Ninja Food Tours

We’ve made it a tradition to do a food tour every time we visit a new country, and for Japan, we chose Kyoto—and we’re so glad we did! Our guide, Leandra, was amazing. She was super knowledgeable about the area and Japanese culture, and she had us laughing the whole time. The food was incredible at every stop, and we even tried things we never would’ve ordered on our own—like stingray, which turned out to be really good! We also had a great time with the other people in the group. Overall, we highly recommend Ninja Tours and especially Leandra. This was definitely a highlight of our trip!

The Nishiki Market tour in Kyoto was fantastic and a ‘must-do’. Our guide, Chikako, is a foodie and passionate about Japanese cuisine, as well as the amazing history of the area. We toured as 4 adults and 3 teens, and all agreed how delicious the food was and captivating the tour was! The hamo (pike conger eel) tempura from Uoriki (who have been selling fried and grilled fish since 1919) was the best. No wonder the market is known as “Kyoto’s Kitchen”. We would definitely recommend. On another night, we also did the Kyoto Food Night Tour with our guide Mana, which was very cool – and delicious. We ate and drank our way through some delightful restaurants like a local! Mana was passionate and knowledgeable and lots of fun. We all finished the tour satisfied and happy (and the great sake for the adults definitely helped). Highly recommend Ninja Tours.

Nobu was our tour guide. I can’t say enough good things about this Tokyo food tour (we also did the sake tour) – it was hands down one of the highlights of my entire trip to Japan! From the moment we met our guide, everything felt seamless, informative, and most importantly, delicious. We explored spots that I would have never found on my own. Every stop offered something completely unique — from sushi to Okinawa food (my favorite spot). Our guide was not only incredibly knowledgeable about Japanese food and culture, but also warm, funny, and engaging. He has lived in many continents and countries and is multicultural. The group size was small and intimate, and I left full, happy, and with a much deeper appreciation for Tokyo’s culinary scene. It felt like we were eating our way through a local’s Tokyo — not just the tourist spots.

Chikako was an outstanding guide! Unique food stops highlighting Kyoto cuisine were so fun and unique! I booked for myself and family with 3 teens. We all really enjoyed it! This has been a highlight of our trip to Japan. Book it, you won’t be disappointed. Thanks again to Chikako for taking the time to make this experience memorable.

This was an excellent tour of Kyoto’s kitchen. Chikako was an incredible guide; so knowledgeable with great stories, details and recommendations. I would absolutely recommend this tour. It was the perfect way to have lunch and learn some more about people, food, history and agriculture in and around Kyoto.

Such a great food tour we did in Asakusa with the best Japan tour guide Nobuto! Went to 5 different food stops and they were all great. Had great sushi at Hinatomaro Kaminarimon! Nobuto added many interesting facts about the Japanese food and culture. Highly recommend! We were excited to do a second food tour with the very personable Nobuto for the Shinjuku Izakaya food tour the following evening. We had a fun group of 10 people and tried many foods and of course enjoyed sake and mango sours which were thoroughly enjoyed. It was great trying many authentic Japanese food dishes and for desert had purple sweet potato ice cream. We also had a very interesting walking tour. Highlights included seeing cherry blossom trees in full bloom at the Hanazono Shinto Shrine that were beautiful in the evening lights as well as interesting info about the busy Shinjuku area. We thoroughly enjoyed the tour!

Nobu was such a fantastic guide! Even after living in Tokyo for years, this tour felt like a breath of fresh air. He made the whole experience fun and memorable, from the delicious food and wide drink selection to the great company throughout. It’s the kind of night you’ll think about long after it ends. Definitely recommend, especially if you’re traveling solo!

Ms. Chizuru was amazing, very intelligent , engaging and knowledgable. Best guide tour we could have imagined. Loved Garakutaya the best but all the places we visited were amazing. We got to experience the restaurants where locals hang and dine. The tour through the bar Golden Gai was incredible.

We booked the Izakaya tour in Shinjuku through Air BnB experiences and it was more than worth it! Had a great time exploring and eating with our guide Taiga. He even threw in a little taste of Japanese history at no extra cost.

