The food was great and the whiskey tasting was fantastic! Learned a lot of great things about Japan!

We booked the Sumo package before our trip to Japan as they only happen in Tokyo 3 times a year and the trip was booked so that Sumo was on our last full day of the tour. What a great decision it turned out to be! There is nothing more iconic to Japan than Sumo and the occasion more than lived up to our expectations. We booked the tour through Viator in the UK and it was fulfilled in Japan by another company - Japan Awaits who organised the whole thing including our guide Miyako. Everthing happened according to plan including meeting the guide and subsequently exchanging our voucher for actual tickets. We were also given audio equipment to allow us to hear Miyako's explanations of what was happening at any time. It was obvious from the outset that Miyako was a real fan of Sumo and she set about explaining the origins, system of rank and showing us the displays of previous champions and grand masters of the sport. We arrived at our alloted seats with a good view of the arena to the cheers of an enthusiastic crowd for the bouts of the lower ranked wrestlers. We were then given a spead sheet for the main event (top ranked fighters) together with a listing of their current tournament record and head to head record against their day's opponent. There were 20 bouts (I think) culminating with the final bout between two highly ranked fighters one whom was in the running for the tournament champion (unfortnately he lost out) The whole thing was a spectacular end to a wonderful trip made even more memorable by the genuine enthusiasm and knowledge of Miyako our guide. Our night concluded with a very enjoyable Japanese meal at a local Sumo themed restaurant with Miyako as our hostess including a rendition by local Kimono clad artists of some traditional Sumo anthems. A fitting end to a memorable two week tour of Japan

It was a delightful experience to try unique foods during the tour with Akiho-san as my guide. I got to taste special dishes I had never tried before.

I was guided by Mitoko-san on my trip to Tokyo, and it's definitely worth it. She's really enthusiastic and knowledgeable showing me around. She also recommend me some nice place to try local food in Tokyo after the tour.

Mack was a great guide and was very knowlegeable about Japanese whiskeys. Highly recommend this tour if you are an aficionado of whiskeys and want to learn more while visiting Japan!

Mack was a great guide; he explained to us all about Japanese whisky and their difference between aged whiskey and single malt.

My private tour w/ Muneko was nothing short of amazing! It was just her and I wandering through the alleys of Shibuya, visiting really cool Izakayas. I was able to try so much good Japanese food at 3 different establishments I would not have even known existed. It was nice having Muneko help me experience what it feels like to be a local in Japan. She was fun, vibrant and even helped this rookie finish his sake when he had a bit too much to drink lol. If you want a genuine Japanese food experience, book this tour! You won’t be disappointed:)

Shunsuke (our guide) was amazing, he really made the whole experience fun and interesting. Over a couple of hours we learned so much about Sumo, and really enjoyed being there to watch the competition. The dinner afterwards was fine and well organised, consisting of some sashimi and a small hotpot. The sumo went from 2-6pm and the dinner was afterwards (this wasn't clear from the booking but worked out well). We would highly recommend this unique experience to anyone visiting Tokyo.

Miyako did an amazing job! I knew nothing about Sumo wrestling going in and I walked out feeling like an expert. Miyako did a good job explaining all the rules and traditions of Sumo. You could she was very passionate about it and enjoyed it outside of this tour! Would absolutely recommend!

We had so much fun! Miyako was our tour guide and it was very clear she, herself loves the sport of sumo and she was excited to share it with us. We had a great view of the ring and Miyako diligently explained the both the history of sumo and also the current events. She knew all about the competitors and their careers. I can't recommend this enough!

This was one of the highlights of our trip to Tokyo. We didnt know what to expect and we knew little about the art of sumo. Our guide collected us at the meeting point and brought us to our seats, and using earphone sets explained the proceedings throughout the four hours of sumo matches. The stadium is enormous and by the time the professional wrestlers started their sessions, the place was packed, including rows of schoolchildren, and the atmosphere was electric. Something that really needs to be experienced as no amount of photos does this justice. We booked the meal too but when we were leaving the station it was pouring with rain so we decided not to join so I can't comment about that part. Overall this was really great fun for all our family.

This tour is amazing, I had the chance to be guided by Itawa-san, who is really funny and guided me around to try foods that I had never seen before

This is my first time visiting Japan with my family, and I chose Japan Awaits. Their amazing team always promptly responds to my questions and customizes the tour based on my interests. Miko-san is a knowledgeable guide, and I believe that we would never have known and understood the city as well without her.

We had so much fun watching the Sumo tournament with our guide Seizo. Thank you for all your knowledge and explanations.

We had the BEST time with Norika Masuda-san. She was so friendly, patient and super accomodating to our questions and interests. We shared a really nice giggle over our favourite anime! She took so many photos of us and she was truly amazing, I can’t recommend her enough! The restaurant was delicious and the food sample making was super fun and efficient, my husband and I had many laughs. Thank you!!!