Gekkeikan Ōkura Sake Museum

Strongly advise everyone to reserve a place before coming, try avoiding walk-in, otherwise you may have to wait until the next batch of tour (if there’s any vacancy). Online reservation is available, and it’s easy to fill in the information. You are going to get a sake cup as souvenir, together with 3 coins for tasting sake by the end of tour, this 600yen entrance fee really worth it. If you need extra coin, it just cost 100yen for one. Tasting is only available during the tour, so if you are interested to buy a sake, remember to try it before proceeding to the shop area.

Great deal, 600 yen per person gets you a video on sake production, a walk through the museum and 3 tastes of your choice of sake with a sake glass. We booked a reservation in advance as time slots do fill up. Everyone watches the video first and then you move through 3 rooms of information at your own pace. There is free wifi and signs are in Japanese and English. You can also use QR codes for more info and additional languages. The final room is the same tasting, where they have 10 options to try and you get 3 coins. Additional coins are 100 yen. We tried 4. We stayed for about an hour and 15 minutes.

It was shorter than we expected but worth going out of our way for. There are good English translations for the exhibits. By far the least expensive sake tasting we did, but it was a great price, and we got to sample a good selection. Most of the sake isn't unique to the location, but that's more of a plus since you can also buy it at other stores later (although they do have a shop where they sell all the sake available in the tasting).

this is the most worth it museum i’ve been to so far! For only Y 600, you have the exhibit itself, a free sake glass, and 3 chances to taste test a sake of ur choosing! Or u can just exchange those 3 coins to a small sake bottle! Or if you’re short on coins then u can just buy 1 coin for Y 100. All in all, for Y 600 ticket, I brought home a sake glass & a small sake bottle!

Fun and educational museum for sake! After paying the admission fee you get to keep a sake cup as a souvenir and use it for tasting at the end of the tour. Their gift shop has lots of different sake. A nice museum if you are in the area. It closes a bit early and it is based on time slots so don’t plan to go too late in the afternoon.

If you’ve ever wanted a crash course in sake without the crash, get yourself to here in Kyoto. It costs you 600 yen — which in travel math is roughly the price of a coffee back home, but way more intoxicating (literally and spiritually). After entering what looks like a perfectly preserved Edo-period brewery meets samurai Airbnb, you’re greeted by a short but expertly made film. It’s the kind of video that makes you whisper, “Who edited this and how can I hire them to do my wedding slideshow?” Narrated in that gentle Japanese cadence that feels like a bow made of sound, it gives just enough context to make you feel worldly without frying your brain. The museum itself is self-guided — in other words, no one’s watching you awkwardly mispronounce “junmai daiginjo.” You’re free to wander among the barrels (which are roughly the size of a studio apartment in Tokyo), admire century-old tools, and nod sagely as if you understand how koji mold works. But let’s be honest — we’re here for the tasting. You’re handed a small, clear plastic square of a cup (yours to keep — mine’s now a desk ornament / emergency shot glass) and three tasting tokens. Think of them as Willy Wonka’s golden tickets for grown-ups who appreciate rice alcohol. The tasting bar offers a spread from dry, delicate sake that whispers “pair me with sashimi” to rich, fruity numbers that say “I’ll go with yakitori or your regrets.” But the star of the show for me? The Plum Wine — labeled as “Mindfully Brewed, Deliciously Sweet.” Which is basically what I hope they write on my tombstone. This plum wine doesn’t mess around. It’s full-bodied, unapologetically sweet, and dangerously drinkable. You taste it, smile, then wonder how many bottles you can fit in your suitcase without violating customs or physics. I left with one — then promptly shared it with locals at an izakaya that evening. Because nothing forges international friendship faster than a plum-scented buzz and broken English. Bonus points: The water fountain outside the tasting room is borderline divine. If reincarnation exists, I want to come back as a plum soaking in that water. If you’re even sake-curious, this museum is a must. Educational, low-key beautiful, and you leave tipsy, hydrated, and holding a cup you didn’t know you needed. Also: who knew 600 yen could buy knowledge, friendship, and a solid pre-lunch buzz? Rating: 5 out of 5 umeboshi. Would sip again.

We arrived here later than we planned to (3:30 PM), but they graciously welcomed us. Several other people joined our timeslot group. The visit started with a very well made video giving some background information on sake brewing. After, there is the museum. I noticed most off the other visitors seemed to rush through this part. My partner and I were taking our time and using the QR codes to read on the exhibits, until we began to feel awkward since we were the only ones doing so... The third part o the experience was the tasting room, where everyone else was gathered. It was very fun to try the different sakes! I wish we could have taken our time and read up on them, but again, everyone else was finishing up so we didn't want to hang around too long. Finally, the gift shop was well stocked and affordable. I really loved my visit here. I only wish we ha gotten here sooner to have a more full experience

Great museum with lots of information on sake and the brewing process. Ticket comes with a sake boxcup and coins to try sake at the end. The sake selection to try is very extensive and very good.