About Tour Guide Naomi K.

“Unique, relaxing, off the beaten track experience ”

If you are looking for fresh air, warm hospitality, an opportunity to learn about family life in a small Japanese mountain village and to see how rice is grown, this is the tour for you. We loved learning how the rice fields are watered, walking in the family’s beautiful Japanese garden, visiting the beautiful and peaceful village shrine where harvest celebrations are held and walking in the quiet forest near their home. It was such a lovely antidote to the crowds in the city. Naomi and her family were so kind to us and she was so patient in answering our many questions about life and culture in Japan. Naomi speaks fluent English. I highly recommend this tour. It has been a clear highlight of our trip to Japan.

Naomi K.

(5 reviews)

Thank you so much for your beautiful and thoughtful review. It truly means a lot to me and my family. We were also so happy to welcome such wonderful guests into our home and village. Your curiosity, kindness, and respect for our lifestyle made the day very special for us too. I really enjoyed sharing our rice fields, local shrine, forest paths, and everyday family life with you. I’m especially glad that you felt the peaceful atmosphere of our mountain village after the busy cities in Japan. That balance between nature, family, and tradition is something I deeply treasure, so it made me very happy to share it with you. Thank you as well for your many thoughtful questions and warm conversations throughout the tour. Hosting you was honestly one of the highlights for me too. I hope the rest of your journey in Japan is filled with many more wonderful memories, and you are always welcome back to our village anytime.

“A life-changing day in a quiet mountain village in Hiroshima”

This special tour by far became the gem of my time in Japan.  If you're searching for something deeper than the usual tourist experience, I can't recommend this enough! Naomi invites you into her home, her way of life, and lets you experience the culture of a quiet mountain village with unbelievable kindness, and at a place of breathtaking beauty.  I was greeted at my hotel by Naomi and her daughter, who so kindly drew a welcome card for me - I will cherish this forever! Naomi then drove me to her village in the Hiroshima mountains. We walked around the rice fields, and the neighbouring forest which is nice and cool, dripping with mildew, and scattered with the occasional traditional graveyard. It reminded me of the forests in My Neighbour Totoro! We also checked out the local bridge which has an amazing view of the river and village. During our stroll, we talked about life, family, art, the history of the village, and everything in between as we watched the river steam past, and her children threw pebbles into the water.  But despite all the natural beauty and Ghibli-esque atmosphere of the village, it was the kindness and welcoming nature of Naomi and her family that will stick with me forever the most.  They cooked me the most DELICIOUS tempura lunch with sake, and I had a traditional tea ceremony with them. There was lots of laughing, stories, and being shown how the farming is done - I was almost in tears at how kind they were and the effort they made for me.  All these wonderful moments of nature, calm and human connections have made this the most special trip of my life.  OH, and Naomi is a writer too! Ask her about her awesome publications which feature life stories from the local community - it's incredible!  I couldn't recommend this tour enough, though it didn't really feel like a tour. It felt much more special and profound than that, and I am forever grateful to Naomi and her family for letting me into their world for a while in the mountains!

Naomi K.

(5 reviews)

Thank you so much for your wonderful review. Even though it has already been a few days since your visit, the happiness you brought to our family is still with us. Your thoughtful gifts, including the adorable koala for my kids, meant so much to us. But more than that, I was truly touched by your intelligent, calm, and respectful attitude throughout the day. You showed genuine respect for everything you saw and experienced here, and that made our time together even more special. I was also deeply moved by how seriously you talked about wanting to share and support this tour. I learned so much from you, and honestly, I never expected to meet such an amazing guest. Meeting you reminded me why I created this tour in the first place, and it made me feel that all the effort was truly worth it. Before your trip, you sent me many messages, and I could feel how much you love Japan. You were always so friendly, and that made me want to welcome you with the best hospitality I could offer. Looking back, of course there are a few things I wish I could have done even better, but I truly hope I was able to provide you with a unique and meaningful experience that you could only have here. I’m sure you will visit Japan again someday. And now, I think you have a place here that feels like home. We’ll be waiting for you anytime. With warmest wishes, Naomi

“A moving day in Hiroshima ”

Prior to meeting us, Naomi devised this tour to try to fit in the sort of things that we wanted to do. Naomi met us in our hotel and briefly outlined the plan for the day and whether we were still happy with this. We then walked to the Shukkeien garden. It was a lovely day and the garden was beautiful. It is full of ornate trees, including cherry blossoms. It has a small lake with koi carp and terrapins. After a leisurely walk around the garden, we took a taxi to Schome House. The house was built as part of a charitable scheme run by an American, Floyd Schome, to provide housing for some of the people made homeless by the Hiroshima atomic bomb explosion. It is now run as a museum and includes lots of information and photographs of Mr Scome and his housing scheme. We were lucky enough to meet a Hiroshima survivor who works as one of the museum attendants. For lunch, we sat around the hot plate of a nearby restaurant and watched the proprietor make us some traditional okonomiyaki (pancakes). These were delicious. We then went to the Peace Park and listened to an English presentation given by the niece of a Hiroshima survivor. This was extremely interesting and very moving. We were able to chat with her afterwards. Following the presentation, Naomi took us up to the museum. She did not accompany us on the tour around the museum as there is plenty of written information for each exhibit and visitors are discouraged from talking. Audio guides are also available. We thoroughly enjoyed our day with Naomi. She was always professional but also very helpful and friendly. Her knowledge was excellent and, as well as learning about Hiroshima, we found out quite a bit about Japanese life. Naomi obviously enjoys meeting visitors and talking about Japan. If we had been staying for longer in Hiroshima, we would have loved to have visited her rice farm for the day - this is another of her tours.

Naomi K.

(5 reviews)

Thank you so much for such a wonderful review. I’m truly touched and deeply grateful. It was a very memorable day for me as well—learning about peace together and sharing those moments. Thank you for taking the time to reflect on the tragedy that happened in a foreign country 80 years ago, and for opening your heart to Hiroshima’s story. I was especially moved by the way you listened so attentively to the speech about A-bomb survivor. The sight of you quietly and sincerely paying attention left a strong impression on me. And the okonomiyaki was delicious! I was so happy to have lunch together. We were also lucky to have such beautiful weather, and I’m glad we could enjoy the cherry blossoms together. I learned a lot from you as well—your calm smile and gentle presence meant so much to me. I’m truly grateful that I had the chance to meet you. Please come back to Japan someday. I’ll be waiting for you. And I would love to hear you play the guitar one day! Wishing you continued good health and many wonderful days ahead. Thank you again from the bottom of my heart. Warm regards, Naomi