Nagano Sake Tasting Walking Tour
Description
Come to Nagano for a deeper sake experience — compare around 10 local sakes (seasonal selection may vary), taste 3 kinds of amazake(non alcohol), enjoy warm Nagano miso soup, and visit a historic old sake factory area. The brewery has over 300 years of history, and you’ll learn the differences between premium styles like unfiltered, unpasteurized, and seasonal sake. First, enjoy a relaxed walk through the streets of Nagano and the Zenkoji Temple area, then head to the tasting experience before returning toward Nagano Station. -Taste 3 different amazake (a traditional non-alcoholic sweet drink) -Enjoy a warm bowl of Nagano miso soup -Admission included to visit a historic old sake factory area -Explore Nagano’s laid-back streets around Zenkoji Temple and stop by local shops -Learn simple, authentic Japanese tasting etiquette and local food culture -Connect with local business owners and hear stories about Nagano’s history and everyday life
Tour Options
Itinerary
Meet your guide in front of Starbucks at MIDORI Nagano Station. We’ll start with a short walk(20 min by walking) toward Zenkoji’s quieter streets and local shops before heading to the sake tasting.
Arrive at Zenkoji Temple area. Your guide will share the story behind Zenkoji and take you through laid-back backstreets and small local shops — not only the main tourist route.
Arrive at the sake tasting experience. Taste around 10 local sakes (seasonal selection may vary), including styles such as unfiltered and unpasteurized sake, plus Nagano plum wine. Enjoy small nibbles (soy sauce beans, Japanese pickles), try 3 kinds of amazake (non-alcoholic sweet drink), and warm up with Nagano miso soup.
Visit the historic old sake factory area. See a traditional brewing space and learn how Nagano’s sake culture developed over hundreds of years. (This is a preserved historic site and is not used for production today.)
After Sake tasting, we will go back to Nagano station(20 min by walking). The duration of this tour is about 2 hours. The tour concludes at the Nagano station but If you would like to explore different places like restaurants after this tour, you can say good bye to your guide at around Zenkoji temple area, where is easy to get back to Nagano station by yourself
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.
Reviews(34)
The tour was awesome and the guide was great. Super relaxed and fun. And we learned a lot of really cool facts. Overall just a really fun afternoon. Def loved the guide, nice guy and good humor.
Thank you very much for your kind review and for joining us. We’re truly happy to hear you had such a fun, relaxed afternoon and that you enjoyed the guide’s humor and style. It also means a lot to know you felt you learned many interesting local facts along the way. Thank you again for choosing o8Experience, and we hope to welcome you back to Nagano in the future. Warm regards, o8Experience
Me and my partner had a wonderful tour with Masa-san this morning around Nagano. We saw some lovely sights around town, with in depth questions and answers from Masa-san. We also had a chance to stop off in a traditional oyaki shop, before exploring the stunning Zenjōji temple. The sake tasting after the fact was simply a huge bonus! Learning about the different types of Sake and then tasting them was an insightful experience. Overall it was a great time, with an excellent tour guide, who even dropped us off at his favourite soba restaurant per our request! Thank you Masa-san!
Thank you very much for your wonderful review and for joining us this morning in Nagano. We’re truly delighted to hear you enjoyed exploring the city with Masashi, especially the stop at the traditional oyaki shop and your visit to Zenkoji Temple. It’s also great to know the sake tasting felt like a “huge bonus” and that learning about different styles of sake made the experience even more memorable. We also appreciate your kind words about the in-depth Q&A during the tour, and we’re glad we could help with your request to be dropped off at a soba restaurant to finish the day in a local way. Thank you again for choosing o8Experience, and we hope to welcome you back to Nagano in the future. Warm regards, o8Experience
The guide was amazing. He was born in Nagano but travels a lot and speaks very good English. He told us many things about Nagano and about sake. A 5/5 experience!
Thank you so much for your kind words! We’re delighted to hear you had such a great experience with our guide. He truly loves sharing both his hometown of Nagano and his travel insights, and we’re glad his knowledge of sake and local culture made the tour memorable for you. We really appreciate the 5/5 review and hope to welcome you again on your next visit!
Enjoyable walking tour with a knowledgeable, friendly guide. Learnt lots about the Zenkoji temple. Fun sake tasting and learning about the different types of sake depending on the how much rice had been polished. Only reason for not 5 stars is the tour should have included photos, which it did not!
Thank you very much for taking the time to share your feedback. To address your comment upfront — due to the exceptionally heavy rain on the day of your tour, we were unfortunately unable to provide photo support. We always aim to take pictures for our guests whenever conditions allow, but in this instance, the weather made it unfeasible. We sincerely regret any disappointment this may have caused. As the conditions were particularly challenging that day, we also arranged a vehicle to make the experience more comfortable — even though it wasn’t part of the standard setup and not something we mentioned at the time. Still, we’re very happy to hear you enjoyed the sake tasting and the stories behind the brewing process. We’d love to welcome you again on a sunnier day — with photos next time. Warmest regards,
We had a fantastic time. Our tour guide Kazumi was great. She was very knowledgable about sake. During the walking tour we also visited a pepper shop and a temple.
