Organising the tour was very easy through the website and email. I put together a list of the places we wanted to see and Takako responded very quickly with a recommended itinerary. The weather was not kind to us on the day of our tour as it rained for 90% of the tour, but Takako did a great job of guiding all 9 of us around the city. She was a very lovely lady, very punctual, knowledgeable and accommodating to our needs. I would highly recommend Takako for your next tour of Tokyo.
We had a lovely guide in Tokyo, Yoko, who was with us for two days. Her English was impeccable. The first day she took us to the main shrines Meiji - Jingu ( where we saw several wedding parties) and Senso-ji along with teaching us how to navigate the metro and train system! We wanted ramen for lunch and Yoko delivered! We found Yoko easy to be with and full of energy - she gave information easily without having to prompt her. She never wearies of questions either! We were familiar with the shogunate eras but she was able to fill in all the blanks for us without drowning us in facts and numbers as well as our “knowledge” of the yakuza from “Tokyo Vice”! We enjoyed her so much we asked to book her for a second day while she guided us through the Imperial Gardens. She not only knows her history but also the names of plants and trees to help understand the beautiful gardens. We mentioned that we wanted to buy a knife and go to the Tsukiji market. She mentioned a free event at the Anakusa Cultural Tourist Center where we were able to see geishas perform traditional dances and one of the 6 houkan ( male counterpoint to the geisha) left in Japan. In order to attend the event I had to cancel my tickets to the Yayoi Kusama museum and Yoko found a different time that I could repurchase my tickets so that we could do it all. She reworked our schedule so that we could do it all!! She took us to a nice restaurant for lunch that was superb and a favorite of locals. She was so helpful with information regarding other things we had planned and would readily share travel information and other ideas for our remaining days in Tokyo! If only we could have had her travel to Kyoto with us too! My husband and I highly recommend Yoko but I warn you - you better have your walking shoes on or you will not be able to keep up with her!!
Martha san, thank you so much for writing such an incredible review. I deeply appreciate both you and Robert san enjoyed Japanese culture and cuisines so much. I had a great time talking with both of you. I also wanted to show you interesting spots in Yanaka besides Yanaka Ginza so sorry we ran out of time. As you often have a business trip to Japan, I will hope I can show you around the gorgeous, artistic World Heritage Nikko some day soon. Thank you again for such a lovely heartful review and your generosity. I hope you have a nice flight back to the States.
Our tour was great. It was targeted to the things we wanted to see. We were picked up and dropped off at our hotel. Our host Kanae was wonderful. She was prepared with everything you would need. Umbrellas and ice cold drinks in the severe heat were key. She communicated prior to the trip which made things worry free for us. I highly recommend you book a tour with Kanae. We were able to see much more than we would have on our own in the short time we had in Kyoto.
This was our first time traveling to Tokyo and Kyoto. We are a family of 5, with 3 grown up teenagers and Mr. Hiroshi really made amazing relationship with the family in the 2 days he spent with us as a guide. I do not have words to describe how amazing job Mr. Hiroshi did in guiding us, educating us while entertaining at the same time. His English was amazing and he explained every little details of the places we visited with him. With so much history and culture embedded into this city, I would highly recommend using a local guide like Mr. Hiroshi and do not try to site see yourself. We had him for 2 days in Kyoto and I do not think we could have covered the entire city without him. We just said goodbye to him a couple hours ago and our kids are already missing him. They loved his company and will definitely meet him again when we come back to Kyoto. If you are first timers to Kyoto, I would highly recommend Mr. Hiroshi to anyone.
With a real local of your choice
Just contact your favorite local
So no group tours with strangers