Food & Culture Walk in Nagano: Oyaki, Sake, Matcha & Zenkoji
Description
Come to Nagano for a flavorful food-and-culture walk built around four highlights in the perfect order: freshly made oyaki, the Zenkoji area, a local sake tasting, and a matcha dessert (matcha ice cream or dorayaki). Between stops, enjoy quiet backstreets, family-run shops, and local stories that bring the neighborhood to life. We begin with warm oyaki, then stroll the historic streets around Zenkoji before heading to the tasting. Finish at a cozy matcha spot before returning toward Nagano Station. -Start with freshly made oyaki (Nagano’s famous stuffed dumplings), served warm -Walk through the Zenkoji area’s historic streets and peaceful back lanes -Enjoy a local sake tasting with small nibbles and local pairings -Finish with a matcha dessert (choice of matcha ice cream or dorayaki) -Visit 2–3 small family-run shops and meet local owners -Discover lesser-known spots beyond the guidebooks -Learn simple local tasting etiquette and hear stories of everyday life in Nagano
Tour Options
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Walking shoes are recommended
- Minimum alcahol drinking age is 20 years. So we offer another drink for under 20.
- In case of late arrival, the tour cannot be extended.
- o8Experience is a locally based tour company offering private and small-group experiences across Nagano and surrounding regions. From food and culture to nature and history, we create meaningful journeys tailored to curious travelers. Visit o8Experience to discover more.
- Not suitable for person who needs gluten free food.
- This tour generally requires 2 or more guests to operate. For solo travelers, feel free to contact us before booking to confirm availability.
Reviews(62)
We sailed from Cagayan De Oro to Cebu, Philippines earlier this month through 2GO Masagana. The staff were friendly, accommodating and professional. The vessel was also clean and well-organized. However, we experienced an issue with the air-conditioning unit in our cabin, which was not functioning properly. I stayed in tourist class, room 4A. I also found the check-in and cabin assignment process quite confusing. There three of us travelling together, but we were assigned to separate cabins. My two companions were placed in different cabins, even though each cabin has four bunk beds. It would have been better if members of the same group were assigned to the same cabin instead of being mixed with other passengers we did not know.
Disappointed. Our guide had very limited knowledge of the area we saw and poor English. A waste of our time and money.
Thank you for your feedback. We are sorry to hear that the guiding and communication did not meet your expectations. This tour has received many positive reviews from guests who enjoyed the itinerary, local experiences, and overall organization, so we are disappointed that your experience did not reflect the standard we aim to provide. We take comments about guiding quality seriously and will review this carefully with our team. We will continue working to ensure that every guest receives clear communication, helpful local knowledge, and a thoughtful guided experience. We appreciate you taking the time to share your feedback.
We are visiting Nagano and pre booked this tour . We met our tour guide Robin who was very knowledgeable , was happy to answer all our questions and knew lots about the local area ,he spoke very good English . Food experience was very good , Saki tasting was enjoyable experience and some miso soup was also tasted . We saw the Zenkoji temple and a small shrine . We finished off our tour with a Matcha icecream. This is a wonderful tour to do around the area.
Dear Guest, Thank you very much for your wonderful review. We are so happy to hear that you enjoyed the tour with Robin. He will be delighted to know that you appreciated his local knowledge, English guidance, and friendly explanations throughout the experience. It is also great to hear that you enjoyed the food, sake tasting, miso soup, Zenkoji Temple, the small shrine, and the matcha ice cream. We are glad the tour helped you experience Nagano in an enjoyable and local way. Thank you again for joining us, and we hope to welcome you back to Nagano in the future. Warm regards, o8Experience
Great guide who told us a lot about the statues, the story of the shrine and what to taste/ speciality of Nagano. Basic, but great info in order for us to understand and learn. No rush, our guide gave us good time to see and enjoy. We enjoyed it very much.
Thank you very much for your thoughtful review. We are so pleased to hear that you enjoyed learning about the statues, the story of the shrine, and some of Nagano’s local specialties. It is especially nice to know that the pace felt comfortable and that you had enough time to look around, enjoy, and take everything in without feeling rushed. Thank you again for joining us. We truly appreciate your kind words and hope to welcome you back to Nagano again in the future. Warm regards, o8Experience
We had a wonderful time walking and talking with Masa. We had never been to Nagano before and this was a great way to briefly see the area and enjoy some of the local sights and flavors while learning some of the history of the area. I highly recommend this tour when visiting Nagano.
