Sake Tasting

Hello,

I was wondering if anyone had done the sake tasting in kyoto with Kyoto Sights and Nights? http://www.kyotosightsandnights.com/sake.html

I%26#39;d love to know what anyone thought of it, or if anyone had any other recommendations of sake tours/tastings/etc. in Kyoto, Tokyo, or Osaka.

Thank You!

Sake Tasting

You should search ';Peter MacIntosh'; (the organizer of above mentioned tour) in this forum. You%26#39;ll read interesting reviews.

Sake Tasting

I did read the reviews about the Geisha tour, and was glad to see the cheaper (and hopefully more reliable) alternative, but I do not believe he is the one organizing the sake tasting. So, I wondered if anyone had experienced that.

The link you posted is his website.

It%26#39;s the website of a tour/travel advice company that uses him for that particular tour, but also offers other services.

I don%26#39;t know how you figure that out. My understanding is that Peter is the founder of Kyoto Sights and Nights. See:

www.kyotosightsandnights.com/about.html#about

I assume Peter is doing this sake tasting tour since it takes place at the Bar Hanagumo where he and his wife run.

I used to live in Gion and still have several friends there and I%26#39;ve heard that Peter has a less than optimal track record--not returning phone calls, being late or canceling tours without letting participants know, etc. I just wanted to point that out to you before you decide on this tour. You might have a wonderful time with him. Who knows?

If your Tokyo visit coincides with one of the sake evenings held by John Gauntner -

http://www.sake-world.com/index.html

it is well worth going. They sell out quickly though. If you e-mail him he can let you know if there is an event during your stay. Basically he covers one aspect of sake during each event - I went once when the whole evening was devoted to warm sake, and one time it was all about the influence of the brewmaster on the process, but you con%26#39;t have to know anything to attend and he covers the basics each time. The location is a little izakaya - not terribly atmospheric; it%26#39;s modern %26amp; sleek - and the food is excellent. There is always a six- or seven- course meal. I think it runs something like 7000 to 8000 yen per person which covers tasting six or seven different sakes (and finishing all the sake, so if you are like me you are reeling by the end of the evening) and all the food.

The events are all in English but attended by both expats and locals.

Visit Fushimi area instead of this.

There are number of sake bars around Fushimi that offers various sake experience. There is also Gekkeikan museum and other sake makers factory tours where you can try their fresh products. If you love Sake, Fushimi area is worth visiting.

I will get more info later for you.

Hey, thanks a lot! I wrote an email to John a couple of days ago, so hopefully I hear back from him... In the meanwhile, does anyone have any experience with the Nada area in Kobe?

I would be interested in the Fushimi Sake experience!

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