Sake Tasting Kyoto & Brewery Tour That Changes How You Understand Sake
Your Japan Trip Gets Better Once You TrulyEnjoy Japanese Sake
Sake Tasting Kyoto & Brewery Tour That Changes How You Understand Sake
Your Japan Trip Gets Better Once You Truly Enjoy Japanese Sake
The Only Sake Tour Specialist Based in Kyoto’s Fushimi Sake District
Based in Fushimi—Kyoto’s historic sake-brewing district—we work closely with local breweries and industry insiders to offer an experience you won’t find elsewhere.
Led by local sake experts, our tours go beyond tasting. Through guided tastings and food pairing, you’ll learn how to identify flavors, understand labels, and confidently choose sake that suits your palate—in ways that stay with you long after the experience.
Our tours are led by International Sake Sommeliers and certified sake professionals who go beyond simply pouring sake. Through tasting and conversation, you’ll discover how sake really works—exploring flavors, brewing, and labels in a relaxed, approachable way.
A Fun, Insider Sake Experience in Kyoto
This experience is both enjoyable and insightful. You’ll taste, compare, and explore different styles of sake—guided step by step—so by the end, you naturally know what you enjoy and how to choose sake with confidence.
A Quiet, Private Space to Explore Sake
Our tastings take place in quiet, private rooms designed for conversation and discovery, where you can slow down, ask questions, and truly enjoy the experience.
Meet Our Certified Sake Experts
Certification is just the starting line. All of our guides are certified. But we don’t stop there. We train together every month through tastings. Every year, we travel across Japan to learn directly from sake breweries. Because sake is far deeper than any textbook. This is what makes a KISE guide different.
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
Great information, great Sake – Loved this, but be warned 1.5 standing is longer than it sounds, but Mayo’s enthousiasme pulled us through.
We learned a lot about sake, and saw the effect of… read more food on the drink. Would recommend this to everyone in Kyoto.
Roy_Spijker 2026-05-04
Smart and Fun – I’m an Ivy League grad and I thought this tasting was exceptionally smart and useful. I’ve had Sake before and thought it was just ok. I realize now it’s because… read more I was drinking it improperly. This class has completely opened my eyes to the different characteristics and flavor profiles of Sake as well as how they can really enhance and be enhanced by food pairings. I’m excited to put my new knowledge to work! Sake Sommelier, Chika was fun and charismatic, providing us with actually useful knowledge to apply and suggestions for places to try afterward. I would not hesitate to book the 3 hour experience. It’s a great way to spend an afternoon.
Digyourowndraves 2026-05-03
Great experience – I loved it. I didn’t expect that learning about sake would be this fun 🙂
Fun, educational, got a bit tipsy, ate good food, I would definitely recommend. One… read more of the best things I’ve done in Japan.
Thank you Kyoko for making it happen!
Irma A 2026-05-01
A must do in Kyoto! – Kyoko was wonderful. She was so entertaining and informative and the whole experience was fabulous. Will recommend everyone I know the visits Kyoto. Not only did you take sake, but… read more came away with so much knowledge. Thank you for a wonderful experience.
721denisap 2026-05-01
Sake 101 and more!!! – We ended up trying the sake tasting/food pairing option. We wanted to learn more about sake and more about the taste variations, but also how best … read more to pair with food. Finding sake in the U.S.A is not always easy, but we were also hoping for some guidence on how to select from either stores or restaurants. This program was very comprehensive and informative for those hoping to broaden their experience and knowledge enabling them to make informed deceisions about purchases and while dining.After this course, we felt we had a much better understanding of sake and felt we can now make competent selections in the future. Kotaro was our somalier and answered all our questions and let us try 3 additional sakes after the tasting for additional comparisons. We would highly recommend this experience.
Ninetailedkat 2026-04-30
Great sake, great outing – A very professional and high quality experience with lots of information, tastings and opportunities to purchase. Our guide was terrific and the group size also good. Enough people to make… read more it socially interactive but not so large that it feels like a crowd. Most importantly, we drank some wonderful sake and learnt how to decipher labels, pair with food and understand our preferred tastes.
Angela M 2026-04-28
If you love nihonshu, you’re in for a great time. – Amazing tour. Kotaro was immensely knowledgable and very passionate. He was engaging and excited to answer all of our questions.
Please note: You will taste a lot of great… read more sake/nihonshu on this tour, but it is also very informative. Please don’t be one of those groups that shows up just to get loaded. There’s a lot of amazing information on this tour and they match it with the tastings perfectly. You’re missing out if you’re only here to drink.
This tour was a definite highlight of our stay in Kyoto. Highly recommended.
Julia W 2026-04-12
Wonderful Experience in Kyoto! – We did our sake tour with Kyoko and she was truly one of the best tour guides we have had! She loves sake and has so much knowledge on the… read more process of making sake. Even more than that, you will leave the class knowing which type of sake you like and how to even find that flavor profile in some of the Japanese labels. We would 10/10 recommend!
Anna R 2026-04-12
Awesome sake experience! – I know nothing about sake but Kotaro taught me enough that I could order it and know what type of sake to pair with food. We did a lot of… read more tastings and there are so many different sake flavors! This is one of my favorite tours of all time.
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!
A sake tasting and brewery tour that changes how you understand sake. In Kyoto’s Fushimi Sake District, learn directly from certified sake experts, compare different styles, and discover how to choose sake with confidence.
What makes this experience unique?
Unlike simple tastings, this is a guided educational journey. You’ll learn from local sake professionals who explain brewing techniques, regional differences, and pairing secrets — all in a friendly, hands-on way. Many guests say they leave feeling confident about ordering sake anywhere in Japan.
Where does the Kyoto Insider Sake Experience take place?
All experiences are held in Kyoto’s Fushimi Sake District, an area famous for its water and historic breweries. The district is about 15–20 minutes by train from central Kyoto.
Do you offer corporate or team-building experiences?
Yes! We provide private sake experiences for corporate groups, incentive trips, and team-building events.
Great information, great Sake – Loved this, but be warned 1.5 standing is longer than it sounds, but Mayo’s enthousiasme pulled us through.
Roy_Spijker
Digyourowndraves
Irma A
