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Cities

Field guides · 23 from the ground

Cities

City-by-city eat and drink guides — Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Fukuoka, Sapporo.

Why Tohoku Took Over Japan’s Sake Scene

May 8, 2026 by drinkingjapan

CitiesWhy Tohoku Took Over Japan’s Sake SceneThe trip almost didn't happen. I'd booked an Aomori brewery visit at the end of a rushed week, the second…27 min read

Categories Cities, Sake

Why Kansai, Not Niigata, Is the Sake Capital

May 8, 2026 by drinkingjapan

CitiesWhy Kansai, Not Niigata, Is the Sake CapitalHyogo and Kyoto produce more sake than the next eight prefectures combined. Two of Kansai's six prefectures, side by side,…22 min read

Categories Cities, Sake

Hokkaido Has More Whisky Distilleries Than You Think

May 8, 2026 by drinkingjapan

CitiesHokkaido Has More Whisky Distilleries Than You ThinkAsk anyone who knows a little about Japanese whisky to name a Hokkaido distillery and they’ll say Yoichi. Push them…25 min read

Categories Cities, Whisky

A Shochu Drinker’s Map of Kyushu

May 8, 2026 by drinkingjapan

CitiesA Shochu Drinker’s Map of KyushuThe smell hits first. Warm, yeasty, faintly sweet, like bread dough left to rise next to roasting sweet potatoes. Then…21 min read

Categories Cities, Shochu & Awamori

Shinjuku After Dark: Where to Eat and Drink

May 8, 2026 by drinkingjapan

CitiesShinjuku After Dark: Where to Eat and DrinkSmoke first, then sound. Charcoal smoke pushing out from under a corrugated awning, mixing with cooking-fat steam and someone’s cigarette.…23 min read

Categories Cities, Izakaya & Bars

What to Eat and Drink in Nagoya

May 8, 2026 by drinkingjapan

CitiesWhat to Eat and Drink in NagoyaI came into Nagoya planning one meal between Tokyo and Kyoto. I left three days later, full of red miso,…26 min read

Categories Cities, Food

Hiroshima for Drinkers: Sake Town to Oyster Bay

May 8, 2026 by drinkingjapan

CitiesHiroshima for Drinkers: Sake Town to Oyster BayHiroshima Station to Saijo by local train: 31 minutes, ¥420. From the platform, you walk five minutes to a thousand-year-old…24 min read

Categories Cities, Food, Sake

Niigata Brews More Sake Than Any Other Prefecture

May 8, 2026 by drinkingjapan

CitiesNiigata Brews More Sake Than Any Other PrefectureNiigata Prefecture has 91 active sake breweries, more than any other prefecture in Japan. The next-densest, Hyogo and Kyoto, are…26 min read

Categories Cities, Sake

How to Eat and Drink Your Way Through Kanazawa

May 8, 2026 by drinkingjapan

CitiesHow to Eat and Drink Your Way Through KanazawaThe bowl came down on the counter at Amatsubo just before nine on a wet March evening, kaisendon piled until…25 min read

Categories Cities, Sake

How to Drink Well on the Shinkansen

May 8, 2026 by drinkingjapan

CitiesHow to Drink Well on the ShinkansenThe hiss when a tallboy opens at 14:33 on the platform of Tokyo Station, two minutes before the Hayabusa pulls…27 min read

Categories Cities, Drinking Culture

Tokyo Craft Cocktail Bars: A Drinker’s Guide

May 8, 2026 by drinkingjapan

CitiesTokyo Craft Cocktail Bars: A Drinker’s GuideHiroyasu Kayama brews bitters from wormwood he grew in Saitama. He stands in a white lab coat behind an L-shaped…26 min read

Categories Cities, Izakaya & Bars

Tokyo Sake Bars: Where to Drink, Block by Block

May 7, 2026 by drinkingjapan

CitiesTokyo Sake Bars: Where to Drink, Block by BlockIt's a Wednesday at 19:30 on the tenth floor of a Shinjuku building I would never have walked into without…27 min read

Categories Cities, Izakaya & Bars, Sake

Tours & tastings we’ve reviewed

See the ranked list →

★ 5.0Tokyo Bar Hopping Tour in Shinjuku (All-You-Can-Drink + Dinner)From $106

★ 5.0Best of Shinjuku: Izakaya Food Tour (4 Stops, 14+ Tastings)From $92

★ 4.9Tokyo: Shinjuku Local Bar and Izakaya Guided Walking TourFrom $343 hours

★ 5.0Shibuya Meltdown Nightlife Tour: All-You-Can-Drink Bar HoppingFrom $106

★ 5.01-Day Snow Monkeys, Zenko-ji Temple & Sake in NaganoFrom $151

★ 5.0Osaka Bar Hopping Night Walking Tour in Namba (3 bars, 6 tastes)From $98

★ 4.5Tokyo: Pub Crawl and Bar TourFrom $275 hours

★ 5.03-Hour Kyoto Insider Sake Brewery Tour with Tastings & PairingsFrom $84

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Sake Tasting130 Bar Hopping Tours59 Breweries38 Izakaya Food Tours41 Tokyo119 Kyoto43

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