Kyoto Sake Tasting: Private Brewery Tour with Inside Access
- 4 hours
- Free cancellation up to 24h before
- 2 languages
- Instant confirmation
Highlights
Most Kyoto sake tours focus on a museum or tasting room. This private tour goes further with a reserved visit to Matsui Sake Brewery, a small working brewery founded in 1726, where guests can enter the actual production area when brewing conditions allow. Start in Fushimi at Gekkeikan, founded in 1637, then experience a very different side of Kyoto sake at Matsui and compare history, scale, brewing methods, and flavors. Kampai Sake Tours has specialized in sake tours since 2017, with 1,000+ tours operated. Our team includes National Government Licensed Guide Interpreters, certified sake professionals, and even a former toji (sake brewmaster). Every guide completes rigorous KST training, so the experience is detailed enough for sake lovers but relaxed and easy to enjoy for beginners. All scheduled sake tastings and brewery admission fees are included.
Inclusions
What's included
- Local guide
- Alcoholic Beverages
- brewery tour and tastings
- Culture and history
What's not
- Extra Food and drinks
- we will take trains to the 2nd brewery and costs 780yen per person.
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.
Cancellation
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.
Reviews
4.9
- 515
- 41
- 30
- 20
- 10
Ratings come from 16 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.
Know before you go
- Meeting point
- In front of ticket gate in Keihan Chushojima station. North ticket exit Gather in front of the sake barrel sculpture
- Pickup
- Everyone meets at the starting point; there is no pickup.
- Ticket type
- Mobile or paper ticket accepted
- Operated by
- Kampai Sake Tours
- 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.
How it compares in Kyoto
- Its from-price is 34% above the median of the 1713 experiences we list in Kyoto.
- It is longer than most of them.
- By number of reviews it ranks 423 of 1713.
- The operator lists free cancellation on it.
About Kyoto
Kyoto, Japan's imperial capital for over a thousand years, is a city of temples, gardens, wooden townhouses and refined traditions.
The city holds many of Japan's most treasured sites. Fushimi Inari Taisha's thousands of vermilion torii gates climb a wooded mountain, Kinkaku-ji's Golden Pavilion shimmers over its pond, and Kiyomizu-dera's wooden stage juts from the hillside above the city. The rock garden of Ryoan-ji and the mossy grounds of Ginkaku-ji invite quiet contemplation.
Top-ranked sights in Kyoto: Fushimi Inari Shrine (Fushimi Inari Taisha), Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion), Kiyomizu-dera Temple.
Special offers in Kyoto
Was/now prices come from the operator, never from us.