Thank you very much for your kind message. We are truly happy to hear you had a wonderful time, and that your first visit to Nagano became a memorable experience. It is great to know the tour helped you enjoy local sights and flavors while also learning a bit of the region’s history in a short time. Thank you again for your recommendation. We hope to welcome you back to Nagano in the future. Warm regards, o8Experience
Our guide's name was Masa and he was very informative. He took us to places that we would never have found by ourselves. We tasted oyaki, a traditional food that we probably wouldn't have tried had we been on our own. Masa took us to the Zenkoji Temple and explained about the Shinto religion. On our way back we had a sake tasting and tried matcha icecream. I would highly recommend this tour.
Thank you so much for your kind words and for joining our walking tour! We’re delighted to hear you enjoyed exploring Zenkoji Temple, learning about local traditions, and trying Nagano’s specialties like oyaki, sake, and matcha ice cream. It was a real pleasure guiding you through the hidden corners of the city, and we’re so glad these experiences made your visit memorable. We truly appreciate the recommendation and hope to welcome you back to Nagano someday! Warm regards, The o8Experience Team
Fun and interesting tour of Nagano. In addition to going to the temple, we went to a shrine, had a few food tastings and saw some traditional shops and homes. We also walked by the are where they helps the Olympic medal ceremonies. The guide was informative and funny. The temple is beautiful and we really enjoyed trying oyaki, the dumpling famous for the area.
Thank you for joining our walking tour and for sharing your kind review! We’re so glad you enjoyed exploring Nagano’s local culture — from Zenkoji Temple and the historic shrine to tasting oyaki and discovering the old streets that hosted the Olympic medal ceremonies. It’s wonderful to hear you had fun with your guide and enjoyed the mix of culture, food, and history. We hope to see you again next time you visit Nagano! Warm regards, The o8Experience Team
We spent the day with Masa from o8 Experience and had a wonderful time! This is truly what we wanted to experience - from a local person’s perspective. Everything is so walkable and close to our hotel, too. We learned about family traditions when visiting the temple to daily life with a special visit to a shrine. It helped us understand the Japanese people’s thoughts on family, life, and prosperity. Walking around the grounds of the Zenkoji temple was amazing! It’s a treasure here in Nagano. We also stopped by a local shop for Oyaki dumplings. Delicious and interesting to see them make a traditional farmer’s meal. We also had the best matcha ice cream for a treat after lunch. Nagano has such a chill vibe and is completely different from other busier cities. It’s definitely worth the visit.
Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful feedback! We’re truly happy to hear that you enjoyed exploring Nagano from a local’s perspective and that the walk around Zenkoji and the charming streets nearby gave you a real sense of our city’s everyday life. It was a pleasure spending the day together and sharing stories about local customs, food, and traditions. We’re so glad you loved the oyaki and matcha ice cream too — those are our favorites! Nagano is indeed a calm and welcoming place, and we hope you’ll come back again to discover even more of what makes it special. Warm regards, The o8Experience Team
Thanks Masa and Riku for making our families summer tour of Nagano so easy, interesting, delicious, and fun. We really appreciate your enthusiasm, hospitality and excellent photos!
Thank you so much for your kind message! It was our absolute pleasure to guide your family through Nagano this summer. We're so glad to hear you enjoyed the experience — from the sights and stories to the delicious local flavors. Your warm energy made it all the more fun for us too! Wishing you safe travels and many more wonderful adventures ahead. And of course, we hope the photos bring back great memories for years to come 📸 Warm regards, the o8Experience team
Nice tour with guide who speaks good English. Few snacks for a food tour. The sake tasting was very nice.
Thank you for joining our tour and for your feedback. For clarity, this experience included: two local oyaki(stuffed dumplings), 8 premium sake tastings plus amazake(a sweet, non-alcoholic rice drink), miso soup and ice cream. Our food tours are designed as cultural experiences that pair carefully selected tastings with stories of Nagano’s traditions. We’re glad you enjoyed the sake tasting, and we appreciate your comments—they help us keep improving.
