Sep 25, 2026
849sandrac
Miyajima Island Afternoons
Tripadvisor review: Miyajima Half-Day Customized Tour with Licensed Local Guide
We were a group of 3 and had a wonderful tour to Miyajima Island with our guide Menori. Menori picked us up from our hotel and helped us with trains and ferries, making travel seamless. She had a bubbly personality, was easy to talk to and very informative, on aspects of the island and Japanese life. I highly recommend this tour and Menori as a guide.

Sep 24, 2026
778eliay
Uma descoberta, uma experiência inesquecível de Hiroshima
Tripadvisor review: Hiroshima & Miyajima in 1 Day: Private Tour, Licensed Guide
A guia Minori Tanaka, muito simpática e gentil nos apresentou Hiroshima de modo prazeroso e com informações completas, tornando nosso tour uma experiência inesquecível.
Muito obrigada Minori!!

広島での素晴らしい発見、忘れられない体験
ガイドの田中みのりさんは、とても親しみやすく優しい方で、楽しく分かりやすく広島を案内してくださいました。豊富な情報を交えながら丁寧に説明してくださり、私たちにとって忘れられない素晴らしいツアーになりました。
みのりさん、本当にありがとうございました！！

Sep 20, 2026
texas925
Great tour & experience!
Tripadvisor review: Hiroshima & Miyajima in 1 Day: Private Tour, Licensed Guide
This was such an amazing tour! Minori our guide was sooo knowledgeable and made this trip so memorable. It was VERY crowded bc we happened to pick a holiday week🤦🏻‍♀️ But it was so worth it and Minori navigated those crowds like a pro! No way we would have learned as much as we did and gotten to see everything in one day if we didn’t have her guiding us! Highly recommend.

Sep 5, 2026
Coastal42134850983
Day tour of Hiroshima and Miyajima
Tripadvisor review: Hiroshima & Miyajima in 1 Day: Private Tour, Licensed Guide
Minori was a lovely guide. She met us at our hotel and planned a very informative day in Hiroshima and Miyajima. She gave us insights into the events on August 4th 1945, as well as ensuring we had plenty of time for reading information, asking questions and taking photos. We went to a hidden gem for a delicious lunch before taking us on the fast ferry to Miyajima. We learnt the protocol for visiting a shrine. We enjoying sitting having a beer and sharing stories. We did a circular tour of important places in Hiroshima with a lovely guide.

Dec 30, 2024
shannono1010
Haru is a Rock Star
Viator review: Nara 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Haru was a fantastic guide. He explained the history of the sites on our tour. He even prepared a book that helped explain the historical significance of each site we visited. He was really fantastic, funny and engaging and connected with every member (young and old) in our group. We all learned a lot! Thank u Haru!

Dec 29, 2024
Ali O
Amazing!
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Haru was amazing on our tour of Nara. He was very knowledgeable about the various cites and came prepared with a binder and useful images. He was organized and even found a delicious ramen place for our family of 6 (not an easy task in the middle of busy Nara). He really cared about the cites and the history of the temples and spoke great English. Highly recommend!

Dec 4, 2024
D5658ZEjohnr
Trip to some of the Kyoto sites on our visit to Japan.
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto Full-Day Private Tour (Osaka departure) with Government-Licensed Guide
We were able to customize our trip to the top places we wanted to see. We were able to get to all of them. Our guide Haru was great and the places we visited were amazing and interesting. Our guide gave us a lot of history around the different sites. Our favorites were Kiyomizudera temple, Sanjyu Sangendo Temple and Kinkakuji Temple. We also visited the Fushimi Inari Shrine which was pretty great. We did a lot of walking and public transportation to get around. All in all it wasn’t bad and our guide got us to all the sites with ease. Haru was great as he took most of our family pictures. He did a great job.

Dec 3, 2024
Charlie_Jane00
Kyoto Tour
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Haru was a well organised and very informative guide. He added a lot to our trip and
allowed us to experience a lot in the limited time we had available.

Aug 4, 2026
Elie_S
Viator review: Kyoto Customized Half-Day Tour with Licensed Local Guide
Wonderful and informative walking tour with Michi
We had a lovely morning walk with Michi. He had a great English, was at our meeting point before the planned time, he explained in such a delicate way the story behind the temples, buildings and streets of our tour. He was lovely towards our children and pleased us when we wanted to stop at a shop, eat/ drink smtng or even go to see a statue that was
«not planned ». We had a wonderful time scrolling down ancient Kyoto Tnx to Michi

Jul 19, 2026
Wander35832177180
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto Customized Half-Day Tour with Licensed Local Guide
Kyoto temple tour
Our Kyoto guided tour (Aioi Michiharu) was a great way to see some of the city’s most famous sights. The itinerary was well organized, starting with a convenient hotel pickup before visiting Fushimi Inari Taisha. Walking through the thousands of red torii gates was a memorable experience, and our guide shared interesting background about the shrine that added helpful context.

