Shinjuku Izakaya Food Tour
5
Shinjuku Izakaya Food Tour
By Ninja Food Tours
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About
Lowest price guarantee
Ages 0-99, max of 10 per group
Duration: 3h 30m
Start time: Check availability
Mobile ticket
Live guide: Japanese, English
More
- 7+ Japanese Izakaya Food Course Meal
- Two Drinks of your choice
- Start:
- Mister Donut Shinjuku Yasukuni Street, 1-chōme-2-1 Kabukichō, Shinjuku City, Tokyo 160-0021, JapanThe starting point is MIster Donut Shinjuku Yasukuni Street. We may change the starting point. Please check a separate email that will be sent to you a week before the tour date.
End:- Softbank Nishishinjuku, Japan, 160-0023 Tokyo, Shinjuku City, Nishishinjuku, 7-chōme810 オークラヤビル
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Pushchair accessible
- Near public transportation
- Infants must sit on laps
- Infant seats available
If you have questions about accessibility, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 87037P2- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Most travellers can participate
- Please message us if you have any food restrictions at least a week before the tour date. We cannot accommodate last minute food requests. Vegan, vegetarian and gluten free options are limited.
- This experience requires good weather. If it’s cancelled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
- This experience requires a minimum number of travellers. If it’s cancelled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 10 travellers
- All sales are final and incur 100% cancellation penalties.
- If you have questions about this tour or need help making your booking, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 87037P2
From
AU$148.03
per adult
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Itinerary
- 1-chōme-2-1 Kabukichō, Shinjuku City, Tokyo 160-0021, JapanThe starting point is MIster Donut Shinjuku Yasukuni Street. We may change the starting point. Please check a separate email that will be sent to you a week before the tour date.
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- Japan, 〒160-0023 Tokyo, Shinjuku City, Nishishinjuku, 7-chōme−8−10 オークラヤビル
About the operator
Don’t take it from us – here’s what people have to say about this operator:
- MSY260 contributionsHighly recommend the sake experience!We did the sake experience with Joe (on Jan 26) and had an incredible time! The experience started with an informative introduction to sake and sake making, followed by a generous tasting of 10 different sakes, made with different techniques and served in different ways. We walked away a lot more confident in our ability to select sake at a restaurant which helped us a lot for the rest of our trip! Thank you Joe!Written 30 January 2025
- Culture379848834120 contributionsFantastic food Tour with TaigaFantastic Day, amazing tour with incredible knowledge about the local areas, wouldn't of found these places without Taiga's experience and know how. A great way to just relax and have a full experience of traditional Japanese food. Very highly recommend this tour with Taiga! P.s. thank you again for a grand old day ☺️Written 29 January 2025
- themin12170 contributionsFood tour in Asakusa - super recommendedI had an amazing food tour in Asakusa with Taiga from Ninja Food Tours! Taiga was incredibly knowledgeable, awesome, and a genuinely cool guide, making the experience so much fun. We visited some incredible spots, starting with sushi, followed by caramelized sweet potato (my favorite!), soba and tempura, melon pan, and matcha sweets—I went for the mochi. Taiga’s insights into the local food and culture made the tour truly special. Highly recommend this tour if you’re in Tokyo!Written 26 January 2025
- andresm4880 contributionsPerfect placeMax was the best, extremely nice and really knows Sake and pairing. Nice private restaurant. Would Definetly recommend 10/10 alwaysWritten 21 January 2025
- V4292BUnathanp0 contributionsGreat expérienceGreat expérience, max was a really entertaining guide and make the dinning very enjoyable. Cheers from Versailles !!!Written 16 January 2025
- 983katief0 contributionsAmazing food tourMy family of 4 (kids aged 14y & 17y) just did this tour with Max and would definitely recommend it! Max is an amazing guide! He is so friendly and knowledgeable and made us feel very welcome. It was great to try different foods and learn more about Japanese cuisine and culture. The tour was well paced and the food was generous and delicious!! Definitely do this if you are in Tokyo!!Written 15 January 2025
- F4399TTjackc0 contributionsAn incredible experienceThe fish market tour was great! super friendly and informative tour guides. It gave us a terrific introduction to Japanese cuisine. Thankyou very much and highly recommend!!Written 15 January 2025
