At Sake Tours, we take you behind the scenes to meet the people who grow, cook, brew, and create the incomparable food, sake, and traditional arts and crafts of Japan.
You’ll tour sake breweries, talk with master brewers, and most importantly, taste—a lot. But that’s only part of the experience. Depending on the tour you choose, you might find yourself trying your hand at making soba, embarking on a ramen crawl through Hakata, Kyushu or visiting a pottery master’s studio.
Expect impeccably sourced restaurant dinners, hard-to-find sake, and authentic, under-the-radar cultural experiences that make Sake Tours the most non-touristic “tours” you’ll ever experience. Come find out why so many Sake Tours customers return to explore different parts of Japan with us!
Unforgettable. Immersive. Delicious.
Join us for a Japan experience like no other.
UPCOMING TOURS 2024 / 2025
Nagano
Nov 11-15 (2024)
7 places left
Toyama
Jan 20-24 (2025)
7 places left
Hokkaido
Feb 3-8 (2025)
Full - waiting list available
Niigata
Feb 17-21 (2025)
11 places left
Okayama
Mar 10-14 (2025)
Full (Private Charter)
Nagano - Nov. 2024
Nov 11-15th (2024)
7 places left. Email us to reserve your place.
Explore the local sake, cuisine and culture of the mountainous region of Nagano. Visit the largest and also the smallest breweries in Nagano. Experience the ancient art of Urushi laquerware, shimenawa straw rope and mizuhiki paper cord decoration.
Toyama - Jan 2025
Jan 20-24th (2025)
7 places left. Email us to reserve your place.
Toyama boasts a charm that is truly one of a kind. What makes this area so special is the perfect combination of mountains and ocean, located so close to one another, and the way in which the produce from this region is harnessed to create a cuisine that is truly unique. As you journey from the northern coastline and further south into the mountains, you will discover a subtle yet distinct shift in the flavors of the region's cuisine and sake – a testament to the rich and diverse ingredients that come from Toyama's natural environment. Toyama is truly a feast for the senses, offering a gastronomic adventure that is as unforgettable as the landscape itself.
Hokkaido - Feb 2025
Feb 3-8th 2025.
This tour is now full (contact us to be added to wait list in case of cancellation)
Forget Niseko, Sapporo and Hakodate - we head deep into the eastern part of Hokkaido on a real sake and seafood fuelled adventure. And if you are thinking in your head "I've already been to Hokkaido" - our response is "You haven't been there with us!"
Niigata - late Feb. 2025
Feb 17-21st (2025)
11 places left
Long considered the crown jewel of Japanese sake-producing regions, Niigata is home to more than 90 breweries. On this trip, we’ll visit four of them, including one on the remote island of Sado, the former place of exile for court nobles, and now home to a revived population of Japanese crested ibis.
Why Choose Us?
Experiences
A tour with us is about experiences – you will get to do things that you wouldn’t be able to do if you were traveling alone
People
You will get to meet the Sake brewers, local farmers, food producers and artisans – encounters you normally wouldn’t have!
Sake & Food
Our team are extremely knowledgeable when it comes to Japanese food and sake. On a tour with us you will eat (and drink) very, very well.
Experience the real Japan …
At Sake Tours we are constantly curating new tours for our guests (many who keep returning every year).
We focus on offering experiences that you would not be able to have if you were traveling alone.
Check out some videos of our previous tours below.
What People Are Saying…
"Outstanding. One of the most exciting trips of my life. The chance to understand clearly and feel all the senses on making sake is the goal of this tour. At the end of all you will make friends forever. I would definitely recommend and do the Sake Tour again."
— Paulo
I just finished my third trip with Sake Tours and I'm already ready to plan the next one. If you love Japanese culture, local delicious food, and most importantly sake, plus really fun people, then you absolutely MUST come on a sake tour with Etsuko and Jason. Etsuko is a genius at finding the hidden gems, the local places where you meet the farmer, the brewer, the fisherman, the craftsman, and the chefs. I fly from the other side of the world for my Sake Tours fix!
— Jocelyn
“Even for a very well-traveled sojourner, Sake Tours organized trips that helped me discover regional Japanese culture, cuisine, and of course, sake in ways that I would never be able to arrange for myself. The small group size keeps the mood intimate and allows the organizers to take great care of guests. I look forward to each year’s exciting destinations.”
— Hung
