May 23, 2026
Cecile_V
Viator review: Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage Full-Day Private Trip with Government Licensed Guide
A great and manageable hike with Kiyoko!
This is a perfect 5 mile-hike for those who only can spend one day on the Kumano Kodo. Our guide was Kiyoko, and we chose to walk from Hosshinmon Oji to Hongu Taisha. Kiyoko was friendly and knowledgeable, and provided many explanations about the history of places we walked through and of the Oji shrines and monuments we passed on the way. The forest is magnificent. She made this hiking trip truly special with her kindness and her experience. Thank you Kiyoko!

Apr 20, 2026
rosesinthorns
Tripadvisor review: Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage Full-Day Private Trip with Government Licensed Guide
The best way to experience the Kumano Kudo in one day
I booked a private tour of the Kumano Kudo trail due to having a short time (1 full day), wanting to avoid coordinating local bus schedules, and wanting to learn from a local person who also speaks English. Kiyoko was absolutely invaluable! She was organized, flexible, knowledgeable, and kind. She coordinated all of the transportation and points of interest while continually lending us a locals perspective and knowledge of these beautiful, historic places. 100% worth the money and I think truly the best way to experience the Kumano Kudo trail if you have a short time.

Mar 26, 2026
22luisandr_sm
Tripadvisor review: Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage Tour with Licensed Guide & Vehicle
Amazing experience in Kumano kodo
Kiyoko was amazing. We are very greatful for everything she did and prepared for us. She got in touch well in advance to make sure she could design an itinerary that was suited to our needs and desires, and boy! She did an outstanding job! We saw and experienced everything we wanted.
And about Kumano Kodo, well it is just breathtaking. We’ll come back to explore more of what it has to offer.

Apr 4, 2025
robrP6297MQ
Beautiful Tour with detailed Tour Guide!!
Tripadvisor review: Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage Tour with Licensed Guide & Vehicle
We had a great tour guide who helped in so many ways in preparation before the trip,
during the trip, and afterwards! Kiyoko was great and we would 100% book her again!!

Jul 25, 2026
Ann W
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
Incredible tour, one of the highlights of my trip!
Booking a private tour with Hideharu (Yoshi) Yoshino was easily one of the absolute highlights of my trip.

Yoshi-san customized the day perfectly to my interests, accommodating a last-minute hotel change and timing our morning perfectly so we could see the spectacular Gion Matsuri parade without the heavy crowds.

We explored Ginkaku-ji, Nanzen-ji, and the traditional streets of Gion at a wonderful, relaxed pace.

The tour was fascinating and packed with interesting details that allowed me to truly understand Kyoto’s rich history.

Highly recommended!

Jul 18, 2026
Geert73
Tripadvisor review: Kanazawa Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide
A Well-Organized and Informative Tour of Kanazawa
We, a family of 5, had a very enjoyable 6-hour private tour of Kanazawa with Hideharu Yoshino from Japan Guide Agency.
Communication before the tour was excellent and made it very easy to plan the day. Yoshi’s English was excellent, which made communication throughout the tour very smooth. He provided very clear and interesting explanations, giving us a better understanding of the history and culture of the places we visited.
During the tour we explored Kanazawa Castle, Kenrokuen Garden, and the Geisha and Samurai districts.
It was a well-organized and informative tour. Highly recommended.

Jul 15, 2026
G5010ZVmelodys
Tripadvisor review: Kanazawa Local Food & Tea Culture Tour with Licensed Guide
Number one guide for personalised touring of Kanazawa
Our tea and culture day in Kanazawa with our guide Hideharu Yoshino was amazing! Yoshi is very fluent in English and a great companion to walk around with as he knows so much about the history and culture of Kanazawa and Japan. He also knew the best place to grab lunch and helped us pick what was good local fish, curry or tea to try. Plus he made sure we felt comfortable and never out of place wherever we went. I would recommend him for anyone who likes to know more about what they are seeing or what they can do in the area. Yoshi is great!

