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.

  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.

  The staff were helpful & very pleasant. Enjoyed the pairings & options offered  – Very informative & friendly sake tasting experience .

  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.

  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!

  Sake insider  – 10/10 would recommend kimiyo was very friendly and informative. Answered all our questions and made the experience so much fun

  Learn, Taste, and Enjoy: A Fantastic Sake Experience in Kyoto  – I came with my brother and fiancé to this activity. We had a wonderful experience at Kyoto Insider’s sake (nihonshu) tasting in Kyoto. The session featured seven different sakes, each… read more thoughtfully paired with food, and what really set it apart was how educational it was without ever feeling overwhelming.

The food pairings were especially eye-opening. It was fascinating to see how dramatically both the sake and the flavors of the dishes changed when enjoyed together. At one point, the combination was so surprising and delicious that it genuinely left me speechless. I had to take a moment to process how completely the pairing transformed the taste of both the food and the sake.

We definitely came away with a much deeper appreciation of sake and a better understanding of how to choose what we like.

The instructor struck the perfect balance between informative and engaging, and the pacing was excellent throughout. As a lovely bonus, we were also given a special treat at the end.

Highly recommended for anyone visiting Kyoto, whether you’re completely new to sake or already a fan, you’ll leave with both great memories and valuable knowledge.

Will definitely come back for the 3-hour experience!

  Kanpei! – We met our tour guide, Chika, inside the entrance of the museum on a very warm day in Kyoto. Everyone was on time for the tour, so she started… read more right away, walking us through the historic museum, explaining the Gekkeikan family history and how the sake is made.

She explained the differences in types and quality of sakes, with the rice used, water, pasteurization and fermentation processes. Chika is very lively and funny, saying that Japan has a national mold called koji that’s used to make the sake, lol!

After the museum tour, she took us to a location where we sat at tables and sampled about 10 different sakes, with Chika explaining to us the properties of each sake. We also had a small food tasting with some of the sakes. She gave us sake info cards for our wallets, and emailed us a copy of her .pdf presentation for reference.

We learned so much about sake! I highly recommend this great tour. You will learn so much!

  Nihonshu ( sake) tasting.  – What an excellent afternoon. So informative. Our guide, Kiyomi was wonderful and answered all our questions. I now have a way better understanding of how to choose my favourite… read more sake. Highly recommend