- jennclemens0 contributionsPub tour with sake sommelier AndreaAndrea brought my husband and I on a pub tour. She was super knowledgeable and friendly and we learned a lot! Will be recommending her to our friends who come visit Tokyo.Written 12 January 2025
- M1628NZseana0 contributionsPub Tour in TokyoWe had a great time with Andrea. She is very knowledgeable and took us to some great spots. I would recommend her for any tours.Written 12 January 2025
- P2745EQmarkn0 contributionsDefinitely recommendedAn absolutely excellent experience. A perfect culinary capstone for our trip. An excellent selection of food and sake.Written 9 January 2025
- Pioneer399284831700 contributionsBest guide ever!Really nice and funny guide who knew a lot about the places we explored. Perfect for me, who came here without a lot of previous knowledge of japan. 10/10 would recommend 😊Written 7 January 2025
- M1604WXsaram0 contributionsVery fun!Max was our guide and he was so friendly and knowledgeable. We had our two kids (age 9) on the tour with us and it was perfect for them as well as the adults. Great variety of food- almost too much food to be honest! I was stuffed by the end. Thanks for a wonderful time in Asakusa!Written 30 December 2024
- Nubster800 contributionsDelicious! 12/6We booked this tour at the last minute, and we’re so glad we did! The food was incredible, the service was outstanding, and Joe provided such insightful and engaging information about Japan/sake/food. It was truly a memorable experience, and I highly recommend this tour to anyone considering it. Thank you Joe!Written 28 December 2024
- nicksO1737ZR0 contributionsAwesome sake tourThis was awesome. Very awesome. The most awesome. Big fan of what he does. I can’t write anymore than to say it was awesome.Written 27 December 2024
- joshgQ3301YU0 contributionsPremium Wagyu & Sake pairingMax was a great host, he provided us with an educational yet fun experience during our Wagyu and Sake tasting. RecommendedWritten 27 December 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinions of Tripadvisor members and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Lillian Fong
9 contributions
Nov 2024 • Family
My husband and I had an amazing almost 4 hours on the Shinjuku Izakaya Food Tour on Friday night, Nov. 15. Our guides Hawaii Joe and Yusuke were phenomenal, so knowledgeable and informative not just about the food and drinks we enjoyed during the tour, but about Japanese culture and history and Tokyo itself.
The tour started with a walking tour down the intricate alleys of Golden Gai with a fascinating narration by Joe and Yusuke about it's origin and tips on unique bars/themes for later visits if interested. There was another walk past high rise architecture, old and new in the busy Kabukicho area (Tokyo's version of NYC's Times Square) along with the colorful narration about the nightlife scene there.
It was super helpful that Hawaii Joe and Yusuke informed us about the amount of food we were getting at each stop so that we could pace ourselves and not miss out at the end. The food at each stop was different and delicious:
- Stop # 1 - Okinawan Cuisine - unique fusion of Japanese, Chinese, and American influenced foods that was plentiful and ranged from "green sea grapes" (aka seaweed) to bittermelon to fried fish to taco-flavored rice and more! All of it was so good and accompanied by your choice of alcohol or non-alcohol drinks (I chose a refreshing yuzu drink).
- Stop # 2 (quick) - Tokatsu Niimura - juicy on the inside and crisp on the outside breaded pork cutlets snacks, so tender and flavorful
- Stop # 3 - Seafood sourced daily from the Toyosu Fish Market by the fishmonger owner - absolutely delicious and fresh sashimi assortment with crab cakes and clam appetizer, accompanied by a very generous sake pour!
- Stop # 4 - Juicy gyoza family run restaurant, including gyoza stuffed in a chicken wing!
We we so stuffed by the last stop that it was impossible to eat more than one gyoza and chicken-wing. I should have listened more to Joe and Yusuke and paced myself some more, hahaha!
We'd totally recommend this tour as an awesome way to learn about the Shinjuku area, try different izakayas for casual Japanese cuisine that you wouldn't know about (who knew about Okinawan cuisine??), sharing laughs, good food and drinks with new friends, and of course hanging out with informative and fun guides like Hawaii Joe and Yusuke!
The tour started with a walking tour down the intricate alleys of Golden Gai with a fascinating narration by Joe and Yusuke about it's origin and tips on unique bars/themes for later visits if interested. There was another walk past high rise architecture, old and new in the busy Kabukicho area (Tokyo's version of NYC's Times Square) along with the colorful narration about the nightlife scene there.
