JD Kai – Food / Sake Tasting

Intimate, local food tasting experience, do not miss!
We only had time for Jason’s Food Tasting Tour, but if we’re ever back in Kyoto, I would totally sign up for his Sake Tasting and Cooking Class as well. This is an excellent tour for 1^st time, 2^nd time, or repeat Kyoto visitors.
Why?
This is a very intimate and local experience:
1. I really enjoyed seeing the non-​touristy side of Kyoto.
2. I loved trying to converse (in broken Japanese & English) with the shop owners. At the end of it all, honestly, Jason translated for us. It was lovely.
3. I appreciated seeing the mom and pop shops and observing their daily routine.
4. I savored tasting all kinds of local Kyoto cuisine. We sampled so much that my husband and I skipped lunch that day. I think my favorites had to be the custard sweets and the fresh sashimi, but everything is a must try.
The logistics are so easy, there’s really no excuse not to go:
1. The meeting point is easy to get to and allows you to use Kyoto’s efficient trains.
2. Jason speaks fluent English and Japanese (hurrah!), a wonderful translator. He even translated the ingredients on the back of a Mirin bottle for me. (I was trying to understand the difference between the true and artificial types.)
3. The tour stops at ~8 locations (all very close) and lasts ~3 hours, at a very manageable pace. The cost for everything is a reasonable 5,000 JPY /​person.
4. The group is generally small, allowing lots of time for individual questions. ;)
I appreciated the whole experience really, the interaction with locals, the stories, and the knowledge about Kyoto cuisine. It was like having my own personal tour guide take me around Kyoto. Arigatou gozaimasu, Jason!