Jul 25, 2026
135ulrikh
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto Customized Half-Day Tour with Licensed Local Guide
Half-day with private guide in Kyoto
We spent half a day with Kaeko Tanigawa taking us to Daitoku-ji and Kinkaku-ji temples and Nijo castle in Kyoto. She is very nice, customer-oriented and knowledgeable about Japanese culture and history.
To be highly recommended!

Jul 24, 2026
J6711TVnancyb
Tripadvisor review: Japan Guide Agency
Family Fun Day in Kyoto with young children
Kaeko Tanigawa was fantastic at helping us create a tour that worked for our family with two young children. It was a very hot day, but the air conditioned van was perfect. We loved making ramen together, feeding monkeys, and seeing a few top sites of Kyoto.

Jul 13, 2026
elizabethtW414DU
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Kyoto Private Tour
Kaeko was absolutely amazing from start to finish, and my husband and I had the best time with her during our honeymoon in Kyoto in April! She reached out well before our trip to get to know our interests and carefully planned an itinerary that was perfectly tailored to us—even helping us choose the perfect lunch spot.
Throughout the tour, Kaeko was incredibly knowledgeable, warm, and personable. She shared so much history and local insight while making the day feel relaxed and fun. What really stood out was that her expertise extended far beyond our 6-hour tour. She provided countless recommendations for restaurants, attractions, and hidden gems that made the rest of our time in Kyoto even more memorable.
If you’re looking for a personalized, thoughtful, and unforgettable experience in Kyoto, I can’t recommend Kaeko highly enough. She was one of the highlights of our entire trip!

Jul 12, 2026
johnkE8649IH
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto Customized Half-Day Tour with Licensed Local Guide
Excellent Kyoto Day Tour
We had a wonderful experience touring Kyoto with Kaeko Tanigawa. She was so knowledgeable and we never felt rushed. She made some excellent recommendations for restaurants and other things to do around town. Highly recommend if you have a chance to book with her!

Jun 27, 2024
50pdd
Great experience
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 4hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Jim is great tour guide.Explains history,culture and helps to buy metro tickets….
We chose cultural sights and there is much to see

Jun 24, 2024
Venture39971560424
Our guide Jim created an itinerary around our interests
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
It was a rainy day, so I guide Jim created an itinerary that suited the weather and our
interests. We went to a small museum that displayed the life of 18th and 19th century
Japanese people as well as number of other sites and plenty of room for shopping

May 27, 2024
JohnnyBravo777
Unforgettable Japanese Journey with Jim: A Tour Worth Taking
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Jim proved to be an exceptional guide, elevating the entire tour experience. His profound understanding of Japanese history and culture added depth to our exploration, making it truly remarkable. The six-hour journey flew by as we traversed through various captivating destinations. I wholeheartedly endorse embarking on this tour.

Jul 11, 2026
Trevor_F
Viator review: Osaka Customized Half-Day Tour with Licensed Local Guide
4 hour Private Tour
Naomi was our guide and did a fantastic job. He met us at our hotel and suggested several places to visit. He navigated us to each spot, providing history and information about each location. Our time spent with him was enjoyable and I would recommend this tour to anyone!

Jun 6, 2026
May_O
Viator review: Kyoto 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Wonderful time in Kyoto
We had a terrific time with Naoki. He brought enthusiasm and excitement to our tour. My
family had a wonderful time.

May 1, 2026
Sanfrancisco820
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Choose Naoki – you will have a great day!!
Naoki is an excellent guide. His communication with us before our trip was outstanding. I sent him a very long list of things we were interested in, and he carefully helped us understand what was in each area and what we could realistically accomplish in a day.

Naoki even navigated a couple of bus rides for us—which turned out to be a lot of fun! He is highly knowledgeable while still making everything engaging, which made him perfect for first-time visitors to Japan.

We had a lovely day and were able to see many of the things we were most interested in, thanks to Naoki’s thoughtful guidance. He clearly put a great deal of effort into planning our day.

We highly recommend Naoki if you are looking for an easygoing guide who puts genuine care into tailoring your experience to your interests.

