What Our Guests Are Saying About Our Yamanashi Wine Tours
Curious about what it’s like to join one of our private wine tours in Yamanashi?
Read the reviews below and hear directly from our guests.
From fine wine and food to expert-guided tours, see why guests love Winery Tours Japan.
Morey is the complete and highly professional guide, not only just from his in-depth knowledge on Koshu wine and from his connections with its winemakers. He is also an excellent conversationalist and can share unique insights on life as a Koshu local. I find Morey to be a genuine person and someone deeply passionate about Japan's wine, nature, temples and culture. Thank you Morey
Our one-day wine tour in Japan was an unforgettable experience. The organization was outstanding – from the very beginning, we felt exceptionally well taken care of. The selection of wineries was diverse and provided a deep insight into the richness of Japanese wine culture. Each stop was lovingly prepared, and the hosts were extremely friendly and knowledgeable. We not only had the opportunity to taste excellent wines but also learned a lot about local cultivation and traditions. Overall, it was a perfect day that exceeded our expectations. Thank you for this wonderful experience – we will definitely be back!
Tamara & Paolo
Switzerland
WOW , we cannot described our experience in couple words , but I will try . Was our guide Morey good ? No , he was perfect ! He customized a 7-8 days tour from start to end , a combination of wine tasting , historical site visits - old temples nested in Japanese Alps , nature & waterfalls , amazing food , shopping . Not only that everywhere we went , we were the only western tourists. We had the pleasure to taste unfiltered wine, out of this world. Never had sparkling sake before, or sake infused with gold flakes , thank you Morey. From the best home made pasta carbonara to sushi to deer stew and chicken curry, Morey also took us to a week of delightful food. You ask for something, Morey delivered. Koshu valley is still unknown for 90% of the western tourists. Japanese people are so kind and friendly, Morey made this trip to look like we were in the honeymoon . We will come back for sure . Thank you Morey, you exceed our expectations 300%
Leonard & Silvia
Romania/USA
An absolutely incredible experience! We got to see some incredible wineries and tasted some truly uniqe wines. Highly recommended!
We reserved a two-day wine tasting tour with Morey, which we thoroughly enjoyed. Both days were hampered by a cloudy sky which, unfortunately “concealed” Mount Fuji-san from our vision, but this and even the slight drizzle on the first day did not spoil our fun. Morey took great effort in guiding us around in the Koshu Valley, he even helped us to buy extra suitcases for all the wines we bought😉. We visited 10 Wineries where we met great people, in some of the wineries, the owners even came out to engage into animated talks with us. The wines we tasted opened our eyes, or should I say our tasting palettes to Japanese wines which are different from better known wine regions, for example a “Muscat Bailey A” based wine which smells like a (Japanese) grape juice but tastes like a wine without the taste of the juice. The lunches, included in the tour, were mouth-watering good. In short: A highly recommendable tour!
Highly recommend! If you are interested in wine and Japanese culture this is a must. Morey is super accommodating, knowledgeable, and goes above and beyond. He will create a really engaging tour catered to your individual wants/desires. It is super cool to be able to explore around rural areas of Japan and see things outside of city life. The included lunch was also extremely delicious!
We had a wonderful time visiting Yamanashi Valley and exploring the local wineries. Morey is a great guide. We visited a couple of wineries in the morning then we had a lovely lunch with delicious hand made pasta, and then three more wineries in the afternoon. All the wine tastings and lunch were included with the tour. Morey speaks Japanese and helped us understand the winemaking process for Koshu wines and other local Japanese varietals. It was a great learning experience! We enjoyed exploring the beautiful Koshu Valley too. We truly enjoyed our tour and I highly recommend Winery Tours Japan.
Patricia & Robert
San Francisco USA
We had an excellent time on our tour with Morey! He went above and beyond to ensure we received the most from the tours and brought a personal aspect that was refreshing and comforting. Would absolutely recommend to anyone interested in experiencing the culture surrounding Japanese wine!
Kelsey & Alex
Florida USA
We did a one-day private tour with Morey and it was excellent! We visited five very different wineries in Koshu Valley in Yamanashi Prefecture, including a special lunch at a local restaurant. Morey was very friendly and knowledgeable, and having a bilingual guide definitely made the experience so much easier. Highly recommended!
