As a family with young adults we wanted a tour that was both informative and fun. Having never been to Japan before we needed someone to show us the ropes. Richard was excellent. He is passionate about Japanese traditional culture and Buddhism. He also showed us how to navigate the Kyoto train system. We visited a beautiful Japanese temple and shrine with magnificent Japanese gardens. Then onto Nijo castle to see how the shoguns lived. Richard told us so many fun anecdotes about Japanese history and also gave us great advice on how to communicate with the locals. Next we visited the Nishiki markets. We had an amazing experience trying fabulous Japanese cuisine. Richard knew all the best places and foods to eat. We also made a few sake stops as well. The food was fabulous. We walked through the length of the market and into the Ponto-cho where we visited a tiny little restaurant where the lovely owner made us okonomyaki pancakes. Richard took loads of photos for us and really made the tour entertaining. We then walked across the river into the Gion district where Richard left us to enjoy the street market food Stalls. We would thoroughly recommend Richard. His knowledge is immense and he genuinely loves his job. It was the perfect tour to begin our Japanese trip and had given us the confidence to navigate the rest our visit on our own.
Thank you Sally. I am so happy you and your family had a great time with me. We got to visit a lot of places and I hope you learned a little bit about Japan that sparked your interest to come back again in the future. Hope you loved the sake and are more inclined to order it now!!! LOL. Again thank you so much and I hope you guys take care and have a great and safe trip Richard