Jun 6, 2026
Jason_B
Viator review: Kyoto 4hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Excellent, well rounded…
Excellent, well rounded itinerary with pertinent facts and answers to questions. Extremely
informative and insightful guide.

Apr 13, 2026
Dunka591
Tripadvisor review: Kyoto 4hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Highly recommend.
Yuri is an incredible woman! What an amazing experience, we will never forget her kindness
and hospitality.

Jul 28, 2025
C
Cedric_S
Incredible Kyoto Adventure with Yuri
Viator review: Kyoto 4hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Our guide Yuri was the heartbeat of this experience. Gentle, generous, and bursting with knowledge, she didn’t just show us the sights—she made them come alive. We wandered through the mystical gates of Fushimi Inari Shrine, sampled tasty chaos at Nishiki Market, and stepped into history at the imposing Nijo Castle.

We got around by train and bus, and Yuri made everything seamless—translating signage, answering questions, and rescuing us from transit confusion like a local superhero. Our crew started strong at six, but the Kyoto sun had other plans. As family members tapped out (infant included!), Yuri coordinated taxis and made sure everyone was looked after with grace and care.

Despite the heat and shifting group size, my experience only grew richer. If you’re a history lover or just craving something deeper than a selfie, this tour is an absolute must. Thank you, Yuri—you turned Kyoto into a story I’ll never forget.

Quick Tips for Fellow Travelers:

🎟️ Grab a Suica card ahead of time—you’ll glide through train stations like a local.

💵 Bring yen in cash—not everywhere swipes plastic.

🥤 Hydrate and snack smart—touring in summer is a marathon, not a sprint.

Jun 25, 2025
983whitneym
Beautiful Kyoto Guided Tour With Yuri
Tripadvisor review: Private Kyoto Tour with Licensed Guide & Vehicle (Max 15 persons)
We loved having Yuri as our guide. She took us to many beautiful and fun spots to see, including beautiful temples, shrines, the monkey park, and also guided us to a few places we wanted to visit after our tour concluded. We loved her kindness and made quick friends with Yuri.

Feb 16, 2026
B9190RXcolleenm
The Nagoya walking tour was great!
Tripadvisor review: Nagoya Half-day Private Custom Tour with National Licensed Guide
Todd was the perfect tour guide. He was very knowledgeable and tailored the tour for us to
make the most of our time in Nagoya. We easily made our way to the key sites of the city
and Todd helped us plan the next day with excellent recommendations.

Oct 2, 2025
Jeffrey_B
Nagoya with Todd Miura
Viator review: Nagoya / Aichi Half-day Private Custom Tour with National Licensed Guide
A great 4 hour tour around the city. We visited the Castle, a Japanese Garden and the city centre.
Todd was very knowledgeable and ensured a great experience for us

Sep 17, 2025
sjhppy
Todd Was A Fabulous Guide
Tripadvisor review: Nagoya Full-day Private Custom Tour with National Licensed Guide
I highly recommend Todd! He was extremely knowledgeable and a great English speaker! In addition, he was so helpful even before the tour started. He kept us apprised of the weather, the amount of cash we would need for select spots, etc. He was great and this tour was really wonderful!

Jul 22, 2025
guelphturfgrassinstu
Tripadvisor review: Nagoya Half-day Private Custom Tour with National Licensed Guide
We enjoyed this tour with a knowledgeable guide. Todd shared insights into Japanese
culture, language, and great suggestions for future visits.

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.

Sep 24, 2025
Paige_M
Lovely and Educational Tour of Hiroshima
Viator review: Hiroshima City 4hr Private Walking Tour with Licensed Guide
Our guide for this tour was Tomoyo- to say she was wonderful is an understatement! She picked us up right at the train station and helped us navigate all that Hiroshima has to offer- providing education on World War II, while also showing us how beautiful the city is in its own right. We really enjoyed the Peace Museum and Hiroshima Castle. Highly recommend!

