Sake was made to be drunk with food. These experiences match it with sushi, wagyu, izakaya dishes, street food and even a takoyaki cooking class.
A sake bar (sakaba) in Japan. Photo: Mr.ちゅらさん, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
We list 20 sake and food pairing experiences in 8 places, most in Tokyo, Kyoto and Kobe. Each links to its booking page, with the price as shown there on 18 October 2026.
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Showing 20 of 20 experiences. Prices are as shown on each booking page on 18 October 2026, in the currency shown; check the final price before you pay.
Gekkeikan Okura Sake Museum, then 10+ sakes chosen by a certified sommelier with otsumami pairings in the operator’s own tasting room.
Seven or more sakes with an English-speaking sommelier while you cook your own takoyaki.
Seven sakes, from sparkling to dessert styles, each matched with a course, led by an accredited sommelier.
English-guided tours of the Fukuju brewery: a short sake tour with a souvenir (same-day booking possible) or longer tours with a kaiseki or Kobe beef meal (two weeks’ notice, 2–6 guests).
A private three-hour tour with six tastings across izakaya, sake shops and a museum, with food pairings.
Kiku-Masamune tastings (six sakes and sake-lees ice cream) followed by a Kobe beef teppanyaki lunch.
A night food tour with nine dishes and six sake tastings.
A daytime Fushimi brewery walk with rare sakes and food pairings; runs every day, ages 20 and up.
An evening walk through Gion and Pontocho with two izakaya stops, wagyu and five or more sakes.
An evening of tastings and historic streets in central Kyoto; Tuesday to Saturday.
Sake tasting combined with a Japanese cooking class.
A tour of Kumazawa, the only sake brewery in Shonan, including areas not normally open, with sake and craft-beer tasting.
Seven sakes matched with four small courses, poured by certified sommeliers.
Three or four of Saijo’s breweries with a local lunch; runs every day, ages 20 and up.
Three izakaya with sake tastings led by a certified sake expert.
A private sake and food tour in Taito City; the listing notes vegan options.
A Funasaka brewery visit combined with a small-plates cooking class; runs November to March only.
Sake tasting in Asakusa with local snacks.
A walk through Tsukiji Hongwanji and the outer market, then unlimited tastings at a sake salon.
Unlimited sake tasting paired with a sushi omakase.
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Sake is lower in acidity than wine and rich in umami, so it works with foods that wine finds hard: soy sauce, miso, raw fish, pickles and dashi. A good pairing experience shows how the same sake changes next to different dishes, and how warming a sake can soften it next to grilled food.
The pairing experiences listed here range from sushi omakase with unlimited sake near Tokyo Tower, through brewery tours that end with a sake-kasu lunch, to evening food walks through Gion and Pontocho in Kyoto.
Check what food is included: a full meal, a set of small dishes or snacks only. Tell the operator about allergies or dietary needs when you book; vegetarian versions are sometimes possible, but many Japanese dishes use fish-based dashi. Cooking-class pairings (such as takoyaki in Osaka) are a fun choice for groups.
Japanese food with umami, such as sushi, sashimi, grilled fish, tempura and simmered dishes, is a classic match. Many sakes also suit cheese and fried food.
Sometimes. Ask the operator before booking, because dashi stock made from fish is common in Japanese cooking.