We had a walking Sake tour in Kyoto which was excellent. Our guide, Thomás was so knowledgeable and enthusiastic. We were just a small group but it was a lot of fun and we got to see places which we wouldn’t have on our own. Highly recommended

This was a lovely tour of the town of Uji, given by Tomas and Dani. It blended food tastings with the history of Uji (and Japan), along with a visit to the oldest original Shinto shrine in Japan and an ancient Buddhist temple. Our food samplings started after our shrine visit with a lunch of matcha soba (thin noodles with a very pleasant, mild matcha taste) and tempura. After walking through the town, we stopped for a hands-on lesson in grinding matcha (note... it's a good upper arm workout), preparing the tea (note... frothing the tea is harder than it looks!) and properly enjoying the tea. And we finished the tastings with matcha ice cream that was very good. Our final visit was to the Byodo-in Temple, which is spectacular, and the adjoining museum, which has some lovely artifacts from the temple, including originals of the phoenix sculptures from the roof. We enjoyed the temple so much, in fact, that after saying goodbye to our guides at the end of the tour, we spent more time on the grounds admiring the temple and the colorful fall foliage reflected in the surrounding water. Transportation from Kyoto is on your own, but the train is very easy to take there (just be sure to arrive at the Keihan Uji station rather than the Japan Rail Uji station). I'd highly recommend this tour, and hopefully you'll get either Tomas or Dani as your guide.

Sanae with arigato Japan was a wonderful tour guide! we saw some great sites, ate delicious food (and lots of it), and the tea of course was 11/10. Definitely will be the highlight of our time in Kyoto.

Sanae was a fantastic host - we were able to see so much of Uji (more than just matcha). She was incredibly knowledgeable and we enjoyed our time together - highly recommended!

Wonderful walking tour exploring the town of Uji, its temples, a lovely lunch along the river, and ending with a tea ceremony at one of the oldest matcha/tea stores in town. Our guide, Sanae, was absolutely wonderful - very knowledgeable and a delight to chat with. Would recommend to anyone!

We had a fantastic evening with Russ and Mitsuki. The places we visited, the food, the sake and their company combined to make it one of the most enjoyable evenings of our holiday in Japan.

Great tour with Daniela. Excellent food choices and really enjoyed the Pontcho area. Daniela was very knowledgeable and helpful. Would thoroughly recommend this tour

What a great tour, we tried food we’d never have done on our own, plus the insights on culture and history brought the city alive. Great fun and Russ was always checking in with everyone. This a must do!

I cannot say enough about our tour with Sae - she was such a pleasure to be with on our tour. We received so much information about sake and the differences between gingo etc. - she provided such great insight to enhance our experience. We have done a fair amount of sake drinking but this was by far the best. Great to see a part of Kyoto where we could never have visited on our own!

Highly recommend. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable about the district and the history of the places we passed on the way . I loved how we were able to stop at some of the best stops on our walking tour. We were able to see a total of 7 Maiko/Geiko on their way to work. The pièce de ré·sis·tance was the very delicious Kaiseki dinner. Every dish was very tasty.

Spencer gave us a terrific tour of Kyoto food culture. We particularly appreciated the historical aspect--what was in vogue during different periods of Japanese history--and his ability to connect what we were eating to the culture and agriculture of that part of Japan. We also enjoyed learning about Japanese dining culture--not just the food, but the etiquette & the way it fit into Japanese life. & of course, the food itself was great and we were taken to off-the-beaten-path places that we would never have found ourselves.

Sae showed us around some of the beautiful sights and food shops of Gion, telling us snippets of history and culture as we went. She is an absolutely charming young woman and kept us entertained with stories of the city and her life (growing up in a mountaintop monastery with a bass playing monk for a father, is a pretty cool backstory!) Very highly recommend an evening out with Sae in this historic and atmospheric part of Kyoto.

Miki with Arigato was very knowledgeable and made the tour very fun. Dinner was excellent. Great to see such a historic district with so much character and Geishas!

It was drizzling that day, but what brought sunshine to the tour was Sae, our tour guide! Sae is Japanese, and speaks impeccable English, having studied abroad. (The tour company was also very supportive, calling and texting us just before our official tour start, to ensure we got help reaching the tour start point. ) We moved around at a leisurely pace, stopping an a number of interesting shops to taste (and buy) the various treats on offer. She was very gracious in accommodating my desire to buy something in practiically every store. Gion is quite a maze, and we certainly appreciated the guide and related stories. The Kaiseki dinner was great, but again I have to say that the company (Sae) was what made it truly memorable. Sae had dinner with us, and it really felt like having dinner with a friend (who just happened to be very knowledgable about Kyoto / Japan / culture / Geishas etc.) I would absolutely recommend Sae and Arigato Japan Food Tour company!

Our guide Sae was wonderful — so knowledgeable and kind — and taught us so much about Sake! The tour was so fun and the lunch was delicious. My husband and I chose the tour on our honeymoon and it was definitely a highlight! We learned about Japanese customs, manners, sake, and more, and Sae was a perfect guide, adding helpful and interesting info as we strolled place to place. Definitely recommend for any trip to Kyoto!!