Tokyo Private Tours

  Do it... you won't regret it! - Great tour with Mana Nakano.
She was prompt in meeting at hotel, had a historical presentation about Tokyo. We went to the Ueno station, Imperial Palace Gardens, and several other... read more places. It was very interesting. I enjoyed the whole day!
I also did a day tour with Rie to Kamakura, and that was really good, too. Kamakura is a wonderful coastal town just south of Tokyo. The last time I was there was 16 years ago, and happy I went back.

  Historical Tokyo tour  - We enjoyed this tour with Mana, she was amazing and we covered so much history and beautiful gardens full of cherry blossoms. Some of the best places were the small... read more streets and quiet shrines and wonderful tiny shops . It was raining most of the day but we still enjoyed it all. Thank you Mana for a wonderful and inspiring day.

  Backstreet Guides is amazing. So are their guides Yoko and Rie. I highly recommend their day trips to Kamakura and Nikko. They made it easy and relaxing for us.
... read more My sister and I wanted to revisit places we remembered from our childhood. With courtesy and professional attention, Masa at Backstreet Guides helped us set up private day trips to both Kamakura and Nikko. It was a fabulous experience.
On the first day, Yoko met us in our hotel lobby and accompanied us through morning rush hour on the subway to the train station where we took the one-hour trip to Kamakura. With great ease she guided us around the town and its cultural treasures, including the Great Buddha, beautifully set against green hills and the sky, one of the icons of Japan. Yoko took us to a charming restaurant for a tempura lunch, took photos of us in the same spots as our old photos and led us into a bamboo forest we especially wanted to see. We shopped for sourvenirs and the beautifully carved wood for which Kamakura is famous. Yoko taught us so much - from sumo wrestling to persimmons to kimono dressing. She also taught us how to use the subway system!
The next day Rie came to our hotel and we took a 2-hour reserved seat train to Nikko - all arranged beforehand by Backstreet Guides. Rie also introduced us to Japan's wonderful vending machines! In Nikko we were met by a private car and Rie accompanied us up the mountain to see waterfalls and Lake Chuzenji. She then took us to a fabulous lunch at a small restaurant we would never have found on our own. We tried yuba, one of Nikko's specialties - a truly memorable meal. Then we headed to Toshogu Shrine, a World Heritage Site, newly restored, glistening with gold leaf under towering ancient cedars. There is no way we could have done all this in one day without Rie's professional and well-organized expertise. It was awe-inspiring and a lot of fun.
Thank you, Yoko and Rie. Thank you, Backstreet Guides.

  Great day in Tokyo  - We had a wonderful day in Tokyo on the Market & Modern Culture tour with our guide, Rie. She showed us the best spots in Tsujiki market that locals... read more prefer, taught us so much about the city, and helped us overcome the language barrier when we wanted to do a little shopping. Would highly recommend the Backstreet Guides!

  Outstanding Tour by Rie  - Rie was an outstanding tour guide. She took us to two markets, two shrines, and other fascinating places. She was punctual, knowledgeable, patient with our slow pace of walking, and... read more very kind. We highly recommend her without reservations.

  Day in Kyoto  - The tour was amazing, our guide Ai was very knowledgeable and had answers to all our questions. She took us over a large area in a good amount of time... read more so we got to learn about the history and modern culture.

  The Backstreet Guides worked with me to create a one day tour for my husband, 8 year old son and myself. We covered a lot of ground starting at 9am.... read more Our guide was Mayu. She was friendly, spoke excellent English, and was able to engage my son throughout the day. It helps that our guide has boys of her own- so she understands kids! In addition to walking, we used the subway system (which my son enjoys). She helped explain certain customs and culturally signifcant parts. It was a very enjoyable day!

She recommended a great Udon noodles place for dinner and also helped me brainstorm some ideas on where to take my son the following day.

  10/10 once in a lifetime experience!! - This tour was incredible, and Hitomi, along with our driver, made the experience unforgettable! There’s no way we could have seen as much or appreciated the sights as deeply without... read more them. It was truly the highlight of our trip — we can’t recommend it highly enough!

  Hakone Hike and Lake Ashi  - Our day hike with Rie from The Backstreet Guides was just amazing. She took our family
of four to a traditional tea house, up through the Hakone forrest,... read more and down to Lake Ashi. At Lake Ashi, we ate at an amazing bakery and drank Macha Latte while looking at the Lake. It was one the best parts of our trip!

  I had a private tour scheduled when we arrived. We met our guide Mayu. She was So sweet and friendly that half way through the tour i booked her for... read more the next day and the evening two days later.
She was very informed and taught us many things about Japan, the culture, religion. My whole group just loved her and the tour and the time she spent to teach us and inform us. IT is alot of walking but it was so worth it. We were able to go to shrines, towers, temples, gardens. She covered it all. I would highly recommend this company and her as a guide. Be prepared to walk, the booking process was excellent and the communication was super throughout the whole time.