Great for Japanese Food Nerds! - This is the second Japan tour I’ve done with Culinary Backstreets and I had the same tour guide both times. I have to say these are hands down some of the best tours I’ve done in my life. The curation of where we go is top notch, the food is always really delicious, and I end up learning so much. I’m a huge Japanese food nerd and I feel like I get exposed to really niche Japanese food history and experiences on these tours. Definitely well worth the time and money!!

Extraordinary tour like no other! Do not pass this by if you love historical food culture! - We are avid travelers and enthusiastic foodies, particularly interested in local culinary excellence wherever we travel. When planning our trip to Japan, we put particular emphasis on extraordinary food experiences. Our extensive research led us to Culinary Backstreets Tours, (highly rated in some of the most prestigious travel magazines). Before we arrived and knowing only that Japan is one of the premier culinary destinations in the world, we chose them for both Osaka (see our review posted for the umami food tour, which also delivered a 5-star excellence rating from us!), and Tokyo. Our time schedule in each city was limited but we wanted to try as many culturally significant foods as possible, and Culinary Backstreets made that possible. The Tokyo Monzen Nakacho food tour was one of the best food tours we have ever taken anywhere in all of our travels of over 30 years! Our guide, Michelle, was beyond amazing, not only in the choices she made to introduce us to the very old school traditional food world of Japan, but also the history and clarity she presented while teaching us more than we ever dreamed possible about the food culture in this magnificent city. The description on the website cannot possibly do justice to the kind of tour this is, in both its authenticity and deliciousness! The way Michelle structured our day was like reading a thrilling book you just never want to put down, chapter by chapter, each one leading up to a grand finale that you would have never expected. This is no ordinary food tour; it is like eating a bite of history and culture at every stop! Michelle made our day absolute perfection, and by the end of the day we not only had one of the most memorable and educational days ever, but we had made a genuine friend who shared everything she knew with a group of 6 six American strangers to her city, all eager to learn and understand the importance of food and it's traditions to a culture. Her love of her city and all the amazing and unique food treasures she introduced to us was nothing we could have ever imagined before this tour, and we did it in the oldest part of Tokyo with a guide who had a personal relationship with these small local purveyors who have been honing their craft and producing the purest versions of this food for years. The places she took us to were small, quaint and incredibly authentic; every bite was not only delicious, but felt like a bite of historical knowledge, impossible to get anywhere else except on this tour. We were warmly welcomed at every stop and enjoyed meeting and learning from the dedicated people who have been part of building the incredible food culture Japan is so well known for, and who have been doing it with purity and discipline all their lives. We came away feeling like we saw the very best parts of this amazing city and left feeling like we had had the most incredible and unique food experiences in all of Japan. We know it was because of Michelle that we came to understand the country of Japan more than we ever dreamed possible in the short time that we were there. She was passionate and knowledgeable and so enthusiastic to share what she knew with us, and the time we spent on this tour with her was worth far more than the price of the ticket; every stop was better than the last and each one so thoughtfully selected not only to delight us with the best bites possible but to educate us in a way we never could have expected. She truly cares that you understand and enjoy your day, and it's so obvious she loves what she does by the way she interacted with us, and that is worth so much more than money can buy. There is absolutely nothing touristy about this tour, which was our goal, and Michelle achieved it 100%. Absolutely everything we ate, drank or experienced was included in the cost of the ticket so that you never had to reach for your wallet once. We cannot thank her or Culinary Backstreet Tours enough and many thanks and much respect to all the purveyors and everyone we met along the way who helped us create memories of Japan that we know we will carry for a lifetime! Culinary Backstreets is absolutely the top of the line, first class tour company for private food tours, and they will for sure be on our tour list for our next adventures!

Incredible experience. - We had an incredible tour. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable and did a great job teaching us not only about the food culture but many aspects of Tokyo. Would highly recommend and would take it again given the opportunity.

Great guide, food and drinks. We will be back for more. - We had a wonderful long lunch/ dinner experience with Nicole and our small group of 6. Nicole made sure that all in the group had a great time! The food was excellent across the bars and intimate restaurants, and provided an educational window to Japanese culture through the varied dining (and drinking) experiences. We will be back for more.

Great eating and drinking tour thru a lesser known part of Tokyo. - Great way to eat and drink your way around a less touristed area. Michelle was terrific in leading us thru some great dining spots both more formal and some less formal. She was also able to provide some knowledge of the area, Tokyo and Japan. We got to meet many of the proprietors of the places we visited. We’d recommend this to anyone.

An excellent introduction to old Tokyo - Our guide Nicole was friendly, helpful, well organised and inclusive of all members of our group. The tour was well paced and interesting, and the food diverse nd delicious

Unique authentic old and new food experience - Michell was an amazing guide and we got to learn a lot from her. We truly got to experience food that we normally would have as it was our 2-3rd visit to Japan and it was new experience for us

Easily Recommend. - This was a great experience; fabulous guides, food and stories throughout. The shopkeepers were wonderful and so memorable. It was nice to explore an area we otherwise wouldn’t have visited. 10/10.

Impressive Travel Pros - I’ve worked in the travel and tourism industry for years, and expect a lot from tour operators - believe me when I say this team does great work! Not only was our guide able to accommodate the limited mobility one of our guests had, providing alternatives to the longest walking part of the tour, but she went above and beyond to connect us with local vendors and share tales of Tokyo. It speaks a lot that other guests on our trip were also repeat guests - when your international reputation has people coming back again and again, take note. Thank you for all you do!!!

Great variety of experiences, couldn’t have done it on my own - Second culinary backstreets tour (first was Lisbon) and this one was just as awesome! Great variety of visits, from tiny restaurant with delicious heritage food to fire ceremony at local temple to shop specializing in plum wines… Diana was a great tour guide, and it was fun to meet the other visitors on their way to a Japan skiing adventure.