Izakaya Food Tour in Nagano
Description
Join our tour for a night out to feel like you are residents. Unlike Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto, it will be very difficult to find where the locals go to eat and drink in Nagano. Your local expert guides will take you to the nice Izakaya and backstreet bars, such as Jazz bar, Whiskey bar in Nagano city, where you can chill out and drink to continue the evening. ・More than 5 dishes + Noodles(such as Soba) ・2 Drinks included in tour price ・Local expert, personable English-speaking guides ・Hidden bar and introductions. Please let us know if you have any food restrictions beforehand.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Meet you in front of Starbucks at Nagano station.
After meeting your guide, we will visit the 1st Izakaya(Japanese pub) to have some dishes and a drink
Then, we will visit the 2nd Izakaya to have another dishes and a drink
We will go to the 3rd food stop to have noodles(such as Soba or Ramen) to make you full !!
After having all foods and drinks, your guide will take you to the bar where you can chill out and drink to continue the evening.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- If you have fever/persistent cough/runny nose, you may be refused at check-in. Self-cancel up to 24h. If refused, full refund via platform (no cash on site).
- In case of late arrival, the tour cannot be extended.
- o8Experience is a locally based tour company offering private and small-group experiences across Nagano and surrounding regions. From food and culture to nature and history, we create meaningful journeys tailored to curious travelers. Visit o8Experience to discover more.
- Please note that we are unable to accommodate gluten-free dietary requirements on this tour.
- If you are vegetarian or vegan, please let us know at the time of booking.
- This tour generally requires 2 or more guests to operate. For solo travelers, feel free to contact us before booking to confirm availability.
- This tour is not suitable for strict vegetarians or vegans, as many izakaya dishes include meat, seafood, or broth-based sauces. If you're pescatarian or can be flexible, we may be able to adjust some items — but we recommend reaching out before booking so we can advise honestly.
Reviews(62)
We had an absolutely fantastic time. Robin was a great host and guide. The choice of food venues was great. We’d never had 100% buckwheat noodles which were delicious. And we thoroughly enjoyed the conversation with him learning perspectives of Japanese culture that we otherwise would not have known about. One of the best tours we’ve been on. Highly recommended.
Thank you so much for your wonderful review. We’re very happy to hear that you had such a fantastic time with Robin. He will be delighted to know that you enjoyed the food venues, the 100% buckwheat soba, and the conversations about Japanese culture. It means a lot to us to hear that this was one of the best tours you’ve been on. Thank you again for joining o8Experience and for highly recommending us.
We thouroughly enjoyed this food tour! The food was amazing and guide brilliant - we loved learning about both the food and history. We also enjoyed our first sake. Thanks for a wonderful tour!
Thank you very much for joining our Food Tour and for sharing such a wonderful review. We are truly delighted to hear you thoroughly enjoyed the experience—especially the local dishes, the stories behind them, and your first sake tasting. It was a pleasure having you with us, and we hope to welcome you back to Nagano again someday. Warm regards, o8Experience Team
Relaxed and informetive . Robin was easy going and gave us an “insider” background to Japanese culture
Thank you so much for joining o8Experience! We’re really happy to hear the tour felt relaxed and informative, and that Robin made it easygoing while sharing that “insider” background on Japanese culture. We’ll be sure to pass your kind words along to him. Hope we can welcome you back to Nagano again someday!
Masa was a fantastic guide who took us to places we otherwise would not have found on our own, mostly small family-owned restaurants where he had personal connections with the owner/operators. The food was also some of the best we had during our time in Japan.
thank you so much! We’re thrilled you enjoyed the small, family-run spots our team loves and supports. Sharing places where we have personal connections is a big part of what makes o8 special. It means a lot to hear the food was among your best in Japan. We hope to welcome you back to Nagano soon! — The o8Experience Team
We had a great time on our Izakaya food tour! We started out with Yakitori, so good! Then we went to visit a local ramen shop handmade by a lady who bicycles to her shop everyday at 6 am to make those noodles. The broth and veggies were amazing! She was so kind to us. We got to see one of Japan’s oldest movie theaters on the way to our next pub stop. The gyoza there was really good! And finally we ended our tour at a local pub run by a gentleman who collects Americana type antiques. Such a walk down memory lane! We would never had experienced such a rich and diverse culture within Nagano without Masa! We are very grateful for the experience - one of the highlights of our trip!