Mar 28, 2026
Tanya_R
Viator review: Osaka 4hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Great guide
Naoki was very kind and knowledgeable He knew the best highlights of osaka castle and
even got us in by skipping lines

Jul 21, 2026
G848SWmaribelm
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Tour of Tokyo sights was great!
The tour experience with Sam was awesome! He is knowledgeable and accommodating. We would recommend this tour.

Jul 16, 2026
Cezary P
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Excellent tour of Tokyo!
Sam, was outstanding! Showed us how and what to look for. Explained the IC cards, subway and way around them. Took us to all places we asked for and explained all about them. Excellent tour! Highly recommend!

Jul 9, 2026
Michael_C
Tokyo tour
Viator review: Tokyo Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Excellent tour with a wonderful guide – Sam. Sam was professional and personable and helped us tailor the experience y including a tour of the fish market and lunch at his favorite sushi restaurant. Tour was great – good pace and Sam is extremely knowledgeable and willing to answer all our questions- overall a 5 star experience!!

Jun 18, 2026
David_W
Viator review: Tokyo Tsukiji Food & Culture 4hr Private Tour with Licensed Guide
Fish Market Tour
Great tour. Got to see both markets (old
and new). Great food options are available at both market locations

Jul 13, 2026
529gregj
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Haru is an excellent guide in Tokyo
Haru (Haruhiko Yokota) was a consummate professional from the first comment he made contact with us. He asked for our visit priorities and designed an interesting and engaging tour over the several hours we spent together. Very polite, he escorted and taught us through Japanese culture and sights, which was exactly what we wanted to see and learn about. We highly recommend Haru as a guide in future.

Jul 12, 2026
Felice R
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo Customized Half-Day Tour with Licensed Local Guide
Touring gardens in Tokyo with the perfect guide , Haru
Haru was an amazing tour guide. His communication skills from the first email to his tour presentation was superb! He was able to fine tune our tour with incredible precision. Haru was extremely professional and friendly! He was able to conduct our tour in a very organized, interesting and fun way. We would highly recommend Haru to give you the perfect tour of Tokyo.

Jul 9, 2026
mariee530
An incredible walking tour
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
This tour was beyond expectations! Haru, my tour guide, was knowledgeable, kind and friendly. I feel like I learned so much from him throughout the day! I loved that I was able to choose from so many different sightseeing options. I simply gave Haru my list of preferred places and he did the rest! His patience with me as I took 4638 pictures was abundant! I would highly recommend this tour and I will certainly hope you have Haru as your guide!

Jun 30, 2026
simonegN55VE
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Fabulous walking tour with Haru
Haru was fabulous! We booked the tour for our first full day in Tokyo, and Haru provided us
with a perfect overview of the city. He was friendly, knowledgeable, and extremely
accommodating to our needs. I would highly recommend him to others.

Jul 29, 2026
James_G
Viator review: Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Great guide and very…
Great guide and very knowledgeable. Spoke perfect English and made the day fun and educational. Was able to adjust the tour based on my needs.

Jul 13, 2026
peterhR6472GA
Kyoto highlights with Kazu.
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
A wonderful day with Kazu san in Kyoto. From the moment that the tour was booked, his communication with email about planning the day was exceptional.
Kazu gave detailed explanations about the areas we visited and we appreciated all that he had to offer at each of our stops.
We thoroughly enjoyed our day with him.

Jul 12, 2026
cgalvez73
Fantastic tour guide
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Our guide in Kyoto was Kazu. By the end of the day, we felt like we had made a new friend.
Kazu helped us arrange the best day with our short time in Kyoto. He brought us to some “hidden gems” and gave us thorough explanations on history and culture.
I would highly recommend this tour.

Jun 23, 2026
Winni_H
Viator review: Private Kyoto Tour with Licensed Guide & Vehicle (Max 15 persons)
Highly recommended when in Kyoto
Our tour guide Kazu was very knowledgeable in terms of the history and explaining many of
the wonderful ancient sites around Kyoto. Definitely a must! Otherwise, I think it would be
difficult to tourists to understand on their own.

Jul 2, 2026
jamespmccormick
Tripadvisor review: The Best Family-Friendly Tokyo Tour with Government Licensed Guide
Great Tokyo tour with Bruce!
We booked a 6 hour Tokyo tour with Bruce Sugano and had a great experience! Bruce’s English is very good and he was flexible with us setting and changing the itinerary when we saw things we wanted to experience. We took the tour on our 2nd day in Japan and It was helpful to introduce us to the culture and help us gain an understanding of the city and some of its important sites. At the end of our tour, Bruce took us to one of his favorite sushi restaurants and introduced us to Japanese sushi! I would definitely recommend this tour!