Thank you so much for your kind words! We're thrilled to hear you had a fantastic time. Kazumi will be so happy to know that you enjoyed the tour and found her sake knowledge helpful. It sounds like the pepper shop and temple added an extra special touch to the experience as well! We hope to welcome you again on another tour with o8Experience soon.
My husband and I went on the sake tour in April. It was the perfect tour for a brief stop in Nagano. We toured a sake facility, tasted delicious sake, and learned a lot about the local city. Highly recommend.
Thanks so much for joining our sake tour in April! We're really happy to hear it was a perfect stop during your time in Nagano. It was a pleasure sharing some of our local flavors and culture with you both. Cheers—and you're always welcome back for another round! 🍶✨
It was great, very interesting to travel the city with a local. Made us pass through small alleys and discover nuggets.
Merci beaucoup pour votre retour chaleureux ! Nous sommes ravis que vous ayez apprécié la découverte de la ville à travers les yeux d’un local. C’est toujours un plaisir de partager les petites ruelles cachées et les trésors méconnus avec des voyageurs curieux comme vous. À une prochaine fois peut-être !
My wife and daughter booked The Sake tasting tour in Nagano thru Viator and enjoyed every part of the tour. We met Masa, our guide, at the Nagano station and begin walking toward the Zenkoji temple (which is part of the tour). Masa, who is a native person from Nagano but spent several years living in UK (which is why his English was perfect), explain to us the in and out of the Zenkoji temple which only local knows. We spent about 1 hour at the temple before we headed out to the Sake Brewery (Yoshinoya Brewery). At the brewery, we tasted all kinds of Sake and the ingredients that affect the taste. How the rice is polish, the yeast, etc. We tried at least 10 small cup of sake ranging from the most basic up to the top shelf, even a non-alcoholic Sake which is very interesting (taste exactly like the real thing). During this time, Masa explain to us all the procedure and highlight. We bought 3 amazing Sakes to take home. All and all we are very happy with the Sake Walking Tour and top it is Masa's easy going and knowledgable insight of the subject. Very highly recommeded and if possible ask for Masa to be the guide
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We're thrilled to hear that your wife and daughter had such an enjoyable experience on our Nagano Sake Tasting & Walking Tour. It’s great to know that Masa’s insights into Zenkoji Temple’s hidden details and the art of sake brewing at Yoshinoya Brewery made the tour both educational and memorable. We’re especially happy to hear that you enjoyed the wide variety of sake tastings, including the unique non-alcoholic option! Your kind words about Masa’s guiding style and expertise mean a lot to us. We strive to create authentic and immersive experiences, and we’re delighted that this tour lived up to your expectations. Thank you for recommending us! We’d love to welcome you or your family again for another o8Experience tour in Nagano. Cheers! 🍶✨
My wife and daughter booked The Sake tasting tour in Nagano thru Viator and enjoyed every part of the tour. We met Masa, our guide, at the Nagano station and begin walking toward the Zenkoji temple (which is part of the tour). Masa, who is a native person from Nagano but spent several years living in UK (which is why his English was perfect), explain to us the in and out of the Zenkoji temple which only local knows. We spent about 1 hour at the temple before we headed out to the Sake Brewery (Yoshinoya Brewery). At the brewery, we tasted all kinds of Sake and the ingredients that affect the taste. How the rice is polish, the yeast, etc. We tried at least 10 small cup of sake ranging from the most basic up to the top shelf, even a non-alcoholic Sake which is very interesting (taste exactly like the real thing). During this time, Masa explain to us all the procedure and highlight. All and all we are very happy with the Sake Walking Tour and top it is Masa's easy going and knowledgable insight of the subject. Very highly recommeded and if possible ask for Masa to be the guide
Thank you for sharing your experience! We're delighted to hear that your wife and daughter had a fantastic time on our Nagano Sake Tasting & Walking Tour. It’s wonderful that Masa’s deep knowledge of Zenkoji Temple’s history and sake brewing added so much value to the experience. Exploring the sake-making process and tasting a variety of sake—including the unique non-alcoholic option—sounds like it was a highlight! We truly appreciate your kind words about Masa’s guidance and are glad you found the tour both enjoyable and insightful. Your recommendation means a lot to us, and we hope to welcome you or your family again on another o8Experience tour in Nagano! 🍶✨
We had a great time with Masa on this tour! It was nice exploring Nagano and Zenkoji Temple before the sake tasting. Masa was very knowledgable and shared local recommendations. I highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting Nagano!
Thank you for your kind words! We’re so glad to hear that you had a great time exploring Nagano and Zenkoji Temple before the sake tasting. Masa truly enjoys sharing his knowledge and local recommendations, so it’s wonderful to know that you found the experience valuable. We really appreciate your recommendation and would love to welcome you back on another tour in the future! Wishing you safe travels and more amazing adventures ahead. Best regards, The o8Experience Team
