BEST OF · FOOD TOURS WITH LOCALS IN JAPAN
This is the shortlist you would send a friend: 7 food tours with locals in Japan worth the money, each with its price, its traveller verdict and the one thing to know before you commit.
Explore Shinsekai through 15 Osaka street-food tastings, three drinks, local stories, and five small eateries for $73.29.
“Great tour to try a variety of street food. Anna was a wonderful guide - personable, knowledgeable, and very fun. Food was delicious, family owned spots. Recommended.”
Explore Ueno’s standing bars, izakayas, sashimi, skewers, sake, and ramen on a lively three-hour Tokyo food tour.
“100/100 recommend this tour to everyone who wants to eat local food and not have to worry about choosing a restaurant to go to. Aki is awesome! Not only did he tell us about all the great food and drink but he gave us a full tour of the Ueno neighborhood. It was just my wife and I on his tour and the three of us didn’t stop talking and having fun. Aki is well travelled and a great story teller and made our experience a blast. Please take the opportunity to do this tour, it’ll be the highlight of your travels.”
Taste Osaka’s best local bites on a three-hour walk through Shinsekai, Hozenji Yokocho, and Dotonbori with a small group guide.
“This was a fun tour with lots of food! Our tour guide Bryan is informative and engaging. Highly recommend!”
Explore Kyoto’s Nishiki Market and Daimaru Depachika with a local guide, sampling regional foods, sweets, tofu skin, tempura, and more.
“Was fab to taste local food in the Nishiki market. Fab guide 🤩”
Review of Kyoto’s 90-minute Nishiki Market food tour, with shrine stories, local tastings, guide tips, pricing, access, and practical advice.
“thanks a lot to Kaito Okada Who was super Nice, speak english very well and gave us so much details about food, Japan, culture... He answered at every question with plaisure, show interest in our culture too. thank you”
Taste Osaka classics with a private local host, from takoyaki to kushikatsu, while exploring Dotonbori and Namba for $169.
“We enjoyed our guide. She was knowledgeable about the area she took us to. We let her know we weren’t too adventurous and she respected that. We definitely got a sense of the specialties in Osaka.”
Eat through local Ueno taverns with an English-speaking guide, seven dishes, five drinks, and ramen for a close look at Japanese food culture.
“Aki is great at sharing stories about Japan and creating a fun atmosphere in the group. We had three stops and I would highly recommend this tour as an introduction to Tokyo or Japanese drink/food culture.”
Pick a street, a market or a kitchen.
