The 3 Sake Tasting That Earn Their Price

1.1-Day Snow Monkeys, Zenko-ji Temple & Sake in Nagano

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,020 reviews · from $151Our pick

Spend eight hours exploring Nagano with an English-speaking guide. Visit 1,400-year-old Zenko-ji Temple, taste local sake at Nishimon Yoshinoya, enjoy a Japanese lunch, and walk the forest trail to Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park. Guides such as Tom, Endo, Kieran, and Nadine have led recent departures, though staff can vary.

“We were lucky to have Tom as our guide. He is extremely knowledgeable not only about Japanese history but also gave an excellent summary of sake production and the different types as well as the snow monkeys and Nagano attractions. Tom was also very generous with recommendations for other areas in Japan. The tour was an excellent combination of the temple tour and snow monkey forest. Fantastic lunch included. Plenty of time to see the Zenkoji temple as well as the monkeys. Thanks Tom”

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2.Arashiyama Bamboo, Temple, Monkeys, or Secret Sake Brewery

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 886 reviews · 5 hours - 330 minutes · from $87Cheapest good one

Spend five hours exploring Arashiyama on foot with a bilingual guide such as Karim, Tom, Francis, or Toru. Visit the bamboo grove, Okochi Sanso Garden, Tenryuji Temple, Kimono Forest, Togetsukyo Bridge, and Iwatayama Monkey Park. Choose the standard route or a sake brewery and local lunch option.

“Karim is an amazing tour guide. Highly recommend this tour”

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3.Nagano: Snow Monkeys, Zenkoji Temple & Sake Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 833 reviews · 8 - 12 hours · from $135

See Nagano’s key sights in one long, well-planned day. An English-speaking guide such as Dylan, Brent, Tom, or Hiroshi leads you through Zenkoji Temple, sake tasting, a generous local lunch, and Jigokudani Monkey Park. Expect about 1.6 kilometers of walking on a forest trail, which can be icy in winter.

“My family and I absolutely loved the tour. The price was well worth the experience. So much packed into a wonderful package. Shawn and Yama were amazing tour guides filled with wonderful knowledge about the historic landmarks and area in general. We would definitely recommend this tour to anyone thinking about going. Of course the snow monkeys were the stars of the show and definitely made every moment worth while!”

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