake! – The presenter was very knowledgeable and likable but needs to edit her presentation. It was too long and could be better organized. She would be much better if she shortened… read more her speech, served the sake in between her explanation of the different kids of sake instead of waiting until the end. But again, she was likable and very enthusiastic.
Barbara L 2025-10-19
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Travel is the Cure
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Such a great experience! We booked a private sake tasting for our group of 12 and it was awesome. So informative and fun at the same time. Highly recommend!
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Purple Rain
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Fantastic experience with knowledgeable tour guide. This allowed me to grasp a greater understanding of the types of sake I like and gave me a general guideline to finding more sake that might align with my tastes
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jazmine curry
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Amazing amazing amazing! We learned so much and had so much fun!!!
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Savannah Paige
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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 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.
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Morgan Di Stefano
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This was a big highlight of our trip to Kyoto and a fun activity for friends or family members (of drinking age), or even a solo traveler. Mayo, who runs the experience, put together a great presentation and is so funny and lively. We learned a lot and had so much fun. There’s sake to purchase at the end as well if you choose to do so. I’m excited to impress my friends with my newfound knowledge of Sake. She also offers an advanced course which I would love to do if I return to Kyoto. Definitely book this!!!
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Kayla Avila
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Miyuki was not only well versed in sake knowledge, but she was kind and charismatic. Her presentation showed true knowledge of sake and sake history while hosting a light and fun atmosphere. It was truly a one of a kind tasting and experience. 10/10!!
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Vinicius Diniz Moraes
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We had an amazing time with Kotaro. He’s very kind, knowledgeable and attentive. From the museum visit to the tasting with pairing, all very interesting, interactive and fun. I highly recommend
Online Sake Classes are designed to meet the interests of all sake lovers, whether you are a sake beginner, a sake enthusiast or a wine, beer or whisky lover. We invite you to explore the deep world of sake through our online sake classes. We hope that sake fans all over the world will discover the way to enjoy great sake!