Kyoto · FOOD & DRINK
Kyoto food is quiet, seasonal and easy to walk straight past. These 15 tours cover Nishiki Market, the Pontocho counters and the izakaya lanes, priced, timed and clear about exactly how hungry to turn up.
Explore Gion and Pontocho by night with nine-plus Kyoto dishes, sake tastings, local stories, and a small group capped at seven.
“Come hungry! It was a real Japanese foodie experience! Yuma picked out authentic places to have two wonderful meals and drinks! Then our last stop was dessert, tea or coffee.”
Learn how sake is made, taste 10 styles with otsumami pairings, and gain the confidence to choose sake in Kyoto and beyond.
“Greg and Mai were very knowledgeable about both the sake making process (at the museum) as well as the tasting. They were particularly good at talking and explaining what we were enjoying in a sake, and in teaching how to identify sake for ourselves.”
Review of Kyoto’s Arashiyama walking tour, with bamboo, temples, gardens, monkeys, green tea, and an optional local sake brewery visit.
“Myself and my partner did the tour with Francis and it was amazing! Such a friendly and kind person that also taught us many things about shrine and temple traditions. I would highly recommend to anybody!”
Learn sake brewing in Kyoto’s Fushimi district, taste 10 or more styles, and pair them with food during this practical three-hour tour.
“The tour was a mix of informative and fun. The exploration was unexpectedly fun. And especially we got very lucky with a fantastic group of folks.”
Explore Kyoto’s Fushimi sake district, visit the Gekkeikan museum, and taste up to 18 Kyoto sakes with a small-group guide.
“had a really wonderful time in kyoto, our tour guide was yuka, she was very informative and helpful and even took time after the tour to show us to a liquor store to find a specific sake we had. 10/10 experience if you're going to kyoto, sign up for this!”
Explore Kyoto’s Nishiki Market with a local guide, tasting regional foods, learning shrine customs, and browsing downtown shopping streets.
“Our family of five plus one good friend thoroughly enjoyed our introduction to the Nishiki Market with Yoko. There is so much we would have missed without her, and half of the fun was getting to know Yoko. She was so kind and genuinely seemed to enjoy watching six first-time Japan visitors try new foods and go crazy for konjac yam soaps.”
Explore Kyoto’s Pontocho and Gion on a three-hour food walk with 13 dishes, four eateries, local stories, drinks, and lantern-lit streets.
“Such an informative food tour highlighting delicious food — wonderful introduction to Kyoto cuisine. Our guide, Alessio, was great. Highly recommended.”
Taste seven Kyoto sakes with a certified sommelier, pair them with Japanese snacks, and learn how to order your favorites in Fushimi.
“Mayo was an excellent guide! Not only did she teach us about the sake making process, she did it in a fun interactive way that left me feeling confident to order sake at restaurants!”
Learn to taste, compare, and order sake in Kyoto with seven tastings, Japanese snacks, an expert guide, and a useful bottle-reading cheat sheet.
“Kiyomi was so enthusiastic and knowledgeable! We learned so much about the intricacies of sake and how the differences in brewing can be tasted. Highly recommend”
Taste 13 Japanese dishes, sip sake, and explore Gion and Pontocho with a local guide on this small-group Kyoto evening tour.
“Awesome tour. Taiga is a very friendly and fun guy to be with ! Keep it going !”
Taste 15 Kyoto dishes in three hours, from yakitori and tonkatsu to sushi and tempura, with a local guide in Gion.
“Fun night out trying great food with wonderful company! Leo was so personable and flexible! Grateful for his time and guidance.”
Review of Kyoto’s private tea ceremony and sake tasting in a 300-year-old samurai house, with matcha, photos, costumes, and practical booking tips.
“So much tradition in this experience. Gracious hosts who welcome you into their home that is 300 years old. We thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend it.”
Taste Kyoto specialties, explore Nishiki Market, and learn local food traditions on a small-group walk with an English-speaking guide.
“My guide, Annie, was knowledgeable and personable. She is a gentle teacher and encouraged me to try new things (that were always good!). We also laughed quite a bit. Highly recommended.”
A private Kyoto food walk with 10 tastings, local guides, Nishiki Market, Gion sights, dietary options, and plenty of personal attention.
“Eiji was a great guide of Nishiki Market and Gion, he was happy, flexible, well informed and made a fun day for us and our children.”
Taste Kyoto from Karasuma to Gion with Wagyu sushi, yuba tofu, mochi, sake, matcha, and a small-group guide.
“We were disappointed with this tour - poor selection of food - too much fried, not enough fresh. The guide although very sweet was too quiet and did not have strong enough English to provide sufficient detail on meals experienced.”
