The 15 Best Food Tours in Japan

Tokyo: Shinjuku Food Tour (13 Dishes at 4 Local Eateries) - Kabukicho: food beside Tokyo’s nightlife district

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 6,603 reviews · from $86Our pick

Taste 13 Japanese dishes at four Shinjuku eateries, from Omoide Yokocho to Golden Gai, with two drinks and a local guide.

“We had a wonderful time with Elena as our guide! She is incredibly enthusiastic, energetic, and truly passionate about what she does. Elena explained the cultural background in a way that was engaging and easy to understand, which made the experience even more meaningful. Her positive energy made the tour so much fun from start to finish. We really enjoyed our time with her and would highly recommend Elena to anyone looking for an informative and enjoyable experience!”

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Tokyo Tsukiji Fish Market Food and Culture Walking Tour

2.Tokyo Tsukiji Fish Market Food and Culture Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 3,184 reviews · from $99

Explore Tokyo’s Tsukiji Outer Market with a local guide, tasting sushi, Wagyu, seafood, fruit, and Japanese snacks in three lively hours.

“Our tour guide, Take, was full of history and knowledge of the food and culture. Take communicated well and gave a nice variety of different types of food. The food we sampled was really good! My favorite was the squid! I never ate sushi but wanted to be open minded! It was really good, especially the eel. There is a bit of walking, but it was worth it!”

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Osaka: Shinsekai Food Tour with 13-15 Dishes at 5 Eateries

3.Shinsekai Food Tour with 13-15 Dishes at 5 Eateries

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 2,204 reviews · 3 hours · from $53

Eat your way through Osaka’s Shinsekai with 13 to 15 local dishes, two drinks, five eateries, and an English-speaking guide.

“Nice guide, interesting tour around Shinsekai and ate at small local places, all well organised and delicious”

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Osaka Food Tour: 13 Dishes at 5 Local Eateries

4.Osaka Food Tour: 13 Dishes at 5 Local Eateries

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 2,149 reviews · from $73

Taste 13 Osaka dishes at five Shinsekai eateries, with two drinks, local stories, and a small-group walk through neighborhood food spots.

“Great experience with Mari on December 30th getting to sample food and drinks and learn a bit about Shinsekai! I liked that we visited a lot of small businesses that I probably wouldn't have found on my own without a guide. Our group was small - only 9 people - so we could visit small restaurants that a big tour wouldn't have gone to. I definitely recommend this experience for first-time visitors to Osaka.”

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Tokyo: Shinjuku Food Tour (15 Dishes and 4 Eateries)

5.Shinjuku Food Tour (15 Dishes and 4 Eateries)

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 2,033 reviews · 3 hours · from $85

Taste 13 Japanese dishes across four Shinjuku eateries while exploring Golden Gai, Omoide Yokocho, and Kabukicho with a local guide.

“Tour guide was great. The food was excellent. For the amount paid, you definitely get more than your money’s worth. Highly recommend.”

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Bar Hopping & Izakaya Tours, Bar Hopping Tours in Tokyo, Drinking Tours, Food, Food & Drink, Food Tours, Food Tours in Tokyo, Tokyo Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours

Best of Shinjuku: Izakaya Food Tour (4 Stops, 14+ Tastings)

6.Best of Shinjuku: Izakaya Food Tour (4 Stops, 14+ Tastings)

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,863 reviews · from $92

Explore Shinjuku after dark with 14-plus izakaya tastings, three drinks, and a local guide through Kabukicho, Golden Gai, and Omoide Yokocho.

“Selection of restaurants were varied and places I would not have thought to visit. The food in each was fabulous I’ll definitely go back. Our guide Yusuke was very knowledgeable and friendly making the experience exceptional”

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Drinking Tours, Evening Experiences, Food, Food & Drink, Food Tours, Food Tours in Kyoto, Geisha & Gion Tours, Kyoto Tours, Sake Tasting, Tour Reviews, Tours

Kyoto Night Foodie Tour in Gion (9+ dishes + 6 Sake tastings)

7.Kyoto Night Foodie Tour in Gion (9+ dishes + 6 Sake tastings)

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,762 reviews · from $163

Explore Gion and Pontocho over nine-plus dishes, six sake tastings, and three hours of local food, history, and backstreet Kyoto.

“J is a great tour guide! He is super knowledgeable about Kyoto, especially the Gieko districts and the local architecture. He provided great recommendations and conversation. He was the reason the tour was really fun! Thanks, J!”