We then explored the Kiyomizu area, including Kiyomizu-dera Temple, Yasaka Pagoda, and Yasaka Koshindo Temple. The route offered a nice mix of historic landmarks, traditional streets, and scenic viewpoints. There was enough time at each stop to take photos and enjoy the surroundings without feeling rushed.

What really made this tour special was our guide’s knowledge, friendliness, and enthusiasm. He provided interesting cultural insights, recommended local foods and hidden photo spots, and made sure everyone in the group was comfortable throughout the day.

Jul 16, 2026
Abby_M
Viator review: Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Excellent tour. Highly recommend
Michi our guide was excellent! Great communication before the tour and laid out an entire day for us. Was very accommodating and understood when the heat got to us and needed to take a break. He was very knowledgeable and gave us great pieces of information about the beautiful city of Kyoto. Would highly recommend the tour and Michi!!

Jul 13, 2026
Javier P
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Kyoto gems
Michi was incredibly courteous and informative. He had a great plan for our tour and everything went smoothly. He talked about the history of the city, industry, and culture and kept our daughters engaged. Highly recommended!

Mar 30, 2026
MrJames_L
Viator review: Private Kyoto Tour with Licensed Guide & Vehicle (Max 15 persons)
Great tour with Kaji
We had an excellent tour today in Kyoto at a number of different stops. We went to monkey park, bamboo Grove, tenryuji temple, Arashayama park and the Golden Temple. It was a packed schedule but our guide made sure we got everywhere and transited smoothly. He was also very helpful with our young kids and a food allergy. This was our third tour with JGA and we highly recommend them for Kyoto.

Jul 3, 2025
Radit T
Worthwhile private tour on our first full day in Kyoto!
Tripadvisor review: Private Kyoto Tour with Licensed Guide & Vehicle (Max 15 persons)
We had a wonderful day with Kaji and our driver seeing many sights during our first time in Kyoto!

To start, Japan Guide Agency (operator) went above and beyond to help us even have the tour on our requested day. Despite all of their regular rental vehicles being unavailable, they were able to secure a driver and minivan for the 5 of us and Kaji, our guide. Excellent communication and responsiveness by email as we worked through to resolve the challenge and confirmed the planned itinerary.

Kaji arrived at our hotel ahead of schedule to be ready for our pickup. From there, he led us with interesting facts and helpful tips to Tenryu-ji Temple, Arashiyama Bamboo Forest and Park, Nijo Castle, and a delicious casual udon lunch as requested at Tokutoku Fushimi Takeda. Lastly, we visited Fushimi Inari Taisha and for a bonus, quickly saw To-ji Temple before getting dropped back off at our hotel.

Overall, time and money well spent. We covered so much ground on this tour and it was a worthwhile experience with help from Kaji and our driver. Definitely recommend!

Jun 7, 2025
Lisa_H
Great tour guide and driver
Viator review: Private Kyoto Tour with Licensed Guide & Vehicle (Max 15 persons)
Overall a great experience. The team is extremely professional and knowledgeable of the Kyoto area. Having a driver was great in the heat and on getting around to the various stopping points efficiently. Our guide was also very helpful and knowledgeable of each place we visited and knew of appropriate spots for pictures, info etc.

Great experience overall.

Sep 25, 2026
scottrE3713WR
Great Mt. Fuji experience!
Tripadvisor review: Mt. Fuji View Shimizu Customized Tour with Licensed Guide
Kaz was amazing! Great communication before our meet up and even helped us after the tour was over with recommendations. He took us to this cute tea shop where we had a fun experience with the owners. We didn’t have to worry about anything. Mt. Fuji was clouded over the day we went, but we still got to see some glimpses. Would highly recommend him!

Aug 27, 2026
H694KFjoannet
Great Day in Shimizu
Tripadvisor review: Mt. Fuji View Shimizu Customized Tour with Licensed Guide
We had a great experience with Kaz on this tour. He worked to customize our experience so that we could enjoy our day. Kaz is a great communicator and his knowledge is extensive. We chose to see the Mount Fuji Cultural Center, a nearby shrine and gardens, and visited a wonderful tea shoppe at the base of Mount Fuji. Kaz was mindful of our time getting us back to our cruise ship with time to spare. We highly recommend this tour and Kaz as your guide.

