Kanazawa: 2-Hour Private Tour of Omicho Market with Tastings

The tour started with our guide telling us this is mainly just a tourist attraction. Had no special knowledge to share about the market, fish, produce, etc. we chose our foods to try and the tour was over after an hour and 15 minutes. With more drawn out questions we got to an hour and a half of the two hour tour. When we asked questions the guide didn't know the answer to(which was most) he'd ask if we wanted him to ask the seller (yes!), or in one case told me to Google it. Totally not worth the large amount of money we paid, although our guide was nice and we made the most of it. Also very concerned about staying within our food budget, seems silly when the tour was almost $300 USD.

It has been a very pleasant and interesting experience. Katie has guided us through the market and made some great recommendations. It's a good way to sample local food without getting lost among all the stalls out there.

Katie was our lovely guide who took the time to explain the different offerings at the market and managed all the transactions for us. Such great food! We loved being able to eat at the little stands at each stall which also had sauces available and hand washing.

Friendly time with Katie who takes the time to explain the etals and advises us on the choice of what we eat. She was very caring for us.

Katie was a friendly and informative guide who made our time in the market both pleasant and informative. There were many nuances we would have missed without her knowledge.

We had a great time exploring the market with Katie, who was knowledgeable and shared great insights into the food culture of Kanazawa with us. We booked a 9 am tour which meant that the market was not as busy and we were able to really stop and savour the food without so many crowds. Katie showed us a variety of stalls and food many of which we would’ve overlooked without her guidance. We also brought our two-year-old son with us and he seemed fine with the two hours timeframe. Highly recommend the tour!

This is our first time in Japan and we couldn't have asked for a better tour guide. We met Katie at the entrance to the Market, and straight away she brought us in and gave us a general tour of the markets and the booths, pointing out various specialties of Kanazawa. We took note of the items we wanted to try and afterward we'd just point to something and Katie would order it for us. (Black throat perch, hairy crab, famous croquettes, grapes, taiyaki, noto beef). I loved the fact that she also showed us how to eat the crab, why choosing the femaile one is better, or explaining why the croquettes were famous (celebrity approved). While everyone goes for kobe or wagyu beef, which are also available, we chose the vendor selling noto which is local to Kanazawa and just as good. Come with an appetite - we were worried the alotted 3k yen per person wouldn't be enough but we were pleasantly stuffed with everything we wanted to try. And if we wanted to try more, if we went over our budget we'd just pay out of pocket. We had time left after eating, so Katie walked us across the market to the shops and showed us around the different stores. Overall an amazing way to spend the afternoon with a local.

This was a fantastic experience for our entire family. Lee’s knowledge of Japanese culture, cuisine, and both English and Japanese language was impressive. Do this tour early during your time in Kanazawa because you will learn much about food in the area and Japan as a whole. Every part of the tour was completely custom- we are adventurous eaters so we asked him to introduce new unique speciality seafood. We had giant oysters, bbq eel, bbq loach, cooked sea snail, lemon crush, giant green grapes, grilled wagyu beef, and more. The market has plenty to offer less adventurous eaters also such as fried chicken, sushi, snacks etc. After the tour my family was comfortable ordering from the market ourselves and we returned for more. The cultural and history information paired really well and helped us understand and experience much more of what the region has to offer. Would do this tour again, I wish we could bring Lee with us to our next stops.

Pei was a great tour guide - very personable and engaging. We were able to taste a number of local foods - that were fabulous. - especially the crab croquette and black throat perch both recommended by Pei. The market is wonderful all the vendors were extremely welcoming and warm. So wish we had places like this in the US. Highly recommend this tour! Come hungry!

We had a food tour in the Omicho market with our guide, Lee, a friendly Canadian living in Japan. He was very kind and made us feel welcome right from the start. We had the chance to taste a variety of local foods at the market, which was a great way to experience the local culture and flavors. Afterwards, Lee took us through the old geisha district and shared some interesting information about its history and significance. It was nice to walk through the area and learn more about this unique part of Japanese culture. Overall, the tour was enjoyable and interesting. That said, it felt a little unstructured at times—we would have appreciated a clearer flow or storyline to tie everything together. Still, we had a good time and appreciated Lee's enthusiasm and effort.