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Kyoto Sake Bar and Pub Crawl
5.0
14 Ratings
Kyoto
Embark on a guided tour of Kyoto’s hidden breweries and indulge in local cuisine, sake, and craft beer. Discover the city’s pub culture and gain a deep understanding of sake from a certified sommelier.
Embark on a guided tour of Kyoto’s hidden breweries and indulge in local cuisine, sake, and craft beer. Discover the city’s pub culture and gain a deep understanding of sake from a certified sommelier.
Duration:
3 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
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Kyoto - Dive into Kyoto’s culinary delights, cultural experiences, and sake at a “machiya izakaya” (a traditional Kyoto townhouse turned bar restaurant specializing in drinks and small plates).
Mingle with Kyoto locals at their beloved neighborhood “standing bars.”
Enjoy premium sake and Japanese craft beer at specialized venues. Each tour will…
- Kyoto - Dive into Kyoto’s culinary delights, cultural experiences, and sake at a “machiya izakaya” (a traditional Kyoto townhouse turned bar restaurant specializing in drinks and small plates).
Mingle with Kyoto locals at their beloved neighborhood “standing bars.”
Enjoy premium sake and Japanese craft beer at specialized venues. Each tour will include 2-3 venues, tailored to your tastes and preferences.
What's Included
- An assortment of tasty adult beverages
- Dinner
- An assortment of tasty adult beverages
- Dinner
What's Not Included
- Insurance of any type
- Insurance of any type
Additional Information
Pub crawls – or “nomi aruki,” as we call them in Japan – are an excellent way to see a side of Kyoto that tourists usually miss.
Your guide, Kenji, spent many years working at a sake brewery in Hyogo. His duties included the pleasure of tasting over 1,000 sakes from breweries in Japan – and around the world.
Kenji will take you to two or three special…
Pub crawls – or “nomi aruki,” as we call them in Japan – are an excellent way to see a side of Kyoto that tourists usually miss.
Your guide, Kenji, spent many years working at a sake brewery in Hyogo. His duties included the pleasure of tasting over 1,000 sakes from breweries in Japan – and around the world.
Kenji will take you to two or three special bars with delicious food and drinks tailored to your individual preferences. Explore Kyoto’s sake, craft beer, and food culture with Kenji, a certified international sake sommelier, right in the heart of Kyoto!
Even if you don’t consume alcohol, you’re welcome to enjoy Kyoto’s delicious cuisine with us, but all guests on the tour need to be at least 20 years old.
It’s very important that we know about any dietary restrictions you might have. Please let us know when you make your reservation.
Group size: 2 - 4 people
- Not suitable for individuals under 20 years of age, due to the legal drinking age in Japan
Location
Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation - Kyoto Branch
Go to the intersection of Shijo and Karasuma streets. Look for the imposing Mitsui Building on the northeast corner of the intersection. There's a photograph of this building in the photos above. I'll be standing out front. You'll know me by my LINNELL'S backpack.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
5.0
(14 Ratings)
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Aussiechris045
Aug 30, 2024
A night out in Kyoto to remember - I have been in the hospitality business for 30 years and have a true passion for fine food and tasty beverages! Meeting Kenji out was like going out with a close friend and experiencing local bars and restaurants off the beaten path of Kyoto without all the tourists. Such a great night! A bit of education mixed with lots of flavour. Kenji never made us feel like we were on a time limit but rather just friends going out for a great night. Look forward to staying in touch with Kenji and having a sake and a beer in the near future! Cheers mate!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Road60334115770
Jul 16, 2024
A delicious Kyoto experience with a friendly sake expert - My wife and I went on a pub crawl with Kenji-san as a follow-up to the amazing "kintsugi experience" with him. A wonderful afternoon turned into a fascinating and delicious evening. He took us to one of his favorite izakayas -- a place packed with Kyoto locals unwinding after work. In fact, we were the only foreigners there, something that might have made us uncomfortable if it weren't for our intrepid guide! The three of us sat at the bar, enjoying absolutely delicious small plates of exotic food while learning about sake from a true expert. It was the kind of experience that would have been impossible without Kenji. I happen to speak some Japanese, but the izakaya menu was utterly inscrutable. We certainly needed the help of an insider. After the izakaya, Kenji took us to another of his favorite places, where we tried more delicious sake and absorbed the ambience of a lively Kyoto watering hole where we were again the only foreigners. A pub crawl with Kenji isn't just an education in Japanese food and spirits; it's entree to a side of Kyoto that most foreigners simply don't get to see.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sallyho1355mi
May 26, 2024
A Sake Friend in Kyoto - Kenji is a really interesting and personable fellow. He is a bit quiet and reserved but he has spent a lot of time in the US as a sales rep for the 5th largest sake brewer in Japan. He is very fun to chat with, and he knows a lot about sake. So our evening was like having a new friend in Kyoto take us around to sample sake and food.
Our tour took us to three places. First, an “on the beaten path” sake tasting room where Kenji explained how sake is made and we sampled several types (I happen to like plum sake) and we tried some black cashews. Awesome.
