Do we really need a guide to travel in Japan?

I think we can agree everyone would want the best Japan vacation possible. This involves many things to take into consideration, one of which whether or not we need a guide to travel in Japan. 

 

Great and easy-to-find information is readily available on the web and it won't take you more than a few minutes to answer your question. 

 

In this article, I will inform you in which cases you should and should not hire a guide, advantages of hiring one, and where to easily hire them. So, keep reading! 

Should you hire a tour guide in Japan?

Japan is a stunning country attracting millions of tourists each year. However, traveling in Japan can sometimes be overwhelming and confusing with the language differences.

Japan is considered a well sign-posted country, however, some of the places, stations, and street names are complicated; usually, there are also multiple exits and entrances in each station, and these things alone can be confusing. 

 

There are many aspects to consider when traveling to Japan, one of which is should you get a guide in Japan or not.

Cases when you should hire a guide in Japan

If you want to make the most out of your trip

It is impossible to experience all of Japan, especially if you are only in Japan for the short time. It takes time to figure out how to go from one place to another, especially if you want to visit more than one city. Guides can figure out the directions for you and save your time.

 

A good guide will also know the best hours to visit the attractions to avoid big crowds, how to avoid rush hour, and tricks to let you experience the most out of major tourist destinations even with big crowds. They can also bring you to off-the-beaten-path spots.

If you want to learn the culture and destinations more profoundly

If you want to learn about the history and context of the places you visit in Japan, guides can give you local insights about them. Guides can also teach you the culture and traditions in Japan.

If you want convenience

If you want to have a great trip but don’t want to have to do the tedious task of planning an itinerary. If you want convenience and not having to care about the details  (directions, transportations, etc.) when traveling in Japan.

If you want to save money

You are probably thinking that hiring a guide cost money, how can it save money? Guides can create a great itinerary plan for you, they can structure it well to make it time and cost-efficient.  

Cases when you should not hire a guide

Get this:

In almost all cases, hiring a guide can be really helpful. However, there are times that maybe guides aren’t all that necessary. Maybe if you are in Japan solely for business purposes only and have no intention to travel around, or if you have friends/relatives that live in Japan and can bring you around. Hiring a guide or not is really up to your own decision.

Extra advantages of hiring a guide

There's more:

Like some of the mentioned above, hiring a guide can add value to your trip. They can help you make the most out of your trip, allowing you to learn about the context and local insights of the destinations, make your trip more convenient, and help save time and money.

Being looked after

Private guides are locals who can help translate for you, so you don’t have to worry about language difficulties. They have a better understanding of how the local system works and can help you with things in Japan you are not familiar with.

 

Also...

They can give you cultural insights and make sure you don’t accidentally disrespect the local culture. You don’t have to worry about getting lost as well.

Helps you give a better understanding of Japan

It is easy to memorize facts and look up things on the internet. Hiring a guide can give you so much more than that, local insights, traditions, history, and up-to-date factual information about the sites. Guides can also let you see the spots from another angle, and give you access to spots you probably would not have otherwise. 

Where can you hire a guide in Japan?

If you decide that hiring a tour guide is the best option, you will want to start to look for sites where you can hire one in Japan. There are many places on the internet where you can hire tour guides, but you never know what you are getting into, or predict whether they offer quality guides or not.

My recommendation is to use GoWithGuide to find a guide for you because they screen every guide and make sure of the quality of their work. Here is a list of great tour guides in Tokyo, and another one for Kyoto tour guides. And if you are looking for guides in other areas of Japan, you may want to click here.

 

I hope this article helps you evaluate the need of hiring a tour guide or not to travel in Japan and give you some information on where you can hire a tour guide to travel in Japan. I hope you have a great time in Japan!