Excellent tour off the beaten path with a friendly and knowledgeable guide. - Excellent tour of Akabane Izakayas. Simon was very knowledgeable and friendly. Well worth it for an adventure that includes delicious food and local drinks. Will feel much more confident going to off the beaten path izakayas now!

Authentic izakaya experience - Excellent izakaya tour. Highly recommended if you want an authentic experience. Our guide, Simon, was fantastic! He was extremely knowledgeable and conversational, giving us clear insight into Japanese food, culture, and society. He was very patient with all our questions! We had a great time because of him. The food Simon ordered for us was a good balance between "safe" options and "adventurous" options. It was mostly meat, but there was some grilled / pickled veg too. Lots of drink options too. Since it's a small private tour, Simon can customize the food how you like. Some food was definitely weird for us, but going outside our comfort zone is part of why we took a tour like this! Akabane is authentic. This is where the locals go. I saw no other tourists. The narrow, lantern-lit alleys bustled with locals having a good time. We visited 3 izakaya, and felt welcomed at each. It's an intense but informal atmosphere.

Certainly not a tourist trap - this is REAL Tokyo - I'll be honest, upon arriving at Akabane I wasn't sure what to make of it. I'd just spent the last few days with a friend exploring Shibuya and central Tokyo and the atmosphere was very different. However, knowledge is key and after meeting our convivial guide, we were transported to a world of small, intriguing "izakaya" style restaurants within minutes. This was definitely not the kind of place we would have found on our own and there were plenty of photo opportunities - from the glowing evening lanterns to the old ladies serving "oden." Beyond simply giving us a tour Simon genuinely seemed to have a rapport (not that we understood the Japanese!) with the staff in the restaurants and he translated for us when necessary. The jovial owner of the BBQ restaurant was our personal favourite! The one problem we did have was that one of the izakayas we visited was full at the time, so we had to wait on a chilly evening for around 20 mins. Simon did offer an alternative, but as he said that particular restaurant was one of the best, we persevered. We were rewarded for our patience with some awesome food though! Simon thoughtfully suggested the best things on the menu, based on our preferences. I'm not usually one to post reviews, but Simon deserves credit for providing an authentic experience which goes beyond what many people offer. Thanks to his help and guidance we learned the basic izakaya etiquette and gained confidence in these kinds of restaurants - we were far more adventurous with the places we tried on the remainder of our trip! Cheers!

Great way to see an area I would not have looked into - Booked this tour with a friend, hoping to see an area of Tokyo that was a bit off the beaten track. We had an amazing time! Simon took care of everything, and was knowledgeable and enthusiastic. The highlight of the tour for me was the seafood restaurant, where we had tuna heads, shrimp, and plenty of drink! Was totally satisfied and I'd recommend this tour highly. The area seemed to be devoid of tourists and felt very genuine, which was exactly what we were looking for.

Great way to eat and drink the way the locals do! - I booked a private tour for myself with Simon - he was great with email communication and working with me to setup a tour specific to what I wanted to see and do. We had a great afternoon of eating, drinking, chatting and learning about Tokyo, Food, Culture and Life. Simon was easy to spend the day with, took me to some great places, and gave me quite a few other tips and insight into traveling. If the kinds of tours that Simon offers are what are you looking to experience in Japan - you cannot do much better than Simon.

Food, drink and the inside of izakaya - To be honest I’m a little intimidated by Japan’s Izakaya because they’re like a club and I don’t have the language or cultural know how to walk right in and and not embarrass myself or someone else which is why this tour was so great. While drinking some genuinely tasty beverages I was able to try some Japanese foods I’d only read about and enjoy the atmosphere inside the izakaya of Akabane, a little gem that apparently specialises in an almost prohibition worthy speak easy vibe.