Reviews for Arigato Travel / Arigato Japan Food Tours

Sampling Tokyo’s delights

A nice sampler of some of the tastes and flavours of Tokyo thru the lens of just a few of the unique city neighbourhoods. A small insight into the cultural nuances of each area with a tasting of sake , crafted cocktails and Japanese wine and local snacks and delicacies . Glenda our guide was lovely and a lot of fun!

Product: Luxury Tokyo Sake, Cocktail, Whisky and Pairing Tour

Fish Market Foodies Unite!

Jane deftly guided our group thru the fish market uncovering hidden gems from our morning caffeine; shout out to Turret Cafe, to a cozy spot tucked above the vendor market where we enjoyed a traditional breakfast of miso soup, pickled veggies, miso glazed butter fish and marinated mackerel. She threw out a bit of history outlining the Edo period, great earthquake and how the land we stood upon was reclaimed from the sea as we gawked at the many varieties and size of crustacens available. The next food stop was procured via selections of fresh fish from the vendors below the roof top garden where we dined. the final tour stop was a yummy fruit filled pastery. Overall a great tour, a mix of food and culture capped with suggestions on how to spend the rest of the day.

Product: Classic Tsukiji Food Tour

A wonderful culinary and cultural tour

We very much enjoyed the interesting, educational, and delicious tour. Our guide, Melissa, was knowledgeable, friendly and pleasant. It was a great pleasure.

Product: Osaka Shinsekai Evening Food Tour

Loved the tour!

Jane was great, lots of fun and very informative. Food was great and very fresh! Good mix of food throughout the entire tour

Product: Classic Tsukiji Food Tour

A must-go!

We did the Golden Gai Shinjuku Food tour and we absolutely loved it!! Highly recommend it to everyone. Great (and loads) of food and good drinks, you get to discover new areas, and you learn a lot about the area :)

Product: Shinjuku Golden Gai Food Tour

Street food in Osaka

Tonight we had a street food tour of Dotonbori. This is the classic neon light, street food and entertainment area. Our guide Sebastian an English speaking fun, warm, and informative guide who introduced us to friendly and foodie spots off the beaten track while helping us understand Osaka through it’s history. . We started out with the octopus balls, better than you could imagine with different sauces followed by breadcrumb everything-pork, shishitos, shiitake, beef, cheese, ginger, then onto stay a while bar where you drink & eat. We had a little of all the rest of Osaka’s specialties , special delicious noodles, dumplings, sliced pork in an omelette, plus tuna rolls, edamame and sake runneth over. Of course we finished with desert a fruit rice ball. Excellent food intro to Osaka. Thank you

Product: Absolute Osaka Food Tour

We had a private tour for our family of 4 with Natsumi. It was wonderful! She took us to places we would never have found on our own and we loved all the foods we tried. She spoke very fluent English so was able to converse with us and answer our questions about Japanese culture. A great experience.

Product: Arigato Travel / Arigato Japan Food Tours

My husband and I had Melissa as our tour guide in Osaka ~ OUTSTANDING. We couldn’t have picked a better guide. She was very informative and friendly, we loved getting to know her and learning from her! I am pregnant and she made me feel so comfortable and was so considerate throughout the tour, too! We highly recommend using this group and specifically, Melissa! 🎌💌

Product: Arigato Travel / Arigato Japan Food Tours

Melissa was an excellent guide. She had incredibly in-depth knowledge of Osaka and the food in this region of Japan. I highly recommend booking with Arigato Travel, specifically with Melissa! Thank you for such an amazing time! We had a blast!!!

Product: Arigato Travel / Arigato Japan Food Tours

Melissa was an excellent guide! We learned a lot about Osaka, its history, culture, and food! Highly recommend!

Melissa was an excellent guide! We learned a lot about Osaka, its history, culture, and food! We recommend booking with Melissa!!!

Product: Absolute Osaka Food Tour

My wife and I recently joined a food tour in Osaka, and it turned out to be one of the highlights of our trip. Our guide, Natsumi, was absolutely wonderful—helpful, knowledgeable, and personable from start to finish. Natsumi introduced us to hidden gems and local specialties we would never have tried. Each stop came with fascinating stories about the history and culture behind the dishes. What impressed us most was that she didn’t just focus on food. Natsumi also shared general advice about traveling in Japan, including tips on shopping. My wife especially appreciated her recommendations, which made our time exploring Osaka’s shops even more enjoyable. By the end of the tour, we were full—not just of incredible food, but of knowledge and appreciation for Japanese culture. We parted ways feeling enriched and grateful. If you’re visiting Osaka and want more than just a meal, but a true cultural experience, I highly recommend booking a tour with Natsumi.

