Jul 1, 2026
laine164
Tripadvisor review: Nikko Full-Day Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
A wonderful day!
We had a wonderful time exploring Nikko.
Our friendly guide, Yumi, Was an expert. She made every attempt to ensure our personalised tour was successful. We got to see everything we wanted and more.
We also had great food at a lovely little restaurant with a beautiful view.

Apr 7, 2026
V2097LInickd
Tripadvisor review: Nikko Full-Day Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Great Guide Yumi Highlights Nikko on walking tour
Our 16,000 step tour of Nikko with our guide Yumi was informative, interesting and delightful. Yumi met us at the hotel on time despite a last minute change of venue. She adjusted the itinerary to accommodate the change and we visited the Emperor’s former summer residence (Tamozawa Imperial Villa) and gardens and then walked the Abyss, both good. A quick lunch at the nearby bakery turned into a history lesson about the origins of tourism in Nikko and the oldest hotel in the area. Interesting and unexpected.
We then walked to the world heritage Shrine and temple complex of Toshogu, Futarasan-Jinja and Rinno-Ji. Yumi’s pre-planning and pre-purchase of tickets saved us a 30min wait in line. And her folder of laminated fact sheets provided more details on things we were seeing. So we’ll organised.
We finished the tour with a walk down to the river to view a bridge and then a long uphill walk back to the hotel, via a Lawson Station to stock up on snacks after a busy tour.
Recommended.

Apr 4, 2026
O4367MVkarenv
Tripadvisor review: Nikko Full-Day Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Fantastic day in Nikko
We had a fantastic day with Yumi. She offered us deep insight into local history, cuisine, hidden spots, culture, religion, and daily life. Extremely knowledgeable, passionate and flexible. Yumi communicates well in English and made our day extremely memorable. We highly recommend Yumi!

Nov 10, 2025
Salutory
A fascinating tour with a friendly and knowledgeable guide
Tripadvisor review: Nikko Full-Day Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Our guide, Yumi Aoyama, was warm, welcoming and highly knowledgeable. She answered every question even thought I’m a bit of a history buff. Her preparation for the tour with a folder of pictures and diagrams to illustrate a point was excellent and helped us understand things like what the five levels of pagodas represent. Overall, we felt like we were in good hands and she delivered good value for money. We highly recommend her and her tour.

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!

Oct 25, 2025
Carla_G
Our 4-hour Tokyo walking…
Viator review: Tokyo 4hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Our 4-hour Tokyo walking tour was fantastic! Michio was informative, delightful, and incredibly accommodating. We had our four-year-old with us, and he thoughtfully adapted the tour to suit our family’s needs. Using public transportation to get around was seamless thanks to his guidance. We highly recommend booking this tour—and definitely request Michio!

Oct 24, 2025
410trishab
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 10/10 — Outstanding Tour with Michio and Nobuhiko!
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo Full Day Tour with Licensed Guide and Vehicle from Yokohama
We had an amazing day exploring Tokyo with Michio as our guide. He was incredibly knowledgeable, providing great historical background on each site and using his personal tablet to visually enhance our understanding. His English was excellent, and he clearly explained the cultural differences between temples and shrines, making the experience even more meaningful.

Our driver, Nobuhiko, was equally impressive—always finding safe and convenient drop-off and pick-up points close to each attraction. Together, they made the day flow seamlessly.

Michio thoughtfully adjusted our itinerary to avoid traffic and kindly delayed our lunch at our request to miss the noon rush. Every detail was handled with care and professionalism.

Highly recommend Michio and Nobuhiko for anyone looking for a well-organized, informative, and enjoyable tour in Tokyo!

Oct 11, 2025
GoPlaces52694049181
We enjoyed our time in Tokyo with Michio our tour guide.
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 8hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
We enjoyed our time with Michio tour guide. He was very friendly helpful, and
knowledgeable answering all our questions. He provided insightful information about
history and culture of Japan!

Oct 10, 2025
PiscesV
Sushi for breakfast at 630am? Yes please!!
Tripadvisor review: Toyosu Market Morning Tuna Auction and Tsukiji Food Tour with Licensed Guide
What a wonderful morning witnessing and learning about the Tuna Auction and learning about the history of the Tokyo fish markets. Michio was an amazing guide and very well informed. He took us to the auction and explained what was happening, taught us some fascinating history, and found us a wonderful “breakfast” at the intermediate market. Once we were satiated he guided us to the Tsukiji market via a wonderful driverless train ride. Everything you could ever imagine could be found at the markets. This was a great tour and we learned things we would never have found out on our own. Thank you Michio!

Jul 23, 2026
bennyboyoz
Tripadvisor review: Japan Guide Agency
An unforgettable private tour with Kahori.
This private Geisha and Asakusa tour was one of the highlights of my trip to Japan, and that was largely thanks to Kahori.

She was incredibly professional, warm and organised from start to finish. Her knowledge of Japanese history, culture and traditions was exceptional, and she brought every temple, street and story to life. Her attention to detail was outstanding, and because it was a private tour, she tailored everything to my interests and answered every question with genuine passion.

The Geisha matcha experience was authentic and memorable, but Kahori’s guidance made it so much more meaningful.

If you’re booking this tour, make sure you try to get Kahori. She turned a great tour into an unforgettable experience.

Jul 12, 2026
Kwame_L
Viator review: Tokyo Customized Private Tour by Car with Licensed Guide
Amazing Private tour with Kahori
Our tour in Tokyo was fantastic. Our guide, Kahori, contacted me shortly after scheduling the tour through Viator. She explained who she was, a bit about her experience and gave our group an example itinerary to help us choose places we were interested in. Our group had a few travelers with extreme dietary restrictions/ allergies. Kahori helped us find and research several places that would accommodate our needs. Kahori checked in with our group to remind us of the tour and was very attentive to our groups suggestions.