Thank you so much for sharing your experience! We’re thrilled to hear you enjoyed exploring Nagano’s local food culture on our Izakaya Tour. Each stop — from the handmade ramen and cozy yakitori spot to the nostalgic pub with Americana treasures — shows a different side of our city’s charm. It makes us so happy to know these local stories and flavors became one of the highlights of your trip. We truly appreciate your kind words and hope to welcome you back to Nagano again for more delicious discoveries! Warm regards, The o8Experience Team
We visited three spots in Nagano with Masa, our amazing & knowledgeable guide. We tried several skewers, tofu, the soba noodles (a must in Nagano) and tasty gyozas. The tour was both insightful and relaxed, we had a great time. We highly recommend Masa and this tour.
Thank you so much for the wonderful review! We're thrilled to hear you enjoyed exploring Nagano’s flavors and hidden gems with Masa — and glad the soba, skewers, tofu, and gyoza hit the spot! 😋 Your kind words mean a lot to our small team, and we truly appreciate you recommending the tour. Wishing you more delicious adventures ahead — and we’d love to welcome you back anytime! Warm regards, The o8Experience Team
Masa, our tour guide was very attentive and knowledgeable. We had a wonderful experience and would definitely recommend it.
Thank you so much for your kind words! We're thrilled to hear you had a wonderful experience and that Masa’s attentive and knowledgeable guiding made it even more special. All of us at o8Experience truly appreciate your recommendation!
I had an amazing time on the Izakaya Food Night Tour in Nagano! Our guide, Masa, was fantastic—knowledgeable, friendly, and passionate about the local food scene. We visited some fantastic izakayas, sampling delicious dishes like fresh sashimi and grilled skewers. Masa shared the cultural significance of each dish, which made the experience even more memorable. He made sure we were comfortable and engaged throughout the tour, and his recommendations were spot on. If you're in Nagano, I highly recommend this tour for a fun and authentic food experience! You will not go back to your hotel hungry.
Thank you so much for the amazing review! We're thrilled to hear you had such a great time on the Izakaya Food Night Tour. Masa will be so happy to know his passion for Nagano’s food culture made your evening special. From fresh sashimi to grilled skewers, we're glad everything hit the spot—and even more so that you didn’t go back to your hotel hungry! We truly appreciate your kind words and recommendation. If you're ever back in Nagano, we'd love to welcome you again for another unforgettable experience. – o8Experience
We had a beautiful evening with an introduction to Japanese culinary culture. In addition to the delicious food, we also had the opportunity to taste some of the drinks specific to Japan. The group was small, which allowed us to have a much more open communication and also created a pleasant atmosphere, and the guide's answers to our questions made us understand Japanese culture better. Thank you once again for the beautiful evening.
Thank you so much for your kind words! We're truly happy to hear that you enjoyed the evening and that the small group setting helped create such a warm and open atmosphere. It was a pleasure sharing Japanese culinary culture and local drinks with you, and we’re glad the experience deepened your understanding of Japan. We hope the memories stay with you for a long time—thank you again for joining us! - o8experience
Great way to visit restaurants you wouldn’t otherwise know about, and try a variety of local food. Reasonable cost considering the amount of food and some drinks included. Tour guide friendly and informative
Thank you so much for the kind words! We're really glad to hear you enjoyed discovering hidden local spots and tasting a variety of Nagano’s specialties. We always aim to make the experience both delicious and insightful, so it's great to know you found the tour guide friendly and informative. Thanks again for joining us – we hope to see you back in Nagano someday! 😊 – o8Experience
