Private Kyoto Sake Brewery Tour: Certified Expert & Inside Access
Description
Escape the crowds of central Kyoto and discover a quieter side of the city in the historic sake district. Join a professional sake guide and enjoy a relaxed journey into one of Japan’s most important brewing regions. Visit two carefully selected breweries chosen by a sake expert, representing both tradition and innovation.Step inside a historic brewery with nearly 400 years of history and feel the weight of centuries of craftsmanship. Then explore a small modern brewery where creativity and new ideas are shaping the future of sake. Along the way, enjoy guided tastings of different styles of sake while learning about aromas, flavors, and brewing techniques from your sake expert. In Kyoto — a city celebrated for its history, beauty, and artistic culture — this experience offers a deeper and more relaxing way to enjoy Japanese sake.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Meet at the north gate in front of small sake barrel monunent.
Enjoy a peaceful walk through the quiet streets of Kyoto’s historic Fushimi district as you make your way to one of Japan’s most famous sake breweries. Learn about the ingredients and brewing process and visit ends with a guided sake tasting. With a certified sake expert, you’ll notice the subtle differences in aroma and flavor and learn what creates those unique tastes — making the experience even more enjoyable and memorable. As the sliding doors of this 390-year-old brewery open, step into the fascinating world of traditional sake making. Fushimi.Thanks to its pure underground water, which gives Kyoto sake its smooth and elegant character. Along the way, discover how sake has been closely connected to Kyoto’s history — enjoyed by shoguns, samurai, and local townspeople for generations.
take trains to visit next brewery and get off at Demachiyanagi station.
In contrast to the first brewery, this stop introduces a modern and innovative style of sake making. Although the brewery has a history of more than 300 years, today it operates with a small team of about 15 people who continue to evolve while respecting tradition. Step inside the working production area to see a modern sake brewery in action. After the visit, enjoy tasting beautifully crafted and stylish sake that reflects Kyoto’s creativity. With guidance from a professional sake expert, you’ll discover the stories behind the brewery and the unique flavors that attract a new generation of sake lovers.
Tour finish at this station.
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
- Alcohol cannot be served to guests under 20, as drinking under 20 is prohibited by Japanese law.
- Guests entering the brewery production area may be asked to follow basic hygiene rules, such as wearing provided caps and shoe covers and avoiding strong scents.
- If you wish to spit during the tasting as part of professional evaluation practice, please let us know in advance.
Reviews(16)
Despite it being a wet rainy day the tour was a great experience our guide spoke English well and was very knowledgeable about both the breweries and sake it self . Hiroman ( our guide) treated us well and every brewery was pleased to see us . I recommend this tour .
Thank you so much for joining our tour and for your kind and thoughtful review! We’re truly happy to hear that, even on a rainy day, you still had a wonderful time. Our team of guides is made up of passionate professionals who love sake and Japanese culture. Many of us hold certifications such as Sake Sommeliers and National Licensed Guides, and we are always striving to improve. But more than anything, our greatest joy is providing warm hospitality and creating memorable experiences for every guest. We truly appreciate your words and hope to welcome you again on another tour someday! Kampai🍶!!
Shinobu was our guide and was very friendly and punctual. It was very hot and Shinobu gave us a cold drink and a towel. We really enjoyed the explanation. Shinobu knows a lot about Sake and always answered all questions and doubts. I highly recommend this tour.
Thank you so much for your kind review! We’re so glad to hear you had a great time with Shinobu during the tour in Kyoto. We truly appreciate your warm words about him sake knowledge and thoughtful explanations — it means a lot to us. We’d love to welcome you again on another tour, perhaps in Nara, Kobe, or Nishinomiya next time! Kampai🍶!!
Very informative guide that walked us through sake brewery and relaxing atmosphere with good sake. Even Better if you like sake
Thank you so much for your review! We’re happy to hear that you enjoyed the relaxing atmosphere and learned more about sake during the tour. It’s true — if you love sake, this experience becomes even more special! We’d love to welcome you again on a tour in Kyoto, Nara, or Nishinomiya as well! Kampai🍶!!
Great guide and trip. The guide's knowledge of sake was impeccable. We picked this trip to coincide with a rainy day in Kyoto and it was the perfect thing to do in such weather. Highly recommend!
Thank you so much for your kind review! We’re so glad you found the tour enjoyable — even on a rainy day in Kyoto. Our guide will be happy to hear that their sake knowledge made a great impression. Thank you for the recommendation, and we hope to welcome you again in Kobe, Nara, or Nishinomiya! Kampai🍶!!
Seigo was an excellent host. Very knowledgeable and personable. Great sense of humor. Very good English. The small size of our group (5 people) allowed a wide ranging and intimate conversation. The stops were informative with a mix of old and new sites. Lots of opportunities to try different sake.
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We’re delighted to hear you enjoyed your time with Seigo. He will be very happy to know that his humor, knowledge, and warm personality made the experience even more enjoyable for you. The small group setting definitely allows for deeper conversations and a more personal touch. We’re also glad you appreciated the variety of sake and the mix of traditional and modern stops. In addition to Kyoto, we also offer tours in Kobe, Nishinomiya, and Nara—each with its own unique sake culture and charm. We hope to welcome you again on another tour! Kampai🍶!!
Fantastic outing with Kampai Sake Tours. Unbeknownst to us, we booked on the day of the Cherry Blossom Festival. This made the brewery area super busy but that did not deter our wonderful guide Shinobu from creating a memorable experience! Shinobu is one of the sweetest people you will meet and has a love of Sake that shines through. He will answer all your questions (we had many) and will go over and above to give you an authentic perspective. If only we could take Shinobu on the rest of our trip! Highly recommend!!
Thank you so much for your thoughtful and heartwarming review! We're truly happy to hear that you had a fantastic time with Shinobu, even during the busy Cherry Blossom Festival. His passion for sake and hospitality always shine through, and we're so glad it made your experience memorable. Your kind words mean a lot to our team—and I'm sure Shinobu would love to join you on the rest of your trip if he could! We hope you’ll visit us again someday for another unforgettable sake adventure. Kampai! 🌸🍶
What a great time. Our guides TaM and Aya were very friendly and made the experience so much fun. Definitely would recommend them.
"Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We’re thrilled to hear you enjoyed the tour. Providing a memorable experience for our guests is always our top priority. We hope to welcome you back again soon!"
My wife and I booked this tour with two other friends and had a great time. We all enjoy sake, but were not very knowledgeable about it. This was the first time we were able to try so many and compare them. It was a really fun way to both explore a less touristy part of Kyoto and taste a lot of really good sake. Karen was a great guide, spoke excellent English, and helped us pick some tasty new foods to try after the tour.
We had Seigo as our tour guide and he was phenomenal! He was super friendly and informative! He guided us through the Fushimi Sake District and taught us more than any of us were expecting to learn! He went above and beyond! We highly highly recommend this tour for anyone interested in not only trying Sake but learning about the making of it, the history and culture of Kyoto and the hand it plays in the history of Sake!
Our tour guide Seigo was extraordinary, he was very compassionate, considerate, kind and such a sweet soul. He enlightened us with not only his kindness but the history of Kyoto throughout our tour, took us to many beautiful scenery’s and guided us to indulge in many different forms and flavors of sake. We walked away so thrilled by this experience and would have to say it was one of the best, thank you so much for a wonderful time and highly recommend everyone do this tour! You do have to pay at the last location if you choose to do the extra 18 Sake tasting, which we did and do not regret at all, HIGHLY WORTH IT!