On the day of the tour she was waiting for us in the lobby of the hotel and was extremely friendly and punctual. We visited 5 different areas across Tokyo (Senso Ji temple, Imperial Palace Gardens, Shibuya Crossing, Tokyo Tower, Metropolitan government building). Although we did do everything, I would suggest sticking to a specific area as we found we were on a very tight time schedule for 6 hours. We truly underestimated how sprawling the city is.

We ended the trip with lunch at Tempura Asakusa Sakura. It was delicious. The staff was friendly and very attentive to our group.

The tour was amazing and I would highly recommend it.

Jul 12, 2026
Noe_C
Viator review: Tokyo Customized Private Tour by Car with Licensed Guide
Great tour with Kahori!
We had an amazing time on our 6-hour private tour with Kahori! She was so knowledgeable, sweet, and patient with our group. Our driver, Tamae, was safe and efficient, even showing us some extra sights along the way.

Kahori contacted us a few days in advance to plan an itinerary that fit our needs and the sights we wanted to see. We started at the Meiji Jingu Shrine, then the Imperial Palace, then the Tsukiji Fish Market, and we ended at Yanaka Ginza. Kahori had engaging and relevant historical and cultural information for each site (she even carried an iPad with really help Yu visual aids). At the Tsukiji Market she helped us find which shops to go to for lunch and explained all of the different types of food (we ended up having our favorite sushi from our entire trip from her recommendation!).

She was really attentive to the needs of our group, always checking in if we needed more time and making sure we got to see everything we wanted to see.

I would absolutely recommend a tour with Kahori!

Jun 17, 2026
Shoney M
Tripadvisor review: Yokohama 4hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Kahori Tour
Kahori was an excellent tour guide. We also worked on her English along the tour. She was
very informative.

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.

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.

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.

Apr 21, 2026
Sabrina_F
Viator review: Tokyo 4hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Balade riche en découvertes
Nous avons passé un super moment avec Danda. D Asakuza au jardin de Hama rikyu en passant par Ginza et ses boutiques sans oublier le marché aux poissons. Nous avons appris plein de choses sur le Japon et avons pu acheter sur ses conseils du matcha et des baguettes personnalisées. 4h au top avec ma fille de 15 ans. En anglais.

発見に満ちた散策
私たちはダンダさんととても素晴らしい時間を過ごしました。浅草から浜離宮庭園、銀座のショップ、そして魚市場まで巡りました。日本について多くのことを学ぶことができ、また彼のアドバイスのおかげで抹茶や名入れの箸を購入することもできました。15歳の娘と一緒に過ごした4時間は最高でした。英語での対応でした。

Apr 14, 2026
davidjonesresponseen
Viator review: Tokyo 4hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Walking tour with Danda in Tokyo
Excellent walking tour, we followed our guides recommendations are were very pleased.
Great combination of Historic places, shrines, beautiful gardens and local shops and
restaurants/ bars. Our guide Danda was very informative and fun.

Apr 10, 2026
Anna_O
Viator review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Great tour with great guide
Excellent tour with a very good guide (Danda). The tour was well organized and the guide
communicated with us before finalizing the itinerary.

Mar 25, 2026
Nahmjee_L
Viator review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Great tour guide and experience.
Danda was great with my family. He was thoughtful, kind and patient with our family and
we felt welcomed and comfortable with him. He went above and beyond to make sure we
were all set and prepared for great Japan trip experience. Highly recommend him!

Jul 21, 2026
Sandra_U
Viator review: Tokyo Customized Half-Day Tour with Licensed Local Guide
Great Individualized Tour!
Our tour guide, Masa, was wonderful. The tour was individually crafted to the sites and activities that we wanted to see. We really enjoyed that we used public transportation. He had great insight and was very helpful. I highly recommend.

Apr 3, 2026
Celal_S
Viator review: Tokyo 8hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
We had a great tour even…
We had a great tour even it was full day rainy and a bad day for walking. Masa san was a
great guide, he was very helpful and guided us very nicely.

Mar 30, 2026
Johanna H
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo Early Morning Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
6 hour Guided Tour of Tokyo
We booked the 6 hour tour of Tokyo with a Government Guide for our first day, to help us ‘acclimatise’ to Tokyo….learn the trains/metro, get tips and ideas etc, plus obviously visit a few highlights. Masa our guide was brilliant, contacting us in advance to find out what we would like to see, then he produced a detailed itinerary for us to review (it was spot on). He kept in touch leading up to the day and led us through a great day. The tour (& Masa) exceeded our expectations

Mar 26, 2026
Chica717
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Amazing private tour with Masa!
We had the absolute pleasure of spending two days with Masa san (a 6-hr tour and an 8-hour tour). If you are able to specifically request him as your guide, I highly recommend you do. He went above and beyond to make sure our visit to Tokyo was unforgettable. We corresponded well in advance, and Masa san provided invaluable insight into planning two days’ worth of sightseeing. On the days of our tours, he arrived on time and well prepared, and answered all our questions throughout the tours, whether they were about the sites, local customs, history, or etiquette. He researched alternatives when it rained and called venues on our behalf. He was a tour guide, travel agent, interpreter, and fixer – all in one! Most importantly, Masa san is a delight to spend time with – he’s a great conversationalist, and is extremely thoughtful, kind, and funny!