With a real local of your choice
Just contact your favorite local
So no group tours with strangers
“Excellent tour guide!”
Mayumi was the best tour guide we have ever had! In addition to knowing the best spots, she took initiative and went above and beyond to make sure we were taken care of. She helped us make dinner reservations and get on the proper train home. She is extremely knowledgeable and her passion for Hiroshima is evident. We enjoyed the time we spent with her and wished we could have had her as our guide throughout Japan!
“In Aomori you're family”
We did not know what to expect when we arrived in Aomori, but our time with Tomohiko-san will remain a very special part of our lives. After leaving the bustling city of Tokyo, where it feels like you're always in sight of at least 30 people, we could not fathom being the only people at the Seiryu-ji temple, and being able to sit down in relaxed silence to hear the wind whistle through the trees, and the calm of nature. We also got to experience the popular Sannai Maruyama Archeological site - an open air museum with reconstructed buildings you can explore! Tomo-san explained the history of the site as well, telling us how the Jomon people lived but also how the modern people of Aomori knew of them before the museum was established. Everywhere we traveled, Tomo knew someone and it was through these interactions that we truly came to understand the people behind the history we were learning about. The past we'd only read about was brought to life by meeting the people and experiencing the amazing culture. We learned a bit of the Aomori dialect, we experienced some AMAZING food, we got to catch an unforgettable shamisen show, and we met so many amazing people every step of the way. Even our driver helped us avoid traffic by taking us on truly scenic detours (it was golden week), and as a result we got to experience an unexpected festival in the park. Tomo himself is a very knowledgeable guide, who treated us like old friends. He took really great photos of us, allowing us to enjoy our surroundings and focus on being present. We truly hope to return soon and cannot recommend him (or visiting Aomori) enough!
Travis V.
A Three-day Tour in Kyoto, Nara and Osaka for Shion's Boss
Customized
“A very special experience”
We did a hybrid version combining three of Yoshie's traditional tours, traveling with him throughout Kyoto, Osaka, and Nara for three days. Guide: Yoshie was very friendly and knowledgeable about where we traveled. His English is also EXCEPTIONAL, even when compared to other English speaking guides in Japan. We were able to ask detailed questions and really appreciated learning about not only the sites we visited, but the small details between locations - like the history of a train station, or where to get the best sake or ceramics. He made the travel between locations entertaining as well. Yoshie always knows the best places to find a perfect photo, and also the best places to live in the moment, breathe deeply and experience the unforgettable. Tour: We'd been on 5 tours of Japan already and thought we were "temple'd out" before meeting. However, saving this tour for last was perfect because Yoshi's tours are unlike anything else we'd seen. The golden tour, the beautiful gardens (of both trees/flowers and zen/rocks), the Inari gates, and even a few places where you find yourself completely alone for a few minutes just blew us away. Sure we'd seen the 3rd and 2nd largest Buddha, but we also did not fully appreciate how big the world's biggest Buddha was until standing before it, or the amazing Osaka castle. You just have to see these things in person to believe it because they're in a class of its own! We visited in "off season" (late Spring) and the surrounding beauty of the greenery was breathtaking. Our only regret was not having more time. Yoshie also knows where to find the best sake and food, despite our dietary restrictions. I hope you get to travel with Yoshie.
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Kyoto, Japan