10 Private Beer Tours in Japan Worth Booking

1.Private Sake Brewery Visit and Tasting Tour in Hida

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 65 reviews · from $160Our pick

Meet English-speaking guide Dai at JR Hida-Hagiwara Station for a private visit to Tenryo Brewery, a Hida sake maker more than 300 years old. See the brewing process, ask questions, and taste five kinds of sake. The tour begins at 1:30 pm and lasts about two hours.

“Super amazing tour with guide Dai! The brewery was very interesting and it makes you appreciate the sake tasting after. Would definitely do it again if I’m in Takayama.”

Check availability →Read our full review

2.Private Tour: Tokyo’s Oldest Sake Brewery and Riverside Walk

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 25 reviews · from $229

Meet guide Simon at Shinjuku and ride about 80 minutes to the Tama Valley. Walk beside the river to Ozawa Shuzo, Tokyo’s oldest working sake brewery, taste several sakes, enjoy a Japanese lunch, visit Kanzanji Temple, and return to Shinjuku. Food and drink are included.

“I loved the leisurely train ride to outer-Tokyo. It was our first visit to Japan and we wanted to see, smell, taste and soak up as much of Japan as possible. We enjoyed the visit to the sake brewery and liked the informal sake tasting with snacks tRead more”

Check availability →Read our full review

3.Exploring Nada Sake Breweries Kobe Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 17 reviews · from $154

Spend about six hours walking Kobe’s Nada sake district with a licensed English-speaking guide such as Andy, Norio Oki, Yama-san, or Tanaka-san. Choose three or four stops from eight breweries and museums, learning how sake is made while sampling local culture at your own pace.

“This tour was amazing! We visited a mix of traditional and more modern sake breweries and the mix was perfect. We learned so much about the sake making process and the history behind it, it made us appreciate the process and the prRead more”

Check availability →Read our full review

4.World Heritage Himeji Castle & Sake Breweries Private Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 11 reviews · from $101

Meet your bilingual guide at Himeji Castle’s Otemon Gate at 1 pm for a private visit to the UNESCO-listed castle, including historical storytelling and virtual reality. Finish at Nadagiku Shuzo Brewery with exhibits and sake tasting. Guides such as Nancy and Haruna have earned especially strong praise.

“The Himenji Castle and Sake Tour was an amazing experience. We took the Shinkasen Train from Kyoto to Himenji and then a short walk from the Himenji Station to meet our guide. The Himenji Castle and grounds was immersive, large, inforRead more”

Check availability →Read our full review

5.3-Hour Private Sake Tour in Japan’s Top Sake Area

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 9 reviews · from $116

Walk from Uozaki Station through Kobe’s Nada Gogo sake district with a private guide, visiting Hamafukutsuru, Kiku-Masamune, and Hakutsuru. You’ll see traditional brewing tools, learn about rice polishing and fermentation, and taste up to 1,000 yen of sake at each brewery.

“The tourist a good intro to sake making. Go to 3 breweries. They’re sort of similar. There aren’t many signs in English and the guides may not know the answers to your question so if your an inquisitive person you may be disappointed”

Check availability →Read our full review

6.KOBE Sake brewery PRIVATE walking tour with Local guide

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 7 reviews · from $84

Spend three hours walking Kobe’s Nada sake district with a private guide such as Yuko, Marin, or Mr. Ogawara. Visit sake museums, a working barrel facility, and tasting rooms, then finish at Hamadaya, a liquor shop and izakaya where you can try kakuuchi.

“È stata una bellissima esperienza, Marin ci ha guidato e insegnato un sacco di cose sul sake. Lo consiglio caldamente a chi vuole approfondire la conoscenza di questa antica bevanda e passare un bel pomeriggio!”

Check availability →Read our full review

7.Rural Brewery Town Walk: Half-Day Private Tour Near Kyoto

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 7 reviews · from $106

Meet your private guide at Maibara Station, then take a local train to Kinomoto for family-run soy sauce and sake breweries, tastings, a historic temple, and a dark meditation maze. Guides such as Asami arrange visits that are difficult to find independently.

“It was a highlight of our vacation to be able visit a small town known for breweries by a local guide who lived there. Asami navigated the trains and scheduled the visits to two Saki and soy breweries that we would have never been able to find on our own. We also learned abRead more”

Check availability →Read our full review

8.Cultural Sake Brewery Private Tour & Unlimited Tasting Near Tokyo

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 4 reviews · from $105

At Yamane Brewery in Hanno, Saitama, you’ll tour a working sake brewery, learn about wooden-barrel brewing, and meet brewer Fuku-san. A 40-minute tasting includes rare honey, local tea, and germinated brown rice sake, plus snacks, Hanno ware, and a Nishikawa wood souvenir.

“This was well worth the trip! The tour was highly educational and the saké was amazing. I would recommend this to anyone interested in saké and traditional Japanese culture.”

Check availability →Read our full review

9.Private Sake Tasting at 300 Years Old Sake Brewery in Tokyo

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 3 reviews · from $123

Meet guide Wasabi at NEWoMan Shinjuku, then ride by train to Ozawa Sake Brewery, Tokyo’s oldest and largest. Tour the 300-year-old brewery, taste several sakes with snacks, and choose between a nature walk, café break, or more time on the patio. Train fare costs extra.

“I love drinking sake, so it was wonderful to learn about its history and the process of making it. The tour guide was very knowledgeable and friendly. Although I was on this trip alone, I didn't feel excluded. The actual tasting was fun, and I ended up buying two bottles.”

Check availability →Read our full review

10.Private Sake Brewery Tour and Shinran Temple Visit

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 2 reviews · from $28Best value

Miyoko leads a private three-hour walk from Inada Station through Sainenji Temple, Inada Shrine, and Isokura Brewery. See Shinran-linked Buddhist sites, an 800-year-old ginkgo tree, and learn how Inasato sake is made with local rice and granite-filtered water. Sake tasting is for ages 20 and older.

“This is a perfect trip for those who want to escape the busy congestion of Tokyo. For tourists who are using a JR rail pass, you can get to Kasama on the Tokyo Wide pass, and the JR rail pass. Tour available in English and Japanese.”

Check availability →Read our full review