It was super helpful that Hawaii Joe and Yusuke informed us about the amount of food we were getting at each stop so that we could pace ourselves and not miss out at the end. The food at each stop was different and delicious:
- Stop # 1 - Okinawan Cuisine - unique fusion of Japanese, Chinese, and American influenced foods that was plentiful and ranged from "green sea grapes" (aka seaweed) to bittermelon to fried fish to taco-flavored rice and more! All of it was so good and accompanied by your choice of alcohol or non-alcohol drinks (I chose a refreshing yuzu drink).
- Stop # 2 (quick) - Tokatsu Niimura - juicy on the inside and crisp on the outside breaded pork cutlets snacks, so tender and flavorful
- Stop # 3 - Seafood sourced daily from the Toyosu Fish Market by the fishmonger owner - absolutely delicious and fresh sashimi assortment with crab cakes and clam appetizer, accompanied by a very generous sake pour!
- Stop # 4 - Juicy gyoza family run restaurant, including gyoza stuffed in a chicken wing!
We we so stuffed by the last stop that it was impossible to eat more than one gyoza and chicken-wing. I should have listened more to Joe and Yusuke and paced myself some more, hahaha!
We'd totally recommend this tour as an awesome way to learn about the Shinjuku area, try different izakayas for casual Japanese cuisine that you wouldn't know about (who knew about Okinawan cuisine??), sharing laughs, good food and drinks with new friends, and of course hanging out with informative and fun guides like Hawaii Joe and Yusuke!
Written 18 November 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you so much for the detailed and wonderful review! We’re thrilled to hear you had such a great time with Hawaii Joe and Yusuke on the Shinjuku Izakaya Food Tour. It’s fantastic that you enjoyed the food, learned about the culture and history, and had fun exploring Golden Gai and Kabukicho. We really appreciate your recommendation and hope to welcome you back for another memorable experience soon!
Written 7 December 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Connector21592527359
1 contribution
Aug 2024 • Friends
Last August 2024 was my first time in Japan and my friend thought of doing a Shinjuku food tour — we had Hawaii Joe — honestly such a fun tour guide!! ‘Di ka mabbore at all kasi sobrang benta niya lol. You’ll realize how passionate he is about food and sake! I appreciated all the quick lessons on how to properly eat sushi and how to bring out the true flavour of sake too. He shared all his recos for every popular city and went above and beyond to recommend which animes to watch to learn/pick up proper Japanese conversations/grammar when he learned my friend and I watch a lot. I have friends coming to Japan soon and definitely recommended Ninja Food Tours + Hawaii Joe for a full belly and def a fun time! Sa uulitin!! :)
Written 1 October 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Laura B
Billingshurst, UK5 contributions
Thank you so much to Harumi for an amazing food tour. His extensive knowledge and enthusiasm for the culture and specialty dishes for each izakaya was phenomenal and in doing so, he treated us to some of the best food we got to experience in Tokyo. As well as the history of each place, he engaged in relating the customs and etiquette to us throughout the journey round both the East and West sides of the city and we are highly grateful for this. Harumi brought us to places we would never have found ourselves and we sure are glad he did as not experiencing these izakayas would have been a great mistake and misjudgement on our part on our visit to Tokyo. His charming demeanour and humour made the trip even more enjoyable for us as a family. Along with his tour of the Japanese cuisine, he also toured us round popular sites in Shinjuku to give us a full experience of the large and bustling streets which would have been too great to traverse without guidance. We would highly recommend this tour as a family (parents and 3 siblings aged 16-23)
Written 22 July 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Beth C
Mount Laurel, New Jersey39 contributions
Mar 2024 • Couples
We booked an evening Izakaya Food Tour with Ninja Food tours on a Saturday night in Tokyo. Chizuru was our tour guide-she was awesome and took us to great local food spots with terrific food, beer and sake sampling opportunities. She was a pro at getting the group members to engage with her and each other, which made the trip more fun. We also got to see the lights of Shinjuku at night, as well as a walkthrough past the bars of Memory Lane and Golden Gai. This was the absolute highlight of our 4 days in Tokyo.
