Food pairing takes this sake tasting to a new level - Excellent introduction to all things sake. Found the food pairing particularly fascinating. I came to the session not really liking sake and left with a newfound appreciation. ... read more Mayo was clear and presented alot of info in a logical and easy to follow manner. I would highly recommend this to my friends.

  If you're in Osaka / Kyoto and want to try some unusual sake, do not miss this experience.  - I have been finding myself enjoying sake (during this presentation, learned that what we in the West call "sake" just means "alcohol" in Japanese the more precise term for... read more rice wine made in Japan that we typically refer to as sake is, "Nihonshu") more and more recently, so on a trip to Japan, I decided to book a tasting. This particular tasting was absolutely perfect for you if you are in a similar boat, or even if you are new to the drink. Don't be dissuaded by the title of "Advanced" tasting. Also, note that this is a "tasting" not a "tour." You will not be seeing any brewing or equipment for brewing.

The session is 90+ minutes (all seated, in one room), and starts out with about 30 minutes of an entertaining and very informative presentation on the fundamentals of Nihonshu, how it's made, and most importantly, how the different processes affect the taste and experience of drinking the product. After this session (and with the super-handy cheat sheet card they give you), you will be able to shop for sake, even as a non-Japanese speaker, and reliably select a bottle that matches your taste preference. It's a game changer if you are a noob like me.

Our experience was lead by Kotaro, a native Japanese Nihonshu expert who spoke clear, fluent English and was able to perfectly answer all our questions. After the first 30 minutes, there was an hour of tastings (a full shot of each one) from 10 different bottles. What made this tasting "advanced" was not the fact that he assumed that we were experienced (some folks with us were extremely inexperienced with Nihonshu), but rather, we got to try some of the variations of the beverage that are a bit outside of the norm and harder to find. I don't know if you'll try the same ones as us, but to give some examples, we tried variations like Nihonshu that was
- aged in cedar barrels
- brewed with sake instead of water
- fermented with different approaches
- fermented with alternative enzymes than is typical
and so on.
After the tasting is over, all bottles tried were available for purchase.

I cannot recommend this experience enough for people who enjoy "sake" and want to dig a little deeper, or even anyone curious about the drink. We used Google Maps to find the location via public transportation (trains) and it was very easy to get to. a short walk from Chushojima station on the Keihan Main train line.

  Informative and enjoyable  - We had a great time on our tour with Kotaro! We really enjoyed learning about sake; we knew nothing before and already feel more confident in our ability to select... read more and try. We also got to taste some really interesting sakes. I'd recommend this experience highly.

  Excellent sake experience  - We enjoyed an excellent tasting experience provided by Greg. His explanation on the production process and tasting provided a great introduction to sake. We enjoyed our experience and highly recommend!

  Sake Experience!  - Momoko was outstanding! The education, experience, and tasting was above expectations. One of highlights of our Japan trip.

  A must experience if you want to experience Sake  - An amazing experience fantastic guide.
Learned a lot about Sake and enjoyed the different varieties of Sake. Highly recommend

  Best way to get to know some aspects of the Japanese cultures - This was an unforgettable experience. Even if you don't really enjoy alcohol, it is so interesting to get to know so much about the Japanese culture and what sake means... read more to it. Kotaro and Momo were extremely nice and answered all of our questions. It's totally worth it and very well organized.

  Great Sake Experience!  - We all had a great time and were able to try quite a range of sakes (nihonshu as I learned). Mayo was incredibly knowledgeable and explained in detail how sake... read more is made. On top of that we got to pair the sake with tasty treats. Highly recommend!

  Same tasting.  - So glad we did this activity! Greg was such a great guide and a genuinely nice person. It was very interesting to learn all about sake and to taste different... read more varieties to know which ones we like. Would highly recommend.