Raphael & Adrian
Australia
This was our first visit to the vineyards of Yamanashi, but certainly not our last. We asked Morey and Winery Tours Japan to give us an introduction to the region and the wines produced here, and we were not disappointed. Morey had chosen a great representation of wine producers giving us a good insight in different styles of the most important whites and reds of the region, as well as wines from both larger as well as smaller producers. We were also treated to a fantastic lunch in a traditional Japanese restaurant including braised local pork, pickled vegetables and Sake, Morey is attentive and flexible and made sure we had enough time for each visit, but also that we were back at our drop off point in time when the day was over. In short, we were very well taken care of by a knowledgeable and service minded guide. A tour with Winery Japan Tours comes highly recommended!
Moreys tour of the wineries around the Koshu Valley was fantastic! After a quick ride on the express train from Shinjuku, which had amazing views of the Japanese countryside along the way and so comfortable!, he took us to our first winery and asked about our preferences over our first tasters. Using this and his incredible local knowledge, he then tailored the day, ensuring we got a bespoke experience, taken to the wineries that made wines we loved but also displayed the full range of what is on offer in Koshu. Lunch was at a great, handmade pasta place that you wouldn't be able to find yourself - great hosts, a true hidden gem! Also, stop and get the table grapes - some of the best fruit I've ever had! Thanks Morey and Winery Tours Japan!
We would highly recommend doing a wine tour with Morey. We thoroughly enjoyed the day and this was our favorite part of our trip to Japan. His knowledge of the wineries that we went to and of the area added a very personal touch to our visit to Yamanashi. We enjoyed talking with Morey and learning about the unique aspects of the area. It was the perfect trip getting away from the hustle and bustle of Tokyo into the peaceful countryside. He brought us to some hidden wineries that were really beautiful inside. He was greeted warmly by the people working at the wineries so it was clear that he was very familiar with the different wineries. We very much enjoyed tasting Japanese wines which were really good! If you really want to experience the wineries in the Yamanashi area, don’t book a crowded group tour—book a private tour with Winery Tours Japan and spend the day truly experiencing the beautiful and wonderful wineries of this area. Thank you, Morey, for a wonderful time!
Eileen and Jim
Virginia, USA
A really great day that we had visiting wineries in Koshu Valley with Winery Tours Japan and Moreys friendly and knowledgeable guidance. We really enjoyed fantastic Japanese wine and excellent food! Thanks for everything! It was a great and spectacular experience! Thank you …. We will definitely be back ….. sooner as we can ……
We had a private full day tour of the Koshu Valley wine making area of Yamanashi with our local guide Morey. The whole day was fantastic. It was a fun and scenic drive to the Koshu Valley from our pickup location. We visited 5 different wineries along with a delicious lunch at a cozy countrystyle Japanese restaurant. The 5 wineries were all excellent but very different in size and style which made for an interesting tasting experience! I really recommend this tour for anyone interested in Japanese wines. We will definitely be back for another tour. Thank you!
The wine tour with Morey from Winery Tours Japan was a remarkable experience. It had been a challenge for me to find Japanese wines in restaurants etc , so to experience local Japanese wineries first hand with you was very enjoyable. We really appreciated your local knowledge of local vineyards and varieties, and your rapport with the owners and wine makers gave us a great insight into Japanese wine production. We also discovered many new enjoyable wines! The Koshu valley in Yamanashi is an absolute treasure thats yet undiscovered and it’s so peaceful and uncrowded yet so easy to get to! It was an absolutely fantastic experience and probably the highlight of our visit to Japan. Thank you for a great insight into the Koshu valley and Japanese wine!
We spent a beautiful day wine tasting in Yamanashi with Morey from Winery Tours Japan, he is great wine guide and fun to be with! And quite knowledegable about various Japanese wines. Thanks to him we discovered Japanese wines from such a gorgeous region in Koshu! We highly recommend it! Morey was very instructive and planned our journey with a lot of details! The Japanese lunch was delicious too!! Thank you so much!”
Daniela & Margarita
Spain
" I had a really great time touring the beautiful Koshu valley. My guide Morey was really knowledgeable about the different wineries, their history and products. The wines recommended were unique and refreshing, with a lot of variety. The lunch was also really good. Overall, I had a really great time and would highly recommend anyone to take part in these Koshu wine tasting tours." Hope to see you again soon!
Morey was friendly and knowledgeable guide about the Koshu wine making area. One of the wineries we wanted to visit was closed and he quickly thought of another one we could go to enjoy a tasting. We saw a wide range of Koshu wine producers and styles. I was the only one on the tour and I enjoyed chatting with Morey about our shared interest in wine and nature. He mentioned a hiking route and even brought me to a shop to get a hiking backpack for the next day. This wine tasting tour with Winery Tours Japan is highly recommended!