Jun 4, 2026
Companion12422328239
Tripadvisor review: Port Pick-Up: Shizuoka Tour with Licensed Guide and Vehicle
Great views of Mt Fuji and local tea
We had an afternoon in Shizuoka on our cruise, and our guide picked us up at port on time and made sure to get us back on time too.
We went to a beautiful waterfall, the Mt. Fuji World Heritage Centre, the Fujisan Hongu Sengen Taisha shrine, and a local tea shop. We were able to get incredible pictures of Mt. Fuji, and really enjoyed every location we went. Our guide and driver did a great job of getting us to all these places and not feeling rushed even though we only had 5 hours ashore.
We traveled with my parents and our 3 kids (age range of 73 to 8) and we all had a terrific time.

May 28, 2026
kam_g
Viator review: Shizuoka/Shimizu Mt Fuji View 6 hr Private Tour: Guide Only
The guide was very nice…
The guide was very nice and knowledgeable. Introduced us to very interesting people. Very
cloudy that day so Mt. Fuji was not visible but that was OK the countryside was beautiful.
Very enjoyable experience. Would book again. thank you so much

Sep 27, 2026
Ross_W
Fun with Hidden Gems
Viator review: Osaka Hidden Gems Off the Beaten Path Tour, Licensed Guide
Our guide Yama was so friendly and greeted us in our hotel lobby and guided us from there to the areas we wished to experience. While we were really needing to find gifts for us and friends, he made it very interesting along the way pointing out special places and landmarks. We went to the culinary shopping and visited a number of shops and he helped translate, which we needed. We went to an area for animae and it was eye opening. We then went to the black gate market, Kuromon, for a lunch experience and wow that was so much fun, I only wish I could have tried more food items, but we were full! Last we expended the shopping area. All I can say is it is busy and lots of stores. We finished on the base of a department store, enjoyed with are great guide.

Aug 10, 2026
Sez042
Tripadvisor review: Osaka Customized Full-Day Private Tour with Licensed Guide
Great experience
Yama was great, he showed us around and explained everything very well. Highly recommend, very knowledgeable

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.

Aug 14, 2024
Shubha_I
Great Okinawa intro
Viator review: Naha 6hr Private Tour with Government Licensed Guide
Yoshi was the best. Super accommodating and flexible. He was an amazing guide and
very kind. We thoroughly enjoyed our time with him

Apr 14, 2025
Ramona_D
Top 3 highlight of our Japan trip
Viator review: Mt. Fuji Aokigahara Jukai Forest Private Tour with Licensed Guide
We were lucky to have Masako as a guide for this tour. Very knowledgeable about the area, and also flexible to adapt the itinerary according to what we prefer, so we got to see all the secret spots without any crowds! Sakura was in full bloom, and it was super relaxing walking around and taking photos without all the TikTokers around 😝

We travelled from Tokyo to Kawaguchi Station on the expressway bus from Shinjuku- easy & cheap. Masako was at the station waiting for us, so we had zero hassle.

We opted for the caves, 2 gorgeous Shinto shrines (one of which with a magnificent 1,000+ years old cedar tree) and a 1 hr trek to the Sanko-Dai panoramic platform. The climb is quite steep so make sure you’ve got good walking shoes & you’re in decent shape. This was probably my favorite part of the tour as we got uninterrupted views of Mt Fuji and there was no-one else at all.

We finished with a stop at Lake Shoji, with a cute view of Fuji holding the ‘baby’ mountain (this can only be seen from this lake).

All in all this tour was perfect – a guide that knows the best spots, crowd-free & flexible (plenty of conbini & bathroom breaks available). Thank you Masako!

PS – Kawaguchiko is the site of the famous Lawson/Fuji shot, if you’re that way inclined. And as you may guess, the locals just don’t get the fuss, especially with so many better Fuji views so close by!

Mar 29, 2025
Toby_B
All the lakes and mountains
Viator review: Mt. Fuji Five Lakes Area Private Tour with Licensed Guide(Kawaguchiko area Dep)
The guide was experienced and ready for a long day of visiting every site I requested. I kept
pace that was matched by each challenge and attraction visited. I wish her next trips and
changes are just as easy as this day was for me.

Mar 10, 2025
James_W
Best of the Best
Viator review: Mt. Fuji Aokigahara Jukai Forest Private Tour with Licensed Guide
Masako was amazing. You could not have a better guide. Mt Fuji is very scenic and temples
were great

Sep 28, 2026
Miguel_E
Amazing Service
Viator review: Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
We had a wonderful time with Kazuo. He had such insightful knowledge of each area we wanted to visit and had all the best spots to take photos and was very patient with us.

