Mount Fuji Private Tours & Local Tour Guides

“Chinami is the BEST!!”

We had 2 half day tours with Chinami. She is so knowledgeable, loves this area, knows about all the culture and picks the best restaurants!! We did a sake brewery tour that is a must do! So fun, the sake guide was great and the sake was absolutely delicious! The Itchiku Kubota Art Museum was beautiful and explained the history of Itchiku Kubota and his art of creating kimono designs. We are a family of 4 from Texas and Chinami was so easy to allow us to change plans and decide our exact design of how we wanted our days to look. I can't express enough what a wonderful woman and human being Chinami is!

“Great visit to Shimizu/Fujinomiya with Sayori”

Four of us visited Shimizu while sailing around Japan on Celebrity Millenium and arranged a tour with Sayori to get a closer look at Mt Fuji and learn more about the sacred mountain. Just a day or two prior to the tour, we realized that we would need to modify our plans since it was the last day of the cruise and we would need to be back to the ship for packing earlier than planned. She had no problem with this, rolled with the punches and adjusted our itinerary. Our day with Sayo was like spending the day with a friend in their home town. Based on her very detailed information, we met up with Sayori at the Shimizu train station. She expertly guided us to an express train that would get us to Fujinomiya more quickly than planned. In Fujinomaya, we visited the Mt Fuji World Heritage Center and the Fujisan Hongu Sengen Taisha Shrine. As she has summited Mt Fuji herself, Sayo was able to provide us with great insight as we toured the Heritage Center. While it was cloudy to start, the skies began to magically open providing us with great views (we think she made it happen) and she was very patient as we were able to watch the mountain appear before for us. At the Shrine, Sayori explained the significance of several ceremonies we happened upon and took the time to read the very detailed fortunes we each chose for ourselves. One member of our group is gluten free and Sayo went out of her way to find a very charming, mother/daughter restaurant that specialized in delicious rice balls with all sorts of great fillings. The mom and daughter were so happy to have us that they offered us additional complimentary side dishes. As relatively experienced travelers this was just the type of opportunity we seek, to experience something that feels very authentic, away from any crowd. For Americans or other english speaking guests looking for a guide, Sayori has spent signficant time in the US, speaks flawless english and will provide a great day with many memories.

Sayori H.

(18 reviews)

Dear Jim san and everyone else Thank you for taking your time to write such a wonderful review. I hope the warmth and the love from Onigiri stay with you as a memory of Japan. Thank you Warmly Sayori

“A wonderful walk in a gorgeously mossy forest”

Chinami-san is a wonderful guide. Her communication before our tour was excellent. She is friendly, enthusiastic, informative and great company. She accommodated my request for a longer tour and then adapted our itinerary on the day based on the weather. It was a true delight to walk through the beautiful Aokigahara Forest with her, and the caves we visited were unlike anything I have seen. The highlight of the trip was our final stop, at Ryugu Cave. This was particularly special as Chinami-san said it was one of her favourite places in the forest. I can strongly recommend doing a guided tour with Chinami-san, and I hope to be able to walk with her again the next time I visit this area. どうもありがとうございます.

Chinami N.

(73 reviews)

Thank you very much for such a wonderful review. I am so glad that you liked the tour. There are many other trains in the forest as you see the map I gave you and I could not explain enough about the history of Mt Fuji. So, lets walk more and hike to Ashiwada mountain next to see Mt Fuji! Have a nice Trip in Kofu and Minobu as well! Chinami