Small Group Journeys

  The Backstreet Guides are the best! - The toughest part of planning our Japan vacation was knowing where to start. So we opted for a more personalized tour of Japan, with its rich history, gorgeous nature,... read more shrines, temples, incredible food, and beautiful people. We had ideas about what our overall experience should be, and one specific item we had to see, but other than that, we needed help narrowing down choices for our 2-week trip. The Backstreet Guides did just that - we had the pleasure of working with the in-house team (Michi and Hiroko), who assisted us over email with our itineraries. We had plenty of freedom to modify them, but didn’t have to, as they did a great job. We were happy that they were able to provide transportation from Narita Airport to our hotel and our guided tour to Nikko. I would like to highlight that due to the time difference between the U.S. and Japan, email is the primary method of communication. We booked 4 separate tours and were assigned three guides: Mari, Rei, and Ai.

Mari accompanied us the day after we arrived, guiding us from our hotel to the Studio Ghibli Museum, where she highlighted interesting parts. Rei, a Tokyo native, is a great storyteller, certified guide, and world traveler. She was our guide in Tokyo for one day and in Nikko for another, making us feel at home with her personalized style and sense of humor. As food lovers, we particularly enjoyed her recommendation of her father’s favorite restaurant—it was so memorable, we still talk about it! Finally, Ai, also a certified guide, welcomed us in Kyoto with her warm smile. We appreciated her use of an electronic notebook to show us architectural features we might have missed. Her expansive knowledge and passion were evident. The cost was reasonable for three adults, and we will definitely use them again when we return to Japan. Arigato gozaimasu!

  Private Day Tour - Tokyo - Rie was the absolute best tour guide!! We thoroughly enjoyed our day, learned so much, and were able to partake in new and authentic experiences. Would recommend to anyone and... read more book again!

  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.

  Great Experience with lovely guide who spoke English very well.  - Rie was wonderful! We are 6 active seniors from the US- she was fun, informative, and made sure no one got lost in the crowds! We enjoyed her company for 2 days.

  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!

  Our KYOTO ADVENTURE with the wonderful Saki - Our Kyoto Tour was absolutely unforgettable.
Our wonderful tour guide SAKI was knowledgeable and shared fascinating historical and cultural insights that brought each site to life.
This tour gave... read more us a deep appreciation of Kyoto's traditions and hidden details we would have missed on our own.
Highly recommended for anyone visiting Kyoto for the first time.

Craig and Richard

  Great tours with Backstreet Guides  - Great tours with Backstreet guides in Tokyo and Kyoto. We had been to both cities before and they were great in making suggestions for things we had not seen... read more that were really good! The guides in both cities were great and very flexible. We recommend this company very highly and would not hesitate to book with them again.

  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.

  Thumbs up Backstreet guides  - Met at our hotel by our guide Rie, we proceeded to travel around Tokyo suburbs trying amazing food,coffee and craft beer. Throw in a few temples,shrines and shops,it's a full... read more day out thats fun and stress free. Highly recommended 👌.