Japan Private Tours & Local Tour Guides

“An amazing adventure in Kumamoto”

Steve was, by far, the best guide I could ever have. We did the tour for about 8,5 hours (which seemed a lot, but felt like nothing). We started going straight to Jinbe's statue. Since it was early in the morning, the store where I could buy the mini figure wasn't open yet. But Steve was one step ahead and already had one statue for me in the trunk of the car. During the drive from statue to statue, Steve talked about the curiosities of Kumamoto, and gave us some info about the tragic earthquakes from 2016. The second statue was Brook, another one with the store unavailable (the store doesn't open on some days of the week). Steve, once again, had a statue to sell me. Later, we went to Sanji's, then Nami's. Both stops were terrific, but Nami's was absolutely amazing. Later, we went to Franky's, and then we made our way to Robin's statue. This one is the most impressive of them all. It is the one where you really understand the meaning of having those statues around Kumamoto. For the final part of the journey, we went to Usopp's, Zoro's, Chopper's, and Luffy's statues. Getting to the captain as the final stop felt both amazing and sad at the same time. We were amazed by the journey and having our captain say farewell, but we were also unhappy because it meant it was the end. Steve made this journey pleasant. Besides driving the whole time, he also took some fantastic pictures of us at the stops. He helped get the statues (talking in Japanese with the people around) and managed to drop us in the best spot possible at each statue. If you're still wondering if you should do this tour with Steve, hear me out: The guy is the best. Just go for it and enjoy this fantastic day.

“Shodoshima Day Tour”

I was searching for things to see in Kagawa and had seen a few videos on Shodoshima, so knew I definitely wanted to visit. When I saw Mika san’s Shodoshima tour page I knew that it was the tour for me ! We quickly came to agreement on a list of places to visit, and then Mika san came back with a detailed itinerary taking into account what time of day the sandbar at Angel Road would be walkable due to the tides. I was more than happy to accept this itinerary as it covered more places than I thought we’d be able to see in one day ! On the day of the tour we met at the ferry terminal in Takamatsu, bought tickets and then took the ferry to Shodoshima. Due to Mika san’s planning we were right on time to catch a local bus to tour the Olive Garden and see the famous “windmill”. From there we then took a small boat over to the “24 eyes movie studio” which I’d asked to be included on the tour and where we had an excellent lunch. I’m so glad I took Mika san’s lunch recommendation of Hishio pork ! We then toured the studio before moving to an old closed school (which was also used as a movie location). The guide at the school was a pupil at the school when it closed, so thanks to Mika san for translating for us both. We then visited two soy sauce breweries - each with their own very distinct character ! From there we went to the famous Nakayama Terraced rice fields, before proceeding to Tomioka Hachiman shrine which has a great view overlooking Angel Road. After that we went to Angel Road itself which was just an amazing experience ! Finally, before heading to the port for our return, we quickly toured Maze Town in Tonosho and visited Ko Shrine. Regrettably it was then time to board the ferry for the return journey, although as this was a Sunday there was a local Shodoshima traditional dance/music group to see us off ! An absolutely fantastic day, which I’d be more than happy to repeat so I’d definitely recommend this tour to others ! Thank you again Mika san !!

Mika S.

(10 reviews)

Thank you so much for your wonderful review! You were not only the first guest who already knew the story of Twenty-Four Eyes, but also someone who had visited the movie director’s hometown, Hamamatsu City — I was truly impressed. I deeply admired your thoughtful travel choices throughout Japan and felt honored to accompany you on the special island of Shodoshima. I hope you’ll return one day to continue exploring the other two unique prefectures of Shikoku! Mika

“Naruto Whirlpool and Area Tour”

To start off with, the booking process with Masami san was excellent. I requested some customisations to the base tour and Masami san was more than happy to accommodate them. On the day of the tour itself we met at the agreed place and time and then Masami san guided me to the 3 temples and shrines that I’d requested to visit. Masami san gave me background information on each site, and also guided me on best practice when visiting a temple or shrine. After that we went to the main event of the tour which was the Naruto whirlpool boat ride. An absolutely amazing experience which I would strongly recommend to anyone ! We then had a hearty lunch which gave me the chance to try awaodori chicken for the first time. Finally Masami san dropped me off at Naruto station so that I could take the train back to Tokushima station. An excellent day and an excellent guide - thank you for a great day Masami san !