5 Best Sake Tasting Tours in Osaka

2024-07-23

Why You Should Join a Sake Tasting Tour in Japan

Experience one of Japan’s most traditional beverages: sake. There are many sake tasting experiences you can participate in based in Osaka. While it is fun to simply compare different sake drinks, if time permits, visit a sake brewery during your stay.

Some of the more than 1,000 sake breweries in Japan allow visitors to observe the various brewing processes, which is definitely a unique experience. Visiting a sake brewery and tasting the carefully crafted sake is a wonderful way to connect with one of Japan’s most historic cultural pillars.

Check Before You Book a Tour

Contents

1 – Is Your Guide an Expert?

If you were going on a wine tasting tour, would you choose a general city tour guide to offer a specialized wine tasting tour experience? If you really want to learn about wine, wouldn’t it make more sense to seek out a wine expert? The same goes for sake. A tour guide with expertise in sake can help you better understand the sake you are drinking and how to most enjoy it. A sake sommelier certification is a good indicator of whether or not they are an expert.

2 – Does the Tour Have a Private Tasting Room?

When sake tasting in a busy izakaya or restaurant, it is difficult to concentrate on the aroma and taste of sake. With tours that offer private tasting rooms, you can enjoy sake without distraction.

3 – Does the Tour Visit Sake Brewery?

If you only have a short time during your trip, you may want to go for a sake tasting only experience. However, if you would like to dive deeper into the sake culture, we strongly recommend participating in a sake tasting experience that includes a visit to a sake brewery. Visiting the actual place where sake is made and understanding the process will definitely enhance your time in Japan.

What Kind of Sake Tour is Available in Osaka?

1. Osaka | Private Sake Brewery Tour

Tour Option : 1 hour (from $240.00)
Private experience
Brewery visit : Yes
Private tasting room : Unspecified
Location: Katano, Osaka
Sake expertise of guides: Unspecified
Offered in Japanese, with friendly English speaking guide
(French/German interpretation may be available upon request)
Find more details here

2. Osaka SAKE Tasting with Takoyaki DIY

Tour Option : 2 hours (From ¥11,000)
Brewery visit : No
Private tasting room : Unspecified
Includes sake tasting and cooking activity (takoyaki, traditional Osaka food)
Location : Chuo- ward, Osaka
Sake expertise of guides: Yes
Find more details here

3. Japanese Sake 9 Tasting Experience in Osaka

Tour Option : 1 hour (from ¥4,980)
Includes 9 carefully selected sake.
Brewery visit : No
Private tasting room : Yes
Sake expertise of guides: Yes
Location : Chuo- ward, Osaka
Takes place in a quiet Japanese-style room
Find more details here

4. Kampai Sake Tours (In Kobe)

Tour Option : 3 hours (from ¥ 13,000 )
About 10 types of sake
Private tasting room : No
Sake expertise of guides: Some (but not all) guides are certified sake experts
Location : Nada-ward, Kobe, 30-40 min from Osaka by train
Specializes in sake tours
Find more details here

5. Kyoto Insider Sake Experience (In Kyoto)

Tour Option : 3 hours (¥ 12,300~13,000) or 1.5 hours (¥ 9,300 )
Includes carefully selected sake tasting (10 types) and food for food pairing with sake
Sake expertise of guides: All guides are certified sake experts
Private sake tasting rooms: Two rooms
Location : Fushimi-ward, Kyoto, 1 hour from Osaka by train
Tours are available every day
Specializes in sake tours
Only sake tour company based in the Fushimi Sake District, Kyoto
Private tour is also available
Find more details here

Details of Kyoto Insider Sake Experience

What to Expect on the Kyoto Insider Sake Experience

Kyoto Insider Sake Experience specializes only in sake tours in Kyoto and has partnerships with local sake breweries in the Fushimi Sake District. Sake tastes good even without knowing anything about it, but it tastes much better if you have a better understanding of sake varieties and the sake-making process.

Tour Information

Tour & Price : ◆ 3 hours – 12300-13000 JPY ◆ 1.5 hours – 9300 JPY *1.5 hour tour does not include brewery visit
Available Dates & Start Time : Every day starting at 10:00, 13:00, 15:00 Please see booking page for real-time availability.
Venue : Fushimi Sake District in south Kyoto

Insider Sake Brewery Tour

You will visit a sake museum/brewery with an English-speaking guide and discover the history of sake and the Fushimi Sake District of Kyoto whilst touring the museum/brewery and 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.

Sake Tasting with an Expert

All of the sake you will taste in the Kyoto Insider Sake Experience is carefully selected to help better understand the intricacies and depth of sake.
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.
Your guide will help you notice the difference in taste between ‘junmai’ sake (which has no added alcohol or sugar) and alcohol-added sake, and will also explain the effects of rice polishing on aroma and flavour. Pure rice sake, refined sake, cloudy sake, aged sake – we’ll help you discover the distinguishing characteristics of each type.
You will get a ‘cheat sheet’ on the tour, which will help you to remember what you have learned and will enable you to choose the sake you want in restaurants and liquor stores.

Food Pairing

Many participants express surprise at how much food can elevate the sake – discover how 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.

How to Reserve Sake Tour in Kyoto?

If you would like to join the Kyoto Insider Sake Experience, simply book from our official website. First choose a date that you want to join then the online booking system will show you any available tours. Next select the tour time and number of people then continue to submit booking details.Once payment is completed, you will receive a confirmation email. If you do not receive it, please contact us here.

Here at the Kyoto Insider Sake Experience we are always pursuing the best way to help more people learn the basics of sake, and to become fans of sake. We also value having a good relationship with local shops and sake breweries in the Fushimi area.

We believe the most important thing for tour hosts is to love the local area more than anyone else and to use their insider knowledge to provide their guests with the best possible experience.

Eventually, the love you have is transmitted to the guests who visit the area. We hope that our love for sake and Fushimi will help to create more opportunities for people to become fans of Fushimi as well as sake from Kyoto.

Thank you for reading and we hope you have a wonderful sake experience in Kyoto!