Written 7 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JSE23
1 contribution
Aug 2024 • Couples
We had an excellent Shinjuku Izakaya food tour with your guide “Hawaii” Joe. We enjoyed three typical Izakaya, and one further snack stop - a drink, including sake, was also provided at each location. All stops were excellent, with Izakaya culture, food and drink styles explained knowledgeably to us by Joe.
Even better was the quality of his tour guiding in between these locations, and his overview of Shinjuku, the Kabuki-Cho and Golden Gai districts was fascinating and well-pitched. He encouraged the group to gel, and we carried on exploring the area together after the tour formally ended.
We have used his recommendations to enjoy the rest of our trip, and will recommend this tour to friends travelling in future.
Even better was the quality of his tour guiding in between these locations, and his overview of Shinjuku, the Kabuki-Cho and Golden Gai districts was fascinating and well-pitched. He encouraged the group to gel, and we carried on exploring the area together after the tour formally ended.
We have used his recommendations to enjoy the rest of our trip, and will recommend this tour to friends travelling in future.
Written 12 August 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
William B
Irvine, CA235 contributions
Booking the Shinjuku Izakaya Food Tour with Ninja Food Tours was the perfect start to my first trip to Japan. I wanted a memorable introduction to Tokyo, and this tour more than delivered. Hawaiian Joe, our guide, was not only knowledgeable but also incredibly engaging, keeping our group entertained and informed all night.
The evening unfolded with tastings at four unique restaurants, each offering a distinct slice of Tokyo’s food culture, as well as a few appetizers from another spot along the way. From the rich flavors of Okinawan cuisine to the trendy new bites popping up around Tokyo, every stop was a fresh experience. Joe shared background on each dish, along with insights on Tokyo’s latest food trends and highlights from different regions of Japan. For a first-timer like me, the amount of food was abundant—it felt like more than just sampling, it was a feast!
Wandering through Shinjuku’s back alleys, we explored izakayas, the cozy Japanese bars where people gather to enjoy drinks and small plates. This was an eye-opening glimpse into the city’s nightlife and a more intimate side of Tokyo.
Even as someone with a simple palate, I loved experimenting with new flavors on this tour. Hawaiian Joe’s enthusiasm helped me appreciate the various Japanese dishes I would have otherwise missed. If you’re looking for an unforgettable intro to Tokyo’s food scene, this tour is absolutely worth it.
The evening unfolded with tastings at four unique restaurants, each offering a distinct slice of Tokyo’s food culture, as well as a few appetizers from another spot along the way. From the rich flavors of Okinawan cuisine to the trendy new bites popping up around Tokyo, every stop was a fresh experience. Joe shared background on each dish, along with insights on Tokyo’s latest food trends and highlights from different regions of Japan. For a first-timer like me, the amount of food was abundant—it felt like more than just sampling, it was a feast!
Wandering through Shinjuku’s back alleys, we explored izakayas, the cozy Japanese bars where people gather to enjoy drinks and small plates. This was an eye-opening glimpse into the city’s nightlife and a more intimate side of Tokyo.
Even as someone with a simple palate, I loved experimenting with new flavors on this tour. Hawaiian Joe’s enthusiasm helped me appreciate the various Japanese dishes I would have otherwise missed. If you’re looking for an unforgettable intro to Tokyo’s food scene, this tour is absolutely worth it.
Written 6 November 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you so much for the fantastic review, William! We’re thrilled to hear that the Shinjuku Izakaya Food Tour was the perfect start to your first trip to Japan. Hawaiian Joe will be so happy to know that his enthusiasm and insights helped make your experience memorable. We’re glad you enjoyed exploring the unique eateries and getting a deeper look at Tokyo’s vibrant food culture and nightlife. It’s great to hear you had fun trying new flavors and dishes! We truly appreciate your recommendation and hope to welcome you back for another amazing food adventure soon!
Written 7 December 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Jennie S
7 contributions
Dec 2023 • Solo
Went on the izakaya food tour last night and highly recommend! Our tour guide Taiga was fun and knowledgeable and showed us around the neighborhood as well as introducing us to the food and history. We got to try a wide variety of dishes, from tonkatsu to okonomiyaki to sashimi to dumplings, across 4 stops over 3.5 hours, 3 of which were proper sit-down experiences complete with an alcoholic beverage of your choice, from uncomplicated beer to more unique local drinks and sake. The food was all excellent and abundant—if you are still hungry by the time you end this tour, you are clearly too picky for this type of experience!! I paced myself and was still stuffed by the time we arrived at the last stop.