Product: Arigato Travel / Arigato Japan Food Tours

Our guided food tour of Shinsekai in Osaka was an excellent way to wrap up our adventure to Japan. Our guide Natsumi was warm and friendly, took us to some of the best food spots in the area, and gave us context that helped us appreciate what we were eating. As we stopped at a handful of excellent restaurants, she talked about the modernization of Japan, changes to its cuisine, and the importance of Osaka as a culinary hub. While I’d tried takoyaki elsewhere and thought I didn’t enjoy it, I loved it at the place she recommended. She made helpful recommendations on things to try at each stop. Since most of our group was heading out soon, her meaningful questions about what we enjoyed and what surprised us about Japan gave us a chance to process and reflect on our whole trip. I definitely recommend this experience as a way to get a taste for Osaka.

Product: Arigato Travel / Arigato Japan Food Tours

Ike led our craft beer tour in Osaka and it was awesome. All the spots would not have been on a first time visitors radar and were full of great beers to try. Ike was a great host and had lots of nuggets of knowledge to share. I went with my family and it was a fun time for all of us.

Product: Arigato Travel / Arigato Japan Food Tours

We had the absolute best time in Uji on our matcha tea tour! We spent 2 weeks in Japan and this was hands down our favorite day! The company was also very flexible when we decided to change our tour selection. Our guide was a local so we really appreciated his knowledge of Japanese culture and history. He taught us lots of things we wish we could have known from the start of our trip!

Product: Arigato Travel / Arigato Japan Food Tours

Wonderful start to my first trip to Tokyo & Japan!

Had a wonderful time on my first all-too-short trip to Japan and took two of Arigato’s food tours while in Tokyo. On my first night, I met up with our guide Ethan (also originally from Colorado!) and two others at Shimbashi Station, where we started our tour by learning about the history of the area. On the way to our first food stop, we detoured to a local shine & got to make an offering. (Thanks for teaching us the proper etiquette!) Over the next 3 hours we traveled small alleys to our food stops: a time-limited all-you-can-drink wine bar with flamed Wagyu & corn fritters; a sake bar; a place with skewers of veggies & seafood; another with shrimp-based ramen (you can order half noodles if you’re too full), then a taiyaki filled with sweet red bean for dessert on the street. Ethan warned us ahead of time, but it was still hard not to overindulge…you’ll definitely want to pace yourselves! (The shrine visit & taiyaki were unexpected bonuses as I planned both for later days.) It was a great way to end my first day in Tokyo / Japan!

Product: Shimbashi Hidden Gem Walking Tour

Brilliant Guide

Diolch yn fawr Russ! We had a wonderful tour of the Sake distilleries in Kyoto with Russ. Great company and very knowledgeable. Matching our different tastes to the many, many choices was excellent. Great lunch too.

Product: Arigato Japan Food Tours

Wild time sightseeing in the Gold Gai!

Had a wonderful time on my first all-too-short trip to Japan and took two of Arigato’s food tours while in Tokyo. On my first night in Shinjuku, I met up with our guide Glenda and another couple at the Tajimaya Coffee House. We started our tour by learning about the history of the area, beginning with nearby “Memory Lane” alley. The number of tiny bars & izakayas crammed in such a small area was amazing and it was quite the experience to walk through some of them. You should read the many posted signs (“You can eat Bear!”???) & look into the range of themed bars, even if you don’t go inside! We started with several food stops for a range of tasty traditional izakaya food, such as skewers, veggies, grilled seafood, sashimi & drinks, then we wrapped up the food with ramen (you can order half noodles if you’re too full) and were quite stuffed when we were done! By this time, Shinjuku crowds were growing fast & neon signs were lit up everywhere. Beware the crowds! (Glenda kept track of us though so we wouldn’t get separated.) Our tour ran long (happily so) and we finished with drinks at Bar Araku, where we got to experience one of the many small, local & friendly upstairs bars. Glenda warned us ahead of time, but it was still hard not to overindulge…you’ll definitely want to pace yourselves! And thankfully she also helped get us back to the nearby train station before saying goodbye.

Product: Shinjuku Golden Gai Food Tour

Foodie tour

Natsumi, was a wonderful tour guide. When we arrived it was just the two of us and got a private tour to our selves. We had a wonderful time together and left with full stomachs. I would definitely recommend a food tour on the day of your arrival to get a taste of what you like or don't like.

Product: Arigato Japan Food Tours

A friend recommended Arigato food tours and our experience did not disappoint! We thoroughly enjoyed our tour and the delicious food it included. Alex was very knowledge, sharing interesting insights about Tokyo, the history of the neighborhoods we were in, and Japanese food and culture. And he was excellent company! One of our favorite experiences while in Japan!

Product: Arigato Travel / Arigato Japan Food Tours

Historical Shibuya

We enjoyed our tour of Retro Shibuya. Our guide was knowledgeable about the history of the area we visited. Seeing how some of the history is preserved in the food and design of the area gives you an appreciation of the culture. We especially enjoyed walking the historic hidden alleyways.

Product: Retro Shibuya Food Tour