May 8, 2025
Smatty68
Tomoyo was a star guide
Tripadvisor review: Hiroshima / Miyajima Full-day Private Tour with Government Licensed Guide
We really enjoyed our one day tour of Hiroshima. Tomoyo, our guide, was very sensitive to
our needs and requirements. She went out of her way to make sure we had a really
interesting day. She has a great sense of humour and we enjoyed her company.

Apr 29, 2025
Josh_H
Amazing experience and very grateful for my tour guide Tomoyo
Viator review: Hiroshima / Miyajima Full-day Private Tour with Government Licensed Guide
I honestly had an amazing time. I am so grateful for my guide, Tomoyo. I travelled alone
and despite us finishing the exhibits early, Tomoyo had amazing additional options at the
ready. I highly recommend going on this experience. You will absolutely not regret it.

Apr 29, 2025
Chloe_O
The best day in Japan with Tomoyo!
Viator review: Hiroshima / Miyajima Full-day Private Tour with Government Licensed Guide
Tomoyo was the best tour guide ever! We had a brilliant day travelling around Miya Jima and Hiroshima. Her knowledge of the history of each place and the cultural traditions is amazing. We had such a lovely time it was one if the best days of our whole Japan trip! Everything was seamless from start to finish. Thank you so much Tomoyo!

Jul 2, 2026
Susan M
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Family fun in Tokyo.
A wonderful day. Ted customized our tour to suit our families interests. Definitely a great way to see Tokyo.

Jun 26, 2026
ann r
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Educational with kind, generous guide
My teenage sons and I learned so much about Tokyo and Japan in a few hours. We were very fortunate to have such an excellent guide! We highly recommend Ted and appreciated his knowledgeable and thoughtful sightseeing tour of Tokyo. He planned a wonderful itinerary for us and made it all happen, with excellent pacing of breaks and good conversation.

Jun 14, 2026
141yunb
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Can’t believe all that we got to see in 6 hours
We had a fantastic time with Ted, our guide. He contacted us prior to the trip to customize an itinerary that would have things of interest to everyone in our group. He shared helpful history for each of the places we visited, from Tsukigi market, Harujuku district, to Meiji Shrine. He had great recommendations for other parts of our trip. He is an expert at navigating the Tokyo train system. This tour is family friendly, but also very active in terms of walking to cover all the places we got to visit. The tour with Ted is definitely a highlight of our trip, I would highly recommend.

May 18, 2026
B
Beth56646
Great tour
Tripadvisor review: Tokyo 6hr Private Tour with Government-Licensed Guide
Ted and I agreed upon what we would see soon after I registered for the tour. He met us at
the hotel. Ted was very knowledgeable about both the places we visited and Japanese
history. I highly recommend him

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.

Jun 17, 2025
Gina_M
Gorgeous Castle, shopping and local food.
Viator review: Nagoya Full-day Private Custom Tour with National Licensed Guide
Tommy was a fantastic guide! She was very patient and flexible with what we wanted to do
and see. I highly recommend!

Oct 28, 2024
avigayelk
Best of Nagoya and Best Guide!
Tripadvisor review: Nagoya Full-day Private Custom Tour with National Licensed Guide
Tommy was the greatest guide! She showed me and my son all the best sites in Nagoya, accommodated our lunch preferences, took a bunch of pictures for us and was extremely informative. Thank you Tommy for the most amazing Nagoya experience. We appreciate you!!

Jun 23, 2024
25aditib
Nakasendo trail with a guide
Tripadvisor review: Magome & Tsumago Nakasendo Trail Day Hike with Government-Licensed Guide
We are so glad we signed up for this experience and grateful to our tour guide for the fabulous organization. We couldn’t have done this by ourselves! We were travelling with 2 kids and mom (who is 68) and our guide for the day did a wonderful job of finding us the transfers when our group couldn’t walk. We did everything we wanted and reached our hotel at a great time too. Amazing day! Would highly recommend Japan Guide Agency’s services. A big thank you to our guide Ms Tomoko Tabata! We had a great time with her.

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….