The next stop seemed like a place only the locals would know. Through a parking lot, behind a closed door and then a secret knock or two and voila, you’re in! Here we sampled several different dishes, from ginkgo nuts to potato salad to whole fish (I wouldn’t eat the head). A lot of fun and sake. Kind of a Japanese “Cheers.”
Finally the last stop was a crowded bar with lots of young locals. We sampled more sake and delicacies, or whatever describes chicken necks. By this time, we had our fill of sake, maybe a little too much; well definitely a little too much.
Through it all, Kenji was knowledgeable, generous and an excellent host. A definite must do to experience a non-tourist aspect of Kyoto.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mirko
Apr 11, 2024
Sake, food and culture in Kyoto. - We had an absolutely lovely time with Kenji! We started off at a bar where we learnt lots of interesting facts about sake and had many different types. We then went to a yakiniku place and enjoyed lots of different Japanese meats while conversing about Japanese culture. We finished the evening off at another sake bar and tried many other types from traditional sakazuki cups, with a lot of small izakaya style dishes!
Kenji is really knowledgeable and very pleasant to be with and we had a really lovely evening walking around Kyoto and its bars! Would strongly recommend booking a tour with him if you're staying in Kyoto!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
B902uvdanielw
Mar 22, 2024
The best authentic sake experience in Kyoto - What an amazing experience curated by Kenji-San. Not only did we drink amazing sake, but we learned all about its production and the importance of not only the rice, but the water and koji that goes into crafting sake. As informative as the tour was, I think what really makes this different from other tours we’ve taken in Japan is that Kenji makes you feel like a local for the night. We started at a sake tasting on a more traveled street of Kyoto and had an amazing paring of sake and food. However, we were taken to two other local izakayas that we would have never found without Kenji showing us the way. The food was excellent at location, so definitely come hungry. Kenji also gave great recommendations for other must try cuisines while in Kyoto. I would love to plan another trip to Kyoto in the future, and will specifically look for tours guided by Kenji when I do travel back.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jackmw8509zh
Mar 6, 2024
Great Food and Sake at Cool Bars in Central Kyoto - Thanks to Kenji for an excellent food and sake tour. We two really loved it! Kenji took the time to enquire about our preferences and led us to three hidden gems that we would have never discovered on our own. All the food and sake were so delicious, and the lemon sour was good too! We gained valuable insights into Japanese food culture and enjoyed a rich conversation with Kenji. If you're keen on immersing yourself in authentic Kyoto cuisine and drinks, I wholeheartedly recommend Kenji's tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Fearless13344703087
Feb 24, 2024
Amazing food and sake tour with Kenji, an exceptional guide - Our private tour was phenomenal. Kenji was both entertaining and informative, and we thoroughly enjoyed our time with him. He took us to three hidden stops, where he selected delicious dishes and sake for us, while also providing insightful information about sake, Kyoto, and Japanese culture. I strongly recommend this tour!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Drhjs
Feb 23, 2024
In short, we simply had an amazing evening with Kenji-san! - The food and sake pub crawl tour was completely costumized by Kenji to make it possible for me despite a mobility limiting condition I have. We have traveled to Japan many times in the past 15 years and still there are so many cultural things we still don't know about and which are difficult to discover as a plain tourist. If you are truly interested to learn more about the Japanese culture beyond the usual tourist insights, we absolutely recommend Kenji's tour. He enlightened us with new layers of knowledge on food and sake and gave us the feeling that we are talking to an very old friend. No better way to unravel a foreign culture than through a culinary journey :)
Review provided by Tripadvisor
577rebeccaq
Feb 8, 2024
Wonderful Pub Crawl - My family and I had the best time going for pub crawls with Kenji San. We went to a total of 3 Izakayas with Kenji San and every single one was overwhelmingly good and delicious. We also learned a lot about sake from Kenji San. If you want to experience the true Japanese food culture , Kenji San is the best person to go with. Trust me, you will not regret your experience !
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Navigate09823307121
Feb 7, 2024
Excellent food and sake tour (Pub Crawl) with Kenji - I joined Kenji's Pub Crawl and had a fantastic experience. We started at a cool standing sake bar in the heart of Kyoto, where we began with a sake tasting session. Kenji was incredibly knowledgeable and took the time to explain his recommendations, the characteristics of each sake, and even how sake is made. The snacks paired with the sake were delicious, and I learned a lot about sake pairing too. For our second stop, we headed to another hidden gem in the center of Kyoto. It was a quaint izakaya serving superb dishes and soba, nestled in a traditional machiya townhouse that you might easily overlook while strolling around. This place had a charming atmosphere, with various types of sake and delicious dishes to enjoy. The authentic feel of the machiya added to the allure of the experience.
I didn't consider myself a big fan of sake before, but participating in this tour expanded my knowledge and allowed me to delve into the deep world of Kyoto. It was truly enjoyable, and I would love to join again when I visit Kyoto in the future!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