Jun 12, 2026
716suzannab
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Amazing experience
Bruce was an amazing guide. He taught us some essential Japanese that we have been using ever since. We visited a wide range of locations in Tokyo and our guide gave us lots of information and history. We would recommend this tour.
Suzanna and Nicholas

May 27, 2026
beaufordtjustice
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Great tour of Tokyo with Bruce!
My son and I had a great tour of Tokyo with Bruce Sangano. We gave him several places we would like to visit and he turned those into our itinerary for the day. We learned a lot about Japanese culture, Shinto and Buddhism and many customs, etc. Near the end of our tour, he booked a great sushi restaurant that is more likely known to locals than tourist. It was wonderful. We would highly recommend Bruce for future tours of Tokyo!

May 24, 2026
A2151KImelissab
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Day out in Tokyo
I enjoyed a solo guided tour of Tokyo with Bruce who met me at my hotel and spent some time collaborating to create a bespoke itinery for the day to match my interests and his local knowledge of the kind of places I would not have thought to go to on my first visit to Japan.
We visited the old neighbourhood of Yanaka and walked along Snake Road where I met a shiba dog out for his Sunday morning walk & saw the Nezu shrine and its extrordinary topiary azalea gardens . Then we set off by metro to exprerience the buzz of Harajuku Street shopping district and visit a ridiculously cute hedgehog cafe. I experienced the iconic Shibuya Crossing and learned the story behind the famous mural by artist Taro Okomoto in the station. After all this we arrived mid afternoon at the Tokyo fish markets in Tsukiju where we enjoyed a late lunch at a local sushi bar- the best sushi I have ever tried- a highlight being zuke (tuna infused with yuzu). Our final stop was the local shrine near the market to honour the fish and the seaweed before heading back to my hotel. Along the way we had many interesting conversations about history, politics and art. It was a terrifc day. Highly recommended.

Mar 31, 2026
Michael A
Tripadvisor review: Osaka 4hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Perfectly customized tour
Shoko San did an amazing job planning a customized tour of more quiet places for Osaka.
We visited a couple of temples and a beautiful Japanese garden. Shoko was very
knowledgeable and accommodating for us. Highly recommended.

Mar 29, 2026
judyl582
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto 4hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Shoko was great
Shoko was an excellent guide. From the moment she was assigned to our tour (month prior) to the day of, her communication was clear and proactive. She tailored our day based on our interests and got us where we needed to be quickly and efficiently. She was also VERY knowledgable of the history of the sites we visited.

Oct 8, 2025
441gayh
World Heritage Kyoto places with the best guide
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Absolutely perfect! SHOKO was the best person to take this tour with. She knew the history of the places we visited – we went to 4 of the world heritage listed places, by train, bus, tram, taxi – just a wonderful day and we will carry many happy memories. Thank you Shoko, you are a beautiful person.

Oct 3, 2025
Judi H
Introduction to Kyoto
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
We had a wonderful tour with Shoko.
She was the same age as we were and we all had a lot of fun.
She had a lovely sense of humour and was very fit so we all worked hard to keep up and enjoy every moment.
She had been in touch with us prior to our arrival in Kyoto,and knew what we wanted to see, and she assisted us with the public transport as it was our first day to see this city.
We had a wonderful tour of Fushimi Inari Shrine where she helped us to make our way through the crowds and took some great photos.
She was up beat and enthusiastic, and could answer all of our many questions.
After taking us to three wonderful shrines and finding us a very cute little place to eat, she stayed with us until she was satisfied we could find our way home.
Shoko was a lovely guide and we left feeling like old friends.

Jul 25, 2026
Hdixjdixj
Tripadvisor review: Osaka Local Food & Culture Tour in 1 Day, Licensed Guide
Amazing Food Tour through Osaka
We were taken care of by Yama-San. We had an amazing time and probably ate the best Tuna ever in our lives. Yama-san really knew where to take us and also gave us some historical backgrounds in general. We can only recommend this Tour as a 5 Star tour. All the places he took us too where amazing and the food so super delicious.