Promised and delivered! If you're anything like me, this is definitely the tour for you. I absolutely love love love food but I have this fear of missing out... I don't want to just eat salmon sashimi or ramen or whatever that has been often commercialized on tv as real Japanese (but isn't). Doing this tour has been such an eye opening experience... and now I can say I'm truly local ;) My friend and I did the Asakusa day tour with another couple. Our tour guide Ria was simply amazing and very knowledgeable. She fed us so much! From a local sushi shop with exotic fishes to a traditional noodle house for refreshing soba. Just when I think I'm done... she showers me more with decadent desserts and snacks. Her own words: desserts sit in a different stomach. I really enjoyed this as it was short and sweet and extremely filling; I was filled with food and culture by the end of the trip. I can't wait to try the night tour ;)

WHY ARE THERE SO FEW REVIEWS?? Ninja Food Tours is AMAZING. My husband and I went to Japan recently, to both Osaka and Tokyo areas. We opted to do this food tour in both locations and both tours were AMAZING. Moe was our guide in Osaka and Tetsuko was our guide in Shinjuku, and both were FANTASTIC. They were both so knowledgeable about the food and culture in their cities and were both very personable, fun, and super friendly. Both answered all of the questions that all of the participants had, and then some. The tours lasted about 2.5-3 hours. And of course you're probably thinking: "Tour? You won't get full off of a tour..." Well, friend, you are wrong. My husband and I were stuffed by the time we reached the last restaurant on both of the food tours. The restaurants and stands that they took us to were amazing in both Namba and Shinjuku areas. The guides order food that are typical in those areas and a little "off-the-beaten-path," to make your experience even more memorable. Make sure you show up on time for the tour, wear comfortable walking shoes because you're walking A LOT, and come with an empty stomach and an open mind. It's amazing. Especially if this is your first time to Japan, or even that particular area, they will take you right to the heart of the city and show you all the places that you might want to take note of and re-visit again another day. It was really fun. And being able to meet people from other countries and places that are on the tour with you: a huge plus. I HIGHLY recommend Ninja Food Tours and would absolutely do it again when we're back in Japan. It might seem a little pricey at first glance, but trust me: it is worth every penny! The food we ate on the tour was amazing and the cultural lesson and tour was equally amazing. MUST DO.

This is a long delayed review. One of my son's requests during our trip to Japan in the summer was to do a food tour in Tokyo. We were so fortunate to have picked Ninja food tours. Yuma was our guide and she was absolutely fantastic. She knows the history of Shinjuku and all the bars and restaurants. It was a small group of 4 and we had a wonderful time going to restaurants we would have never gone. She also spent a lot of time before asking us about our preferences and tastes to craft the most amazing tour experience ever! Especially given that she was dealing with a vegetarian (me!) and made sure that I had plenty of options to try. If you are looking for a thoughtful, considerate, and knowledgeable food tour guide, Yuma is the way to go. Every penny was worth it!

This was an amazing tour of the Toyosu Fish Market, one of the "must sees" of Tokyo. I have always loved all things Japanese and with our guide Kaz, my group of friends from medical school were thrilled!!!! The fabulous multi course lunch with multiple desserts will be the highlight of our week long visit. If we had just wandered in like so many tourists, we would have missed out on the history of the old and new fish markets, the best places to eat and the suggestions given for future planning! Thank you Kaz!

Did Best of Izakaya your in Shinjuku which really helped us get to know the neighborhood & have some traditional foods that the locals enjoy! I was able to try many local dishes I would not have ordered on my own. Aki and Yuma answered all of my questions about cuisine & culture. Would recommend booking a food tour to make the most out of your trip to Japan!

The food tour in shinjuku was amazing. There was great variety not only in the food but in the style of restaurant. Amanda was very knowledgeable and i recommend anyone who wants to learn about the area and japanese food to book it.

Firstly, I just want to say that when I came to this page I was very surprised that there were so few reviews of ninja food tours. It's an awesome name for a tour group and they do a great service. Secondly, I was not surprised that everyone gave them 5 stars. Again, awesome name, awesome tour. Our tour was the Yanaka street food tour with Yuma. Just for reference, I'm touring with my mom, dad and aunt (who are all older individuals). We've never really been on a food tour before so we didn't know what to expect. We wanted a tour that wasn't too crowded or crazy but had some tasty food. Plus if we could get some backstory/history of the places we visit, it would be a bonus (especially because my dad loves asking ridiculous questions). This tour was perfect for that. My dad is requesting to go back and eat the ahi bowl we tasted on the tour every day. My mom and aunt loved all the little snack and kitchenware shops. Yuma was very accommodating. Even though our tour time was supposed to be from 1130 to 130, we ended up going late but he never complained or rushed us. He even answered all of my dad's strange questions. We would definitely recommend this tour group to our friends. Also, if anyone from ninja food tours would like a tour of kauai, we'd love to return the great tour with one of our own. :)

New to Japan and do not want failure for food? This food tour is highly recommended to get a true experience of excellent local food with bilingual local guides. All satisfied with the level of service of the tour in Tokyo.

My husband and I did the Tsukiji tour. Rae, our tour guide, was very knowledgeable of the area, gave us a brief history of the place and guide us thru the fish market. Then we proceeded to sample food around the market. We tried chicken dish, tuna rice bowl, octopus on a stick, and muchi for dessert, Overall great tour, well planned. We had a great time. Thank you!

Great tour of Tsukiji Market with Yuma! He was informative, found us great food and we enjoyed spending the morning with him. Highly recommended!