Sep 27, 2026
T
TrailBlazer47194
Kazuo Sumi is a great guide.
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto Customized Full-Day Private Tour with Licensed Guide
Our guide Kazuo Sumi was excellent. We had a wonderful time, learned a lot of new things about Japanese culture and history, practiced navigating transport, enjoyed a perfect lunch. Kazuo-San even facilitated a purchase of a UV blocking umbrella, which was much needed on that sunny day.

Sep 1, 2026
Steve6172014
Excellent tour of Kyoto
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
We had a great tour with Kazuo, our guide. Days before arrival he communicated directly with me to set up the tour according to sites we wanted to see and he made good suggestions. Besides listening to his Kyoto detailed knowledge, we enjoyed the local walking of streets, taking buses and trains between sites. Kazuo has excellent English and has travelled himself so being with him for the day was a pleasure. I highly recommend using him as your guide

Aug 7, 2026
Pascale_Q
Viator review: Kyoto Customized Private Tour by Car with Licensed Guide
Very good private tour of Kyoto with Kazuo
We had a wonderful experience during our Kyoto Customized Private Tour by Car with Licensed Guide. Our guide, Kazuo, was truly outstanding from start to finish. He shared an impressive amount of knowledge about Kyoto’s history, culture, temples, and daily life. You can feel how passionate he is about his city, and he explains everything with the calm, precision and kindness so typical of Japanese guides. His English was clear and easy to follow, which made the whole day even more enjoyable. Kazuo was also extremely friendly, attentive and careful. He always made sure we were comfortable, took the time to answer all our questions, adapted the pace of the tour, and anticipated our needs without us even asking. Travelling by car made the experience smooth and relaxing, allowing us to see more places without rushing. We felt very well taken care of throughout the day, and we learned so much thanks to him. We highly recommend Kazuo to anyone looking for a personalized, insightful and stress‑free discovery of Kyoto.

Sep 25, 2026
robert_s
Fantastic experience!
Viator review: Toyosu Tuna Auction & Tsukiji Local Food Tour, Licensed Guide
We had a tour booked with Toru yesterday. He was extremely prompt and detailed with the meeting spot well in advance and he was precisely on time at 450 am to meet us at the designated site. He was fantastic! Very knowledgeable and easy to interact with. He took us to have sushi after the auction and then we took a bus to the outer Tsukiji market and we saw all the things that we typically like to explore at markets. Toru we would recommend as a superb guide, without reservation, and in the highest possible terms. Great morning!

Sep 24, 2026
Pamela_S
Ask for Toru!
Viator review: Tokyo Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Our travel date for this tour came during Silver Week so sites were definitely crowded, but our guide, Toru, created an itinerary that allowed us to see the places we wanted to experience in an enjoyable way. We had no problems communicating with Toru during the lead up to the trip and he was so considerate of our wishes. Toru also shared a wealth of information about Japan and the spots we visited. The personal attention on this tour was such a welcomed change from the packed bus tours we had been on with our cruise excursions and the cost wasn’t any different! Thank you, Toru, for a wonderful, enlightening experience in Tokyo!

Sep 13, 2026
S4579HLmaxf
An unforgettable morning at Toyosu
Tripadvisor review: Toyosu Tuna Auction & Tsukiji Local Food Tour, Licensed Guide
Outstanding experience at the Toyosu tuna auction with Toru as our guide! From the start, Toru was incredibly clear with his instructions, making sure we arrived at exactly the right spots at the right times and giving us all the accurate details we needed to take part in the first-floor viewing lottery. As an English speaker, I really appreciated how easy he made the whole process — navigating the auction logistics on your own could be confusing, but Toru unlocked the full experience for us.

After the auction, we sat down for a sushi breakfast where we got to try every part of the tuna. It was hands down the best sushi I’ve ever had, and having Toru explain each piece as we went made it so much more than just a meal — it was a genuine education in tuna and how the market works. His knowledge of Toyosu (and Tsukiji, which we explored together afterward) was clearly deep and came from real passion for the subject.

Toru was kind, patient, and generous with his expertise the entire time. This tour ended up being the absolute highlight of our trip, and I can’t recommend him highly enough to anyone visiting Tokyo who wants a real, insider look at the tuna auction and market culture. Five stars, without hesitation.

Sep 7, 2026
Victor_G
All the temples and…
Viator review: Kamakura Customized Half-Day Tour with Licensed Local Guide
All the temples and shrines were fantastic. Our guide Toru, was excellent, very knowledgeable and his love of Japanese culture shone through.