I highly recommend this tour for English-speaking solo travelers (like myself!) who are new to Tokyo. Besides the variety of delicious local food you’ll try, it is a great way to meet other visitors and have a more fun evening out than you might otherwise have by yourself. Of course it would be fun to do as a couple as well—there were a couple of couples on our tour—but as a solo traveler I found it an especially nice way to avoid that boring and slightly embarrassing experience of dining alone, with the huge added benefit of having a local introduce you to great places to eat and great dishes to try there in a city where English is relatively uncommon and it can be tricky to know where to go and what and how to order.
Overall, this was my favorite activity of my visit to Tokyo so far, and considering the amount of food and drink and the total experience, I think it’s a great value.
I highly recommend this tour for English-speaking solo travelers (like myself!) who are new to Tokyo. Besides the variety of delicious local food you’ll try, it is a great way to meet other visitors and have a more fun evening out than you might otherwise have by yourself. Of course it would be fun to do as a couple as well—there were a couple of couples on our tour—but as a solo traveler I found it an especially nice way to avoid that boring and slightly embarrassing experience of dining alone, with the huge added benefit of having a local introduce you to great places to eat and great dishes to try there in a city where English is relatively uncommon and it can be tricky to know where to go and what and how to order.
Overall, this was my favorite activity of my visit to Tokyo so far, and considering the amount of food and drink and the total experience, I think it’s a great value.
Written 6 December 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
rebecccamb
Los Angeles, CA17 contributions
Mar 2024 • Couples
Highly recommend this experience for anyone who wants to visit authentic, local spots throughout the vibrant neighborhood of Shinjuku. Our tour guide Chizuru was so thoughtful and took us to range of restaurants for amazing gyoza (the cilantro cashew salad here was surprisingly one of the best things I ate in Japan) and fresh bonito that you can only find in Japan. She was very knowledgeable about drinks to pair with food, and brought us to a curated selection of restaurants that exposed me to foods I didn’t expect, like a delightful Okinawan restaurant with island food. It was perfect for my first time visiting Japan, but also would appeal to anyone returning who wants a delicious experience. You won’t regret joining!
Written 8 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Alaina V
5 contributions
Oct 2023 • Couples
My husband and I joined a group of family and friends on the second day of our honeymoon trip to explore Shinjuku and try out some amazing local Izakaya restaurants! Taiga was equally amazing and explained the drinks, cuisine, and cultural history with efficiency and a great sense of humor. He helped out different members of our tour group with ordering food because of diet restrictions and gave fantastic recommendations for additions to our trip itinerary. Thank you!
Written 12 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Louise008
Argyll and Bute, UK12 contributions
May 2024 • Couples
Max's was a great, knowledgeable tour guide. The food we tried really gave us a insight in to the Japanese culture. It was all different but delicious. Toyko city is just amazing and walking about in the evening, we enjoyed Max giving us local fun information.
Written 10 June 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello. Is this tour suitable for people who don't eat fish at all? Thank you.
Written 23 December 2024
Hello! We were really hoping to do this tour on Saturday 26th of October! I see there is only one spot left but there are 2 of us. Is it something you could do for us please?
Written 5 October 2024
You may want to email the company to ask them about this. I did this tour a few months ago and it was awesome! But one of the things that makes it awesome is that it's a small group and you go to very small places that don't have a lot of space. So if there is only one spot left, they may not be able to fit two people.
Written 6 October 2024
Is this tour really 30 minutes like it is stated in description?
Written 14 November 2019
Hi, just wondering if you accommodate vegetarians?
Written 20 October 2019
Hello are the izakaya that you visit smoke free ?
Written 13 October 2019
No, there are rarely any eatery in Japan that is smoke free.
They may have a smoking area, which means a table next to yours where the smokers will be. Be prepared to be surrounded by smokers in any case
Written 15 October 2019
Are the tour guides local japaneese people?
Written 8 September 2019
Ours was Canadian, fantastic guide and gave us some great information.
Written 9 September 2019
Hi,
We are a group of 5 women interested in doing a Food Tour on Friday 11 October. Can we have aprovate tour and if so, what would the total cost be please?
Thank you,
Kay.
Written 29 August 2019
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