Kyoto Sake Tasting & Brewery Tour That Changes How You Understand Sake
Your Japan Trip Gets Better Once You TrulyEnjoy Japanese Sake
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.
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
Sake! – Mayo was fantastic! So much information and a great sense of humor- absolutely loved this experience! I learned so much
kmgarvey23 2026-07-09
A day with Sake & Mayo – Mayo was awesome, her knowledge and charm filled the room.
Rick
Rick O 2026-07-06
Would absolutely recommend – Maayo was a fantastic tour guide, and the experience was amazing! My wife and I both left it with a better understanding of sake. We consider it an afternoon well-spent.
will h 2026-06-30
Fascinating and flavourful – Guides were very knowledgable, gave a lot of context to the drinks and items on display. The brewery itself is interesting and steeped in history with some very nice… read more drinks to sample along with food pairings available to try at the tasting session following the tour. There is also a shop at the front of the museum selling their drinks at very competitive prices.
Midboss 2026-06-29
Learned so much about sake!! – Momoko was incredibly knowledgeable and more importantly, such a great educator! We learned tons and this was our favorite experience in Japan so far.
Carmen J 2026-06-23
The staff were helpful & very pleasant. Enjoyed the pairings & options offered – Very informative & friendly sake tasting experience .
Danielle L 2026-06-23
Excellent sake tasting experience – Highly informative and fun. Would recommend to anyone who wants to understand the range of sake and a relaxed enjoyable environment.
Vanessa E 2026-06-20
Chika is an amazing Sake Sommelier Kikisake-shi! – Wow, what an incredible tour! I HIGHLY recommend my guide Chika, she is super fun, professional, knowledgeable and walked me through all the elements and history of sake! I got… read more to try sake that is NOT available outside of Japan! EVERYone please take this tour!
ladybugpv 2026-06-20
Sake insider – 10/10 would recommend kimiyo was very friendly and informative. Answered all our questions and made the experience so much fun
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.
Sake! – Mayo was fantastic! So much information and a great sense of humor- absolutely loved this experience! I learned so much 
kmgarvey23
Rick O
will h
