Kyoto Sake Tasting & 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.
Sake is way deeper than most people ever discover — the rice, polished down a lot or hardly polished at all, the water, and how it’s brewed. Understanding it takes more than a quick explanation. It takes real depth.
That’s why our guides don’t just lead a sake tour now and then. Sake is what they focus on, study, and pursue — International Sake Sommeliers and certified sake professionals. A guide who visits a brewery once in a while can share facts. Ours can help you understand.
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 meet the kuramoto and toji who make the sake, and learn directly from them. Some of our guides have even brewed sake themselves. Because sake is far deeper than any textbook. This is what makes a KISE guide different.
Visit a historic sake museum in Fushimi’s sake district, then sit down with an expert for a guided tasting of 10 carefully selected sakes. You’ll leave knowing not just what you like, but how to pick. The experience that changes how you see sake forever.
“I completely feel confident in knowing the types of sake, what I like and how to order it now.” — Julie Keshmiry ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Google Review
1.5-Hour Sake Tasting Experience
Great Introduction
Understand sake in 90 minutes
Start with 30 minutes of sake basics, then taste 7 different sakes with food pairing, guided by a friendly expert in a private room. You’ll leave knowing which style you like and how to find it again easily on any menu or label. Perfect for first-timers, groups, and families.
“I was not a sake consumer before this tasting but I will definitely enjoy the right sake for me in the future!” — P Russell ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Google Review
Advanced Sake Tasting Experience
For Deep Diver
Beyond Junmai Daiginjo
Most people think Junmai Daiginjo is always the highest quality sake. We disagree. This experience goes beyond what most sake guides will ever tell you. You’ll explore traditional brewing methods, minimally polished rice, and rare fermentation techniques through 10 specially curated sakes.
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
excellent experience – Chika was a very knowledgable and engaging tour quide. The museum was interesting and she added extra insights. The sake tasting was extremely interesting. I would definately recommend this experience
scarysara 2026-11-02
Sake time tour – Nanase was amazing!!! We had so much fun at this sake pairing with food. Loved learning all about sake and trying it even more. Our girl was knowledgeable and fun.
kimberlysZ6190BP 2026-11-02
Excellent afternoon – This was an excellent experience. Shogo was very knowledgeable and interesting and the tasting at their office was outstanding. The pairings worked well and showed us the distinctions between the… read more sakes. Today’s tour and tasting was a highlight of my time in Kyoto.
Winellama 2026-11-02
Sake masterclass – Kotaro was a very knowledgeable and experienced tour guide. I was thoroughly engaged the whole time.
Gerard Y. 2026-11-02
Highly recommend, great afternoon. – We had such a great time. Kyoto, our guide, was awesome. She taught us so much about sake and its history while making the afternoon fun and enjoyable.… read more The tasting was really interesting, and I now have a much better idea of which types of sake I like (and which ones I don’t!). We also had the chance to meet people from all over the world, which made the experience even more fun. A wonderful afternoon and a great experience.
Connector45656872366 2026-10-29
A Great Learning Experience – Went in with little knowledge of Sake other than drinking it on multiple occasions in restaurants. Relied on the restaurant to have a reasonable brand. When at a… read more liquor store, I wouldn’t know how to choose one bottle of sake from another. So I would eventually forsake the purchase.
When I found this tasting experience, I didn’t hesitate to sign up. Our hostess today was Nanase. She gave a comprehensive presentation of sake that was easy to follow, informative, and memorable.
From this visit, I have a better understanding of the types of sake and how to identify the characteristics of the bottle of sake.
We tasted several types of sake with comparison tastings to help identify our personal preferences. Nanase answered all of our questions. I could not have asked for a better learning experience. I highly recommend this tasting & pairings experience if you want to be educated in sake. It was well work the tuition.
Wesley L. 2026-10-28
Chika is awesome. So personable! – We had an absolutely phenomenal time on our sake tasting tour with Chika. As someone who spends a lot of time exploring fine wines, I found her deep knowledge of… read more the brewing process, the local history, and the tasting notes of each pour completely engaging. Chika was not only incredibly informative but also a wonderfully warm and welcoming guide who made the complexities of sake both accessible and fun. It ended up being a major highlight of our time in Kyoto. If you are looking to truly understand and appreciate sake with an exceptional guide, booking with Chika is a must. Five stars!
Dallas-Texas-Plano 2026-10-27
a must do if you want to learn more about sake and get to taste a wide range of different styles – This is a must do if you are in Kyoto and want to learn more about the origins of sake and get to taste a wide range of different styles.… read more It is only a short train trip from Kyoto station to the Fushima Sake District. Kyoto Insider Sake Experience send you all the information about how to get here along with some good hints (like not to wear perfume). We did the 3-Hour Sake Tasting + Brewery Tour starting at 10.00am (don’t worry you don’t start tastings until after 11am!)
The two fantastic, fun and knowledgeable sake guides met us at the Gekkeikan Okura Sake Museum. We learnt so much . including that the term “sake” covers a range of different alcohol and what we Westerners call sake is really “Nihonshu”. Then it was on to the tasting room where we sampled a number of different types of sake with different food pairings.
We thought we knew a little bit about sake but this tour expanded our knowledge 100%. We can now even read and understand some of the things on a Japanese sake bottle. Even if you have never tried sake before this is a wonderful way to start your sake experience.
AustraliaMaree 2026-10-26
Sake tasting – Mayo made a perfect explanation!! Very good
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.
excellent experience – Chika was a very knowledgable and engaging tour quide. The museum was interesting and she added extra insights. The sake tasting was extremely interesting. I would definately recommend this experience 
scarysara
kimberlysZ6190BP
Winellama
Gerard Y.
Connector45656872366
Wesley L.
Dallas-Texas-Plano
AustraliaMaree
Fernanda A.