Highly recommend Winery Tours Japan with Morey. We started our day with Morey picking us up from our hotel. He was so accommodating even though my group was 30 minutes late. For the rest of the day, Morey shepherded us to 5 beautiful wineries and lunch. He was so knowledgeable about the area and the wines we were trying, and he made the experience fun by sharing interesting stories about his life in Japan. He even drove us to the onsen after! 10/10 experience
My wife and I had an amazing day wine tasting with Winery Tours Japan. As avid, global wine tourists we were excited to experience our first time tasting local Japanese wines. We were able to visit a variety of great Japanese wineries with the bonus of a tasty local lunch and excellent conversation. As a foreigner it would be impossible to do wine touring so efficiently/enjoyably in Japan without Morey - an expert local host who speaks both fluent English and Japanese. We look forward to our next trip to Japan to be able to do it all over again with Morey as many more wineries to explore and more interesting stories to be shared!
Paul and Leslie
Philippines
We enjoyed our recent tour with Winery Tours Japan, the wineries visited were boutique style and also we had the chance to meet the winemakers in person. The pace was relaxed and the luncheon was very tasty! We hope to come back soon for part 2.
I had an amazing time doing this wine tour with Morey! It also happened to be my birthday and Morey took great care of me. The Koshu wines are amazing, being from South Africa I had high expectations, however I was pleasantly surprised. The pasta restaurant had fantastic food and a stunning view. I highly recommend this wine tour in Yamanashi.
Highly recommend this wine tour in Yamanashi! We visited several wineries throughout the day and got to experience a wide range of Yamanashi wine. Our guide was very hospitable and knowledgeable of the various family owned vineyards so we managed to visit the span of small boutique vineyards to larger commercial ones. Will definitely book this Koshu wine tour again the next time we're in Yamanashi as there's so much to explore
A packed day that went so fast which means I had an excellent time. Visited different wineries in Yamanashi Koshu Valley and really loved the passion from those who I spoke with and confidently felt the future of Yamanashi Koshu wine is very bright. Highly recommended tour for those who are new to Japanese wine or those who are well on their wine journey. You will be surprised by the progress the Koshu varietal is making now. Thanks Winery Tours Japan for the hospitality and a such a wonderful experience.
Our guides bi-lingualism and deep knowledge of the town and wineries makes him a great guide for any English speaking tourist! He was also very flexible adjusting plans to fit our interests. We’re glad we booked with Winery Tours Japan!
The 3 day wine tasting tour with Winery Tours Japan was fantastic, we visited many interesting wineries and breweries in the Koshu region and had interesting delicious meals along the way as well. Morey is a great guide who is extremely experienced in the area and knows the local people as well. I would definitely recommend Winery Tours Japan if you are looking to learn about Japanese wine and explore the Koshu valley and beyond!
Touring with Winery Tours Japan was a wonderful way to experience one of Japan's main wine regions in Yamanashi. Morey does small group tours and as a solo female traveler it was a really nice safe way to meet other people who are interested in wine. The lunch was traditional home-style Japanese cooking (amazing!) and we were able to visit five or six wineries, meet winemakers, see where the wine was actually made in a couple and try a huge amount of wines from the region. Morey is extremely knowledgeable and he created a really friendly environment for us. I really highly recommend this tour to anyone interested in Japanese wine!
The tour was amazing with an awesome tour guide! Our guide was friendly, knowledgeable and welcoming. He gave good recommendations! With the years of experience living in the area, he even showed us an additional place which was not included. Sincere guide who will generously share his experience and thoughts with you. The lunch was top notch. It was a meal that I would always remember. Given a chance, I will definitely be back for a second round tour! Looking forward to you including a barbecue at the end of the tour!
My comments are that the tour was absolutely fantastic. I loved the flexibility and hospitality. The lunch was incredible, I am still thinking about it. One of the tastiest lunches I've had in Japan, period. You were incredibly pleasant and fun to talk to. Japanese wine is delicious! I would recommend this tour to anyone.
I recently had the pleasure of going on a Koshu Wine Tour and it was such an amazing experience! The winery tour was incredibly informative, and the wine tasting was absolutely delicious. We were also able to sample some of the local dishes paired with Koshu wine, which were excellent! The staff at the winery were extremely friendly and knowledgeable and fun. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone who wants to learn more about Japanese wines or just enjoy a unique experience in Japan.
