“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

“Thank you for taking us in-spite of not being too well. ”

Hiro San was a warm, patient and knowledgeable guide who took us to many significant sights in Kyoto. We truly appreciated that he still went ahead with the tour despite not feeling too well, rather than cancelling at the last minute. Because of this, however, the explanations at each site were very brief, usually only a few minutes on the religious and historical significance at each location before moving on. For most of the 8-hour tour, there was very little conversation or commentary from him, with much of his time spent in silence so we just spoke amongst ourselves. Nevertheless, we appreciated his effort and commitment in accompanying us throughout the day. Wish we could have caught him on a better day. Will definitely ask him to guide us if we go back to Kyoto again.

“History, Serenity, and Beauty”

We were impressed with Hiroyuki T. almost immediately when we met at our hotel and planned our itinerary with him on the spot. There had been some issues with the tour description on the GoWithGuide website and we neglected to coordinate with him before our arrival. He handled the last-minute schedule efficiently and came up with an organized plan. We were able to visit several temples and gardens we had not seen on previous visits; enjoy a Japanese/Western lunch; and learn many details about Japanese Buddhism we’d never learned before. Hiro even gave us meditation instructions in a beautiful, serene Zen garden. Thank you, Hiro.

Hiroyuki T.

(202 reviews)

Thank you very much for your kind message. I always say it is necessary to visit at least one of the shrines, one of the temples, one of the Jodo gardens and one of the Zen gardens to understand the profundity of Kyoto. It good to know that you touched the profundity of Kyoto through the tour. Meditation works, make it a daily custom. Thank you again. Hiro