Nikko Express

  The Best  - The Backstreet Kyoto Tour was amazing! Our guide Saki was such a knowledgeable and impressive tour guide. We visited and learned about all the major Kyoto sites. Also we had... read more time for a great lunch and a wonderful shopping experience. Overall, it was a superb day! Highly recommend this tour.

  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.

  Our guide Mayu-san met my two young adult sons and I at our Shinjuku hotel in the evening. Although I had been to Shinjuku, my sons had not and I... read more thought they'd be interested in a night-time tour of this area. We had a brief discussion as to the plan of the evening; Mayu-san took account of what we had done on our first day around Shinjuku and adjusted her itinerary for us accordingly. We started with a very short (and crowded!) train trip to Harajuku from where we walked to Shibuya and back to Shinjuku investigating all the things these areas have to offer. Mayu-san made us walk a lot and was very very informative. We stopped in Shibuya for dinner at an izakaya. I can attest my sons and I highly enjoyed their 5 hour guided tour with Mayu-san. We were very happy customers! I would certainly used Backstreet Guides again for another party of Tokyo or Japan (if they had any going). It's really a marvellous way to see the sights with a knowledgeable and friendly local.

  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!

  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.

  Great, busy day  - We had a fabulous, fun filled day with Seiko along with lots of laughter and jokes. She met us promptly at the port and off we went on a... read more train and subway to see the main sights of Tokyo. She was very knowledgeable and customized the tour to fit our needs even making a slight change during the day to adapt for us. Be prepared for lots of walking, lots of steps and lots of subways-but it was actually what we were prepared for even some rain. Would highly recommend her and the tour to anyone!

  We completed two half day walking tours of Tokyo. We had a fabulous guide by the name of Yoko and she was fantastic. If you have not visited Japan before,... read more then this is a great way to learn about the basic customs and an excellent way to understand how the public transportation works especially the train system. Make no mistake, Tokyo is always busy so get accustomed to dealing with crowds.

Our trip was for 9 days and we had purchased a Japan Rail Pass which we did not want to activate until day 2 as we needed it for longer trips in the latter half of our stay, so she helped us purchase Pasmo travel cards (tap on and off) which can even be used on vending machines. It costs 500 Yