Tantalizing Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Tokyo
- Ol’ Reliable Bread and Butter Tours
- Exquisite Vegetarian and Vegan Options
- Family-Friendly Tours
- The Bar Scene
- Cooking Experiences
Japan is home to some of the best food in the world and while each prefecture will have foods they’re most known for, you can get your hands on just about anything in Tokyo if you look hard enough. Sushi, wagyu, okonomiyaki, taiyaki, matcha ice cream, yakitori, udon, ramen… the list of tasty morsels to be sampled goes on and on, and, to be honest, it’s a little overwhelming. You may wonder what you should prioritize on your first visit. Lots of restaurants don’t have menus in English. You could be thinking “What if I order something I’m unfamiliar with by mistake?” (Personally, I once ordered a fried fish skeleton. It was indeed delicious, albeit a little hard to chew.)
To make your trip a little less stressful, below is a list of food tours that have done the planning for you with guides that will help you order and get the gastronomic experience you’re looking for.
Ol’ Reliable Bread and Butter Tours
These tours offer Japanese staples like sushi or wagyu. If you’re a first time visitor to Japan, you won’t want to head back home without trying these first.
Tokyo Tsukiji Fish Market Food and Culture Walking Tour
Most planning a trip to Tokyo have heard of the enormous Tsukiji Fish market that opened in 1935 and operated as the largest fish market in the world until commercial sales were moved to Toyosu in 2018. The outer market however is still a bustling hub of amazing food and culture. Sign up for a tour to get the most out of your visit.
Tokyo: Ramen Tasting Tour with 6 Mini Bowls of Ramen
Branch out from the internet famous Ichiran Ramen and try out this ramen tour instead. Experience a delightful array of flavors and styles in 6 mini bowls exclusive to this tour. It may sound like a lot of food over the course of only three hours, but each bowl is 1/4 the usual size and you’ll be doing plenty of walking between the three shops.
Wagyu & Sake Tasting Dinner in Shinjuku
This eight course meal offers up the choicest cuts of wagyu beef from different regions of Japan. Learn how to to pair sake with wagyu as you dig in to the finest grade beef Japan has to offer.
Exquisite Vegetarian and Vegan Options
Not everyone’s into eating meat. Here are some tours that offer vegan and vegetarian options!
Tokyo: 2-Hour Vegan and Vegetarian Ramen Guided Walking Tour
Don’t miss out on one of Japan’s staple dishes due to dietary restrictions. This ramen tour specializes in Hokkaido ramen and has both vegetarian and vegan options for their four available styles: miso, from Sapporo; soy sauce, from Asahikawa; and a light shio (salt) broth, from Hakodate.
Modern Vegan Night Foodie Tour in Tokyo
Try out vegan takes on classical Japanese cuisine like sushi, tempura, and ramen. Situated in the trendy Shibuya ward, this tour offers a modern and slightly upscale experience. This tour is limited to those above the local drinking age (20).
Family-Friendly Tours
Not every child is going to be on board with raw fish. Here are some alternatives that may suit younger tastes.
Private Tokyo Food Tour – A Journey Through Time Through Food
This tour offers some options more popular with kids (noodles, fruit sandwiches, and desserts). One reviewer even mentioned how much his elementary aged kids loved it. And, with the insights into the history of each neighborhood the tour takes you through, it’s also educational. If you have small children this tour may be too long at 5.5 hours.
Tokyo: Crazy Cute & Kawaii Harajuku Food Tour
What could be more fun than a cutesy food tour smack in the middle of Tokyo’s youth culture? On this highly instagrammable tour, observe the chaotic creativity of Harajuku over a filling lunch and tasty desserts. Highly recommended for families with teenagers.
The Bar Scene
While the trains in Tokyo may stop early, it doesn’t mean that the nightlife does. Pick a bar hopping tour near your hotel and have fun!
Japanese Whisky Tasting Experience at Local Bar in Tokyo
If you love whisky, this sampling experience is right up your alley. It includes 4-5 short glasses of fine aged labels as well as a detailed explanation of how they are produced and the flavor profiles.
Sake Tasting Class with a Sake Sommelier
This affordable sake tasting and lecture teaches you the basics of Japanese rice wine, nihonshu, as well as having you chart the flavors and experiment with snack pairing.
Tokyo Bar Hopping Night Tour in Shinjuku
This list wouldn’t be complete without a tour that takes you to Kabukicho and Golden Gai. Get a chance to soak up the smoky, neon nightlife while enjoying some izakaya staples. If you decide to skip the tour and go alone, be wary of touts.
Cooking Experiences
If just sampling the food isn’t enough and you wish you could learn the skills to make it back home, look no further.
Tokyo Kappabashi : Soba Making Experience
Learn all about Japanese soba (buckwheat noodles) with this hands on culinary experience in Kappabashi. Learn the tools of the trade and the noodle making process. Then enjoy your hard work with a choice of several dipping sauces.
Toyosu & Tsukiji Market and Making Sushi Workshop Tour
Sushi seems like one of the most simple dishes to make. On this early morning tour learn what really goes into great sushi by heading out to the shops to pick out a fish, learning about the different parts of a tuna, and trying it yourself.
Tokyo Shinjuku: Mochi Pounding Experience with Tasting
A cheap and extremely popular cooking class, this workshop offers a chance to try your hand at making mochi the old fashioned way with mortar and pestle. This class is a huge hit with kids.
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