Kyoto Local Eats & Secret Gion Bar Tour
Description
Experience the magic of Kyoto at night like a true local! While Pontocho and Gion are famous for their beautiful lantern-lit streets, finding welcoming, authentic restaurants without a local guide can be very difficult. This casual walking and local eats tour removes the language barrier and takes you straight to the best hidden spots. 1. Hidden Izakayas & Bars: Skip the tourist traps. We will take you to two authentic local Izakayas and one secret bar tucked away in the narrow alleys of Kyoto. 2. Authentic Kyoto Cuisine: Taste local specialties you won't easily find elsewhere, such as "Obanzai" (Kyoto home-style cooking), "Yuba" (delicate tofu skin), and classic comfort foods, all explained by your guide. 3. Premium Kyoto Sake: Kyoto is famous for its pure water and incredible sake. Enjoy fantastic sake pairings with your meals. 4. Magical Night Stroll: Safely explore the historic, atmospheric streets of Pontocho and Gion with an local expert!
Tour Options
Itinerary
We will go to 2 local izakaya in “Pontocho”. “Pontocho” is one of Kyoto’s most famous traditional dining streets, known for its narrow alley, wooden buildings, and charming old atmosphere. You can feel Kyoto’s historic and romantic vibe while enjoying local food, Japanese sake, and a unique night out.
Kamogawa river runs through the heart of Kyoto. “Kamogawa” is loved by locals as a place to relax, enjoy the scenery, and feel the changing seasons. You can experience a peaceful local atmosphere while seeing a more everyday and charming side of Kyoto.
We will walk through “Gion”, Kyoto’s most famous geisha district and visit a hidden bar. “Gion” is known for its beautiful traditional streets, old teahouses, and elegant Kyoto atmosphere. You can enjoy local culture, historic scenery, and Kyoto's unique bar scens.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- The itinerary for this tour includes some locations that are not accessible by a wheelchair or stroller.
- Anyone over 20 years old can join this tour.
- Food and drinks are not included in this tour. At each venue, your guide will recommend local Kyoto dishes, so we kindly ask that each guest order at least one food item and one drink at every stop.
- Please bring cash for payment. We split the check at 1st & 2nd venues, and any amount under 100 yen will be rounded up for easier payment processing. The third bar operates on a cash-on-delivery basis.
- Because most Japanese restaurants are not fully ready for providing vegetarian menus, limited choices of vegetarian foods in our tour is available.
- This tour could possibly visit places where smoking is not prohibited. Please note that we may not be able to change the tour venues in this case.
- You will not be able to join the tour, get a refund or reschedule if you are late for the tour and miss the group.
- Please note that we are unable to guarantee allergy-free or cater to dietary restrictions as the food is prepared in kitchens that do not belong to MagicalTrip. Additionally, there may be instances where substitutions are not possible at certain stops; however, we will make every effort to compensate at different stops throughout the tour.
Reviews(641)
Kumi is so fun. We ended up being the only people in the tour at the timeslot and day but she made sure we had fun and had good insight on history and Kyoto. The three izakaya/bars were are all great especially the last one. Thanks again to Kumi, you are awesome.
Thank you so much for your kind review! We're thrilled to hear that you had such a great time with Kumi. It's also wonderful to hear that you enjoyed all three izakaya stops. Thank you again for joining us, and we hope to welcome you back for another adventure in Japan soon!
Had a great time on our night bar-hopping tour with J through Gion and Pontocho. The three izakayas selected for the tour gave a good overview of the diversity of establishments that come under that category, from a standing bar in Pontocho who do a fabulous strawberry chuhai and snack plates to stepping away from the crowds at the end of the night and relaxing on cushion seats and low tables on a peaceful balcony in Gion. J is a great host, a Kyoto local who speaks perfect English and shares a lot of information that is well matched to the group's interests and existing knowledge rather than tightly following a script. He clearly knows the Kyoto leisure districts, drinking culture and food well and loves his city, and that comes through in this fun tour. The drinks allocation is generous, comfortably more than we got through in a night, and we really enjoyed the food. Favourites for us were the fermented firefly squid, in season in May, which paired beautifully with drinks, and the beef dish at the last izakaya, which was delicious. Equally, if your preference is for the more familiar karaage and tempura-style dishes, that is catered for too.
We went to places that we never would’ve found on our own.
Thank you very much for your kind review! We’re so glad to hear you enjoyed discovering places you wouldn’t have found on your own. We truly appreciate your feedback and hope to welcome you again on another tour in the future!
Our guide was the wonderful “J”, he put up with our many confusing questions about the Japanese culture and set us straight ! His guidance and humour made for a fantastic evening . Highly recommend from Australia !!
Thank you so much for your lovely review! We’re so happy to hear you had a fantastic evening with J. He’ll definitely appreciate your kind words about his guidance, humor, and patience with all the questions along the way! It’s always a pleasure sharing Japanese culture, food, and local experiences with curious travelers, and we’re glad the night was both fun and memorable for you. Thank you again for joining us and for the recommendation all the way from Australia — we hope to see you again in Japan someday!
I had a wonderful time with Yumi and truly appreciated her breadth of knowledge on the area as well as her amazing hospitality! I would highly recommend her and this experience to others.
Thank you so much for your kind review! We’re delighted to hear you had a wonderful time with Yumi and enjoyed her knowledge and hospitality. It means a lot to know you would recommend both her and the experience. We hope to welcome you again on another MagicalTrip tour in Japan!
It was a wonderful experience! Yumi was so kind and overall wonderful. We had fantastic conversations and she was able to really help us understand both the place and the culture. We would highly recommend this Kyoto local to anyone to anyone looking for great experiences!
Thank you so much for your kind review! We’re delighted to hear you had a wonderful experience with Yumi and enjoyed her kindness, conversations, and cultural insights into Kyoto. We truly appreciate your recommendation and hope to welcome you again on another MagicalTrip experience in Japan!
Very enjoyable and informative night with"J“. Highly recommended. Thanks J!
Great, fun night walking tour with yummy food and drinks. J was funny & knowledgeable. Highly recommend!!
Thank you very much for your kind review! We’re so happy to hear that you enjoyed the night walking tour. We truly appreciate your recommendation and hope to welcome you again in the future!
You will greatly enjoy it .The venues were very nice and attended by the locals. I specifically enjoyed the karioki .Loua was just great
Thank you so much for your kind review! We’re so glad to hear you enjoyed the local venues and had a fun time, especially at karaoke—it’s always a highlight for many guests! We’re also happy to know Loua helped make the experience so enjoyable for you; she’ll really appreciate your kind words. We hope to welcome you again for another great night out!
We had a fabulous time with Nami! We went to izakaya bars we would have never seen without a guide. Nami taught us about the history of Pontocho, showed us how to read the sake bottles to learn about their qualities, and had fascinating discussions about Japanese culture. Highly recommend this experience, was definitely a highlight of our trip to Japan. Thank you Nami!!
Thank you very much for your wonderful review. We’re delighted to hear that you had such a fabulous time with Nami and enjoyed exploring izakaya bars that would have been difficult to find on your own. It’s great to know that her explanations about Pontocho’s history, sake, and Japanese culture added depth to your experience. We truly appreciate your kind recommendation and are very happy this tour became a highlight of your trip to Japan. We hope to welcome you again in the future.