Jul 20, 2026
Eric_W
Viator review: Himeji Castle & Koko-en in 1 Day Tour with Licensed Guide
Castle journey worth your time!
Our tour with Mr. Yamashita was absolutely wonderful from start to finish! He was incredibly knowledgeable, friendly and engaging and he shared so much fascinating history and information throughout the tour. His passion for Himeji Castle and the gardens really showed and he made the experience both educational and fun while taking the time to answer all of our questions. We thoroughly enjoyed our time with Mr. Yamashita and would highly recommend his tour to anyone looking for a memorable and informative experience.

Jul 13, 2026
Diane_B
Viator review: Kobe Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Our tour guide Yama was amazing!!
Our tour guide Yama was simply fantastic – knowledgeable, friendly, and provided impeccable service. Many weeks before our tour, Yama reached out to help us plan and customize our itinerary with him. He was easy to find at our agreed upon meeting location and seamlessly coordinated our transportation around Kobe. We had wonderful visits to Mt Rokko via the cable car, Nunobiki Herb Gardens (Shin-Kobe, using the ropeway), Kitano Ijinkan Street, and the Sannomiya area. At the end of the tour, we felt as if we were saying goodbye to a dear friend. I cannot recommend him highly enough!

Jul 4, 2026
Navigator661725
Tripadvisor review: Osaka 4hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
A wonderful time!
We absolutely loved this tour. Yama was attentive, was filled with interesting facts, and he also took us a few areas that were not as full of tourists. He seemed to enjoy his work which made it really fun for us. Absolutely a kind and knowledgeable guide, I would highly recommend him to anyone visiting Osaka for the first time….

Jun 14, 2026
tiffany_w
Viator review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Phenomenal experiance
Hideki san was an amazing guide. He was incredibly knowledgable and easy to understand. While planning our time together he helped me understand the various areas things I wanted to see were in. He designed a great tour for us. We had a delicious fresh seafood lunch, and yummy Japanese treat. He even helped me interpret with shopkeepers and my fortunes from the temples. I cannot recommend him enough!

Jun 13, 2026
Joshua_A
Viator review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
The Best Guide I Had in Japan
Hideki was, without question, my favorite guide during my month-long trip in Japan.
He is an amazing, kind, and genuinely thoughtful gentleman. Before guiding, he had a successful career at a major conglomerate in Tokyo, with experience in business development and marketing, and you can immediately tell that he brings a level of professionalism, perspective, and depth that goes far beyond a standard tour.
What makes Hideki special is that he does this because he truly enjoys it. He told me, “You can use ChatGPT to get all the history, but it’s my job to explain what it can’t.” That perfectly sums up the experience. He did not just point things out or recite facts. He added context, judgment, personality, and a real human understanding of Japan that you simply would not get from a guidebook or online search.
The morning of our tour, I told him I wanted to completely change the plan. Not only did he accept it, he took it as a challenge and immediately sprung into action. A few hours later, I was completely off the beaten path in a place that would never show up in travel guides or magazines. We ate locally, and it ended up being the best lunch I had in Tokyo. We walked around, bantered, explored, and had an amazing time.
Being with Hideki felt less like being on a tour and more like spending the day with an old friend or a fun uncle who happens to know Tokyo incredibly well. His knowledge, friendliness, calm demeanor, and willingness to go above and beyond made the day unforgettable.
I could not recommend Hideki more highly. If you book with him, you are lucky to have his time. Treat him well.

May 2, 2026
Bruce G
Our guide (Hideki san) was a master. It was a rainy day and he suggested a new plan in anticipation that worked well.
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Using the subway and minimizing time in the rain we saw many of the most important sites and experienced a variety of interesting and fun neighborhood cultures. We had lunch at a local gem for a fun meal of tempura and rice. Some of the sites were spectacular, all were worthwhile. Time and money well spent.

Apr 30, 2026
johnbD9596UO
Lovely Private tour of Tokyo
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
My wife and I had a great time being shown around the sights of Tokyo by our guide Hideki, walking and travelling on the transport network. We were able to learn about some of the history and culture of Japan. The whole day was thoroughly enjoyable and was a great experience. We can highly recommend the private tour with Hideki who was very knowledgeable and helpful and can tailor the tour to meet your interests.