Nara Private Tours & Local Tour Guides

“Four Incredible Days with Hiro.”

We spent four wonderful days with Hiro as our guide in Japan - one day in Osaka and three days in Kyoto - and it was truly one of the highlights of our trip. Hiro's knowledge of the region, its culture, and its history is extraordinary. Having previously served as General Manager of the government's Cultural Heritage Division, he brought an incredible depth of expertise to every site we visited. Whether we were exploring temples, shrines, Zen gardens, or historic districts, Hiro's explanations brought everything to life. He even sketched diagrams to help us understand the different schools and lineages of Buddhism, which we found absolutely fascinating. We were fortunate to have beautiful weather for most of our tour, but even on a rainy day, Hiro created an unforgettable experience. We joined a traditional Japanese sweets-making class alongside a group of adorable local schoolchildren and visited the spectacular TeamLab exhibition in Kyoto. That rainy day ended up being one of our favorites. Hiro seemed to know everything - from the best photo locations and lunch spots to the most convenient restroom stops. One particularly memorable lunch was Japanese curry. Although Hiro admitted he doesn't enjoy spicy food, he cheerfully joined us and bravely sweated his way through the meal while we all laughed together! In addition to showing us Japan's famous sights. Hiro introduced us to peaceful Zen gardens and taught us about meditation, adding another meaningful dimension to our experience. Hiro is not only exceptionally knowledgeable but also kind, patient, and genuinely passionate about sharing Japan's culture and history. We cannot recommend him highly enough. The beautiful places he showed us and the insights he shared made our time in Kyoto and Osaka truly unforgettable

“Great tour around Nara”

Our five-hour tour of Nara with Yoshihisa was fantastic, and we highly recommend him. From the very beginning, his communication leading up to the day was clear and helpful, making the planning seamless. As soon as we met at the train station, he went above and beyond by helping us resolve an issue with our IC cards that we couldn't fix on our own, which saved our trip back home. Another thoughtful touch was a beautiful gift of origami made by his wife, which was a wonderful surprise. Yoshihisa did a great job tailoring the day to our specific interests. We started at a beautiful garden, which was a major interest of ours, before exploring the temples. Throughout the day, he handled all the logistics of getting tickets at each site and guided us smoothly, sharing useful information about Japanese customs, history, and traditions. He was also glad to answer all of our questions and selected a site for a great lunch. We kept up a quick pace to fit everything in, allowing us to see many great temples and sites around Nara before returning to the station. If you are looking for a knowledgeable, helpful, and organized guide, definitely book a tour with Yoshihisa.

Yoshihisa T.

(287 reviews)

Hi Kendall. I appreciate your excellent comment on my tour in Nara. I am very pleased to learn that you and your family enjoyed the Nara tour with me a lot. I also had lots of fun, guiding and talking with you all. I wish every one of you good health and the best of luck. Yoshie

“Nara for half day”

Very good. Je has lots of local knowledge

Akira F.

(66 reviews)

Thank you very much for your kind review. It was a pleasure meeting you and spending the day together in Nara. Our day in Nara has left me with many wonderful memories. Although we were not able to walk long distances or climb too many stairs, we made good use of shorter routes and still managed to visit the most important sites and learn about the rich history of this ancient capital. I am very happy that we were able to experience the highlights of Nara together in a comfortable and enjoyable way.