Kyoto Nishiki Market Food & Cultural Walking Tour: An Authentic Culinary Adventure in Kyoto's Heart
4.9
180 Ratings
Kyoto
Experience an authentic culinary adventure in Kyoto with a guided food and cultural walking tour of Nishiki Market. Discover the city's best eating spots and immerse yourself in its rich history and traditions.
Duration:
3 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
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Highlights
- Nishiki Market Shopping District - Immerse yourself in the vibrant atmosphere and discover the local culinary traditions in this historic market that spans 400 years and features 130 vendors along a bustling five-block stretch. This marketplace remains a key spot for both community members and culinary experts. Renowned chefs from Michelin-starred establishments and traditional inns source their high-quality ingredients here daily. Residents seek out the market for genuine, top-tier produce.\nAs you meander through the stalls and taste a variety of foods, you’ll gain insight into Japanese cuisine, regional delicacies, and gastronomic customs. Experience the market in its entirety, including not just the food but also the array of related stores offering cookware, dishes, and chopsticks.\n- Nishiki Tenmangu - Experience the serenity of a local Shinto sanctuary. Discover common shrine features and the proper etiquette for prayer in a Japanese Shinto shrine.\nAdditionally, you’ll get an introduction to the religious practices of the Japanese populace.\nIf you wish, you may also try your luck with an omikuji, or fortune paper.\n- Teramachi-dori Street - Sense the pulse of local life as you stroll down this neighborhood shopping avenue, home to a mix of time-honored and contemporary retailers.\n- Takoyakushido Eifukuji Temple - Visit a quaint Buddhist temple nestled at the edge of the shopping district. With temples scattered throughout Kyoto, this offers a genuine slice of local life, illustrating how temples are woven into the daily fabric of the city.\n- Rissei Garden Hulic Kyoto - Relax with a beverage in the communal spaces of this transformed elementary school. This site is steeped in Kyoto’s recent history, reflecting the area’s past significance, the era of modernization, and the story of the school’s establishment. Your guide will share tales of this locale and Kyoto’s history as you savor a drink.
What's Included
- Local and professional guide
- Food tasting experience
- Lunch: Tofu skin, local home-cooked dishes, Hamo Tempura, Minced beef cutlet, Probiotic drink
What's Not Included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Transportation fee to meeting point
- Other personal expenses
- Extra foods
Additional Information
Join us on a captivating culinary journey in the heart of Kyoto! Enjoy an engaging initiation into Kyoto’s unique food culture through a small-group tour led by a local guide to Kyoto’s renowned food hub, Nishiki Market.
Beyond food, you will also gain diverse insights into the city as you stroll through its neighborhoods, gaining knowledge about Kyoto’s religion, traditions, and history.
Your congenial guide will provide valuable tips about Kyoto, including helpful travel guidelines and cultural nuances that will enrich your visit. Let’s delve deeper and experience Kyoto like a local.
- Minimum drinking age is 20 years in Japan
- Unfortunately, we do not accommodate vegetarian, halal, gluten-free requests, or allergy-related requests.
- If you will come with a stroller, please let us know in advance. Nishiki market is very crowded sometimes.
- If you have severe dietary restrictions, it may not be possible to arrange food for you.
- The tour will take place rain or shine.
Location
Daimaru Kyoto
[Meetup]10:15 am in front of the South West Main entrance of DAIMARU KYOTO.
*In front of the "Shijo Takakura bus stop" along big Shijo street.
*This is NOT FUJII Daimaru.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.9
(180 Ratings)
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Krijn_v
Apr 7, 2024
Nishiki Market Tour - Kiyoto was the most wonderful guide and made our tour of the Nishiki Market very special. He led us around the market with ease and had interesting information to share.
Review provided by Viator
Gazmol
Apr 5, 2024
Most highly recommended tour of Nishiki market - Tamura Masamine san (Masa) was our guide, who has lived and worked in Kyoto all of his life, and he was a wealth of knowledge. He has owned restaurants and isakaya and knew the market inside out. Lots of secret spots, insider knowledge and delicious options to taste. I couldn’t believe when he said it was his first guided tour. Very generous with his time and answers to questions. Like all Japanese people, he is very polite and hospitable. His English is excellent. Highly recommended.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Joshua_r
Mar 29, 2024
Fantastic Foodie Experience - Our tour guide, Chika, was friendly, knowledgable and very kind. We were guided through so many stalls and the food was excellent! Highly recommend.
Review provided by Viator
Abbey_b
Mar 27, 2024
Fun activity! - I had a fun time being guided around the neighborhood and the Nishiki Market with Tomoko! It was a great activity for my solo travel days. Tomoko is a Kyoto native, very knowledgeable, and picked out delicious eats for the group!
Review provided by Viator
Victorgx4487jn
Mar 25, 2024
Nishiki Market comment - The discovery of the Nishiki market with our guide was a very enriching experience, it allowed us to better understand the things around us and to appreciate more gustatively speaking
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dream38789890635
Mar 19, 2024
Fully enjoyed a food tour with a experienced guide - We were guided by a joyful and experienced guide Tomoko. Nishiki Market, hundreds of meters long and full of intriguing food shops, I first felt lost to choose good ones. But led by Tomoko, I had various tasty foods at various shops, each time with small amount. Both my stomack and heart were satisfied. Then, we walked around the area, including a Cow Shrine and an Octopus Temple. Everything I saw was amazing. I strongly recommend this tour and Tomoko!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Irene_r
Mar 18, 2024
Enjoyable & educational food & history - The various delicious food we ate on the tour with Saeko our tour guides. She explained the types of food Kyoto specializes in the area.
Review provided by Viator
Casa1234
Mar 14, 2024
Must do food tour in Kyoto! - What a great way to explore the Nishiki Market and the unique foods of Kyoto. My guide, ‘Chika’ is from Kyoto and her love of the area and knowledge of its history really came through during the tour. I got to try so many wonderful dishes and explore all the sights and smells of this vibrant market. We also visited a few small shrines/temples and I learned interesting facts about the history of Kyoto. Chika was very inviting and answered all of my many questions. Highly recommend scheduling your tour with Chika of this unique Kyoto market.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Joaquin
Mar 11, 2024
Eel is Delicios - Our guide was very knowledgeable and informative. I had a great time. I discovered I liked eel, it doesn't taste like chicken.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lindsay763
Mar 21, 2024
Food tour delicious 😋 - We enjoyed our exploration of the market with Umi and the food provided at various stops was excellent, spices, meat cutlet, sake (at 11.00 in the morning!) and tempura and egg based dishes. The smells and sights were amazing.
Umi was polite and helpful. It would have been helpful to give us more and repeated explanations of the food and more history of these foods to truly provide a full experience. Also some more general history and funny stories, but all in all a good tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
