Kyoto Sake Brewery Tour – Daytime

Beginning in the Fushimi district of Kyoto, your guide will take you through the streets of this stunning town to various traditional and modern sake breweries allowing our guests to get a sense of the area’s 400-year-old sake brewing tradition. Known for brewing some of the best sake in the world, Fushimi’s secret lies in the natural spring water of the area. Because the water holds less magnesium and calcium than other parts of Japan or the world, the sake of the area reaches levels of purity and taste other areas could not easily replicate.

Brewing takes place in the cold months of the year after the rice crop has been harvested and as a result, the air around Fushimi is saturated with the smell of fermenting rice during this time of year.

The neighborhood is a festive one that comes to life each day with sake bars and vendors selling the local sake to patrons.

During the tour, we will spend time at the Gekkeikan Okura sake museum where a brief history of sake can be understood. Since they have been making sake since 1637, with a nearly 4-century-old process, our guests really see how things have been done for generations.

At the Gekkeikan Okura sake museum, we will also get a chance to see the sake brewery. Our guests will get a sense of the traditional brewing process which involves a combination of water, malt, yeast, and steamed rice. The different cuts and variety of rice play a big part in the distinction of the sake. If a grain of rice has less grain shaved off, it is more bitter. Generally, the more grain is shaved, the sweeter it will taste.

Please note: due to legal restrictions at some of our stops on this tour- all members of your group must be 20 years old or older.
Single travelers: please email us directly and let us know if you have any dietary restrictions or allergies.
Tour Highlights:

• 3-hour tour of Kyoto’s Fushimi district
• Visit a small and large sake brewery to get a sense of the differences in scale and try their sake and other products.
• Guided tour at the Gekkeikan Okura Sake Museum
• See how a brewery works and get a sense of what goes into the production of the world’s best sake.
• Browse the shops at a local shopping arcade for souvenirs unique to the area.

Our guests will have a chance to learn about all the ins and outs of the sake brewing process, but due to sanitation and brewing laws in Japan, we will not be able to see the actual active sake brewing areas. 

Private Tours: For a more customized experience, make your tour private for an additional ¥19,500+ TAX. (min. 2 people). Please click the add-on button on your cart when you check out.

We have family-friendly pricing on many of our tours, BUT This tour is for adults over 20. Thank you for your understanding.  If you would like to book a tour with children please check our Family-Friendly Page or inquiry to bookings@arigatojapan.co.jp for recommendations.

Strict start time policy:  We are sorry to say that if you are not able to arrive at the meeting point by the departure time, we will need to start the tour regardless and no refund can be provided. We are also unable to accommodate meeting up at any of the food stops. This is to ensure a smooth and enjoyable experience for all guests and also to respect our relationships with restaurants.

5-minute grace period: We can only wait an additional five minutes after the starting time and then the tour will depart. In addition, please note that we cannot give directions or contact the guides on the phone once the tour begins.

Tour Schedule:

Changes on tours: Applicable substitutions may be made due to public holidays, weather conditions, and other unforeseen circumstances.

For Vegetarians: 

Some food that we serve may have dashi, a soup stock made from kelp (seaweed) and bonito (skipjack tuna) as well as other ingredients. Dashi is the cornerstone of Japanese cuisine and is used in many/most Japanese dishes. Please note that we may not be able to accommodate your dietary needs if you cannot consume dashi. Additionally, please inform us if you can eat eggs and dairy products.

If you cannot consume Dashi, we recommend booking a private tour with us and we can offer some alternatives. Again, be aware, it will still be a challenge to 100% avoid fish stock.

For this tour, it is possible (with advanced notice at the time of booking) to make adjustments to support the following dietary restrictions:

Please keep in mind, however, that we cannot make an allergy-free or dietary restriction food guarantee since food is prepared in kitchens that do not belong to Arigato Travel. Also, some stops may not have a viable substitution but we will make every effort to compensate at different stops throughout the tour.

4-291-1 Ryogaemachi, Fushimi-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto-fu, Japan, 612-8082

〒612-8082 両替町4丁目291−1京都府京都市伏見区

There are two train lines you can take to get to the meeting place.

• Take the Keihan Train Line getting off at Fushimi Momoyama Station
• Take the Kintetsu Line getting off at Momoyama Goriyo Station

Our guide will be there holding an “Arigato Travel” sign.

We suggest wearing comfortable shoes as there will be walking involved.

WEATHER REMINDER: 
On rainy days, we recommend bringing an umbrella. They can be easily purchased at any convenience store.

Please note, this tour is special because it is in the less crowded area outside of the often, overly-busy downtown Kyoto. Please see the train info, time, distance, and cost estimates here: 

Train

• Kyoto station -Momoyama-goryo (Kintetsu line) 15 min, 260yen
• Shichijo station (closest to Kyoto station)- Fushimi-momoyama(Keihan line) 15min, 210yen

Taxi

• 6.7km, 25min, 2700yen