Japan Private Tours

“Memorable Day with a Lovely Guide”

I booked a day with Emiko to guide my 83 year old mother and I through Hiroshima. I had to eliminate Miyajima at the last minute knowing it would be too much effort for my mom, and Emiko quickly readjusted the schedule. Emiko was very organized right from the start. Prior to our arrival I requested a car hire so that my mother would not have to walk as much. Emiko set this up with an excellent driver/ beautiful car that picked us up - dropped us off right at the “doorstep” of everywhere that we went. Additionally we were arriving from Kyoto for the day and Emiko made meeting her at the train station very easy. She communicated ahead with clear instructions and held a sign with my name as we arrived on the platform. Emiko shared her personal family story of their experience surviving the atomic bomb as well as extensive information about what happened/ how the city of Hiroshima was rebuilt. It was touching to hear not just the facts but also Emiko’s personal perspective. We toured all the points of interest around the Atomic Bomb Zone and Emiko had pre purchased our Peace Memorial Museum tickets so we were fortunate not to have to wait in line. I will note that the museum exhibit is very crowded and to be aware of this. Next we had a marvelous “local lunch” in Emiko’s favorite Udon Noodle restaurant. It was absolutely delicious and incredibly inexpensive. Last we visited the Shukkeien Gardens which is a must-see for a traditional and impressive Japanese garden. Our day with Emiko was well planned out and organized. She was also flexible with my mom’s mobility (which changed as the day went on. I appreciated how thoughtful she was in understanding the needs of my mother including slowing down the pace. I am grateful to have spent such a meaningful day with Emiko learning about Hiroshima and its history. I highly recommend her for your touring plans. Emiko also has a lovely presence and is enjoyable to be with.

“Excellent Tour with Ritsuko”

We enjoyed a full-day tour with Ritsuko that included the Senso-ji temple and the Meiji Shrine. Ritsuko provided us with a great deal of information on Japanese history as well as background information on Buddhism and the Shinto tradition in Japan. She guided us to locations where we could get good views of the Asakusa neighborhood and the Shibuya Crossing. Ritsuko was also sensitive to my wife's hearing situation and responded appropriately. Overall, Ritsuko was intelligent and kind, and we had a wonderful day with her. Highly recommended.

“A happy, happy, day in Kyoto with a great guide”

Eight hours is a long day of touring the sights of Kyoto but it was a breeze with Fumi as our guide. The temples and shrines we visited were all amazing but different from each other. Fumi was great at teaching a bit about Japanese history and culture at each sight to help provide context to what we were seeing. (The teaching graphics she carried were so good we found ourselves taking pictures of them in addition to the sights we were seeing.) Above all, Fumi was so capable, happy and energetic it made what could have been a tiring day an absolute joy. Thank you Fumi for the very memorable day in Kyoto !