Had a great day with Prebu as our driver. Booked him just for one day and he planned the day well with the activities we wanted to do. We covered a lot in one day starting the tour in one place and ending in a different place according to our plans. Prebu was so friendly and even brought us some homemade treats from his wife. He was very helpful and offered us advice for the reat of our trip.
A fantastic walk through an area that without Kanae you couldn’t comfortable navigate yourself without experience or knowledge of the area. Kanae was very supportive during the walk, offering cold drinks and towels due to the very hot September weather. She also went out of her way to begin the tour earlier than planned so we could better avoid the hot mid-day. Kanae also accompanied us to a nice café after the walk for some well-needed refreshments, then took us to her son’s favourite ramen bar which is certainly now my favourite too. The hike itself wasn’t too physically challenging provided you have even some basic hiking activity under your belt. The heat was rough, but Kanae’s preparation was invaluable. The iced lychee salt drinks she brought were delicious. She patiently waited with us whilst we enjoyed the many great views and sights or took quick breathers. Thank you for a great hike Kanae!
We departed Osaka in the morning of this tour, and Yoshi kindly adapted the tour’s schedule to include him guiding us to the correct station for travelling to Kyoto. This was our third consecutive day spent with Yoshi as our guide, and he was just as friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. It was a particularly hot day, so he allowed us plenty of breaks in the shade with cold drinks. We saw the golden pavilion, bamboo forest, thousand-shrine gate and Gion geisha district. All were really enjoyable despite the oppressive heat, and adapted our tour to finish a little early at our request because of our long hot day. He also went out of his way to arrange a delicious vegetarian monk set lunch at the temple in the bamboo forest area, which was in a Michelin-star tatami-mat floor room. Our time with Yoshi was overall superb. He is a wonderful guide for first-time visitors who my family and I couldn’t recommend more.
Dear Tom Actually, I was super-suprised for not only the value of the tip but also the paper wrapping the tip up. It was very famous temple's paper. The temple is famous for the origin of "Manga" comics in Japan. There were famous pictures on the paper! Anyway, thank you for your evaluation and tip. And I hope you will have good trip and return home safely. Yours sincerely, Yoshi
We didn't want the typical tourist spots and that's what we got. The day was so fun and informative that it flew by. Akira was an excellent guide and host. He curated a tour just for us. And, we met some wonderful people along the way. Today was special.
Dear Irene, Thank you so much for the great review. I arrived at the hotel lobby without any plan, we met, and just started walking. Since we met, I had sensed that you and Mitch had seen me as not just a guide you hired but as one human being, so I tried to add personal touch onto the tour as much as I could, and I’m so glad that it worked. I want you to know that the day was special for me too. I am looking forward to another chance to explore my loving city together. Sincerely, Akira
With a real local of your choice
Just contact your favorite local
So no group tours with strangers