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Hungry Osaka Street Food Tour:15 Tastings & 3 Drinks with a Local

8.Hungry Osaka Street Food Tour:15 Tastings & 3 Drinks with a Local

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,727 reviews · from $73

Explore Shinsekai through 15 Osaka food tastings, three drinks, five local stops, and lively stories from an area guide.

“Fantastic tour with a very fun, engaging, knowledgeable and affable guide. Adam was the perfect guide for the trip and I would do another tour with him in an instant.”

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Tokyo: Tsukiji Fish Market Food and Walking tour

9.Tsukiji Fish Market Food and Walking tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,724 reviews · from $30Best value

Explore Tsukiji with a local guide, tasting seafood, sushi, omelets, and street food while learning market history and temple culture.

“Jim is very knowledgeable and brings a very unique perspective to Japanese culture. I would highly recommend him to anyone visiting Japan.”

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1-Day Tours, Drinking Tours, Food & Drink, Nagano Tours, Sake Tasting, Tour Reviews, Winter Activities

1-Day Snow Monkeys, Zenko-ji Temple & Sake in Nagano

10.1-Day Snow Monkeys, Zenko-ji Temple & Sake in Nagano

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,020 reviews · from $151

See Nagano’s snow monkeys, Zenko-ji Temple, sake breweries, and a hearty local lunch on this well-run full-day tour from $151.88.

“This excursion surpassed our expectations and added cultural experiences to our day. We were leaving Japan the next day so it really enhanced our trip.”

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Eat and Drink Like a Local: Tokyo Ueno Food Tour-Taverns&Ramen

11.Eat and Drink Like a Local: Tokyo Ueno Food Tour-Taverns&Ramen

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 957 reviews · from $95

Eat through Ueno on a three-hour small-group tour with sashimi, skewers, izakaya drinks, local bars, and ramen, guided in English.

“It was a great experience and learned a lot about japanese culture and was able to explore the area. Akira wada is a good tour guide”

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3-Hour Kyoto Insider Sake Brewery Tour with Tastings & Pairings

12.3-Hour Kyoto Insider Sake Brewery Tour with Tastings & Pairings

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 917 reviews · from $84

Learn how sake is brewed, taste 10 styles with Japanese snacks, and visit Kyoto's Gekkeikan Okura Museum in a practical 3-hour tour.

“We learned quite a bit about the history of sake, the families and businesses known for making it, and the process of making sake before diving into the delicious tasting! Both leaders of our group were engaging, informative, and witty. My group would have loved to try the advanced tasting option if we were around, we had a blast!”

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Arashiyama Bamboo, Temple, Monkeys, or Secret Sake Brewery

13.Arashiyama Bamboo, Temple, Monkeys, or Secret Sake Brewery

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 886 reviews · 5 hours - 330 minutes · from $87

Walk Kyoto’s bamboo grove, gardens, temple, river bridge, and monkey park, with a choice of shopping or local sake tasting.

“Our guide, Karim, has been perfect. Informative, friendly and fun! He kept a good pace during the tour and we never felt rushed, he gave us free time for pictures/eating/facilities. The tour covered some very famous sites but Karim has been also able to bring us “off the beaten path” letting us visit gardens and spots that we would have missed otherwise. The group was of just 5 people so we have been extremely lucky, usually it’s max 12 people but maybe off season helped! We highly recommend the tour and thank you again Karim!”

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Nagano: Snow Monkeys, Zenkoji Temple & Sake Day Trip

14.Snow Monkeys, Zenkoji Temple & Sake Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 833 reviews · 8 - 12 hours · from $135

See Nagano’s Zenkoji Temple, taste local sake, enjoy a hearty lunch, and walk the snowy trail to Japan’s famous bathing monkeys.

“Yet another fabulous local activity organised by this company. It was well organised and well executed. I believe this the best way to see the snow monkeys if you visit Nagano in winter. They give you tips to make your trip easier, provide you with little known facts about the places you visit and provide a wonderful meal before you head off to see the monkeys. The pre purchased tickets help you to skip the line and be on your way. The two guides Tom and Tomiya were wonderful and very helpful. One of the best days we spent in the snow anywhere in the world. 5 stars.”

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Tokyo: Shibuya Food Tour (13 dishes and 4 Eateries)

15.Shibuya Food Tour (13 dishes and 4 Eateries)

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 770 reviews · from $77

Taste 13 Japanese dishes at four Shibuya eateries, from sushi and yakiniku to udon and dessert, with a small English-speaking group.

“Naruto was great! Super friendly and made the tour fun. He was the best part. We did not necessarily feel like we learned a lot or tried anything that we could not have found on our own, though. The price did not feel proportionate to what we ended up eating/drinking. We ate an 8 course Michelin meal for dinner the same night and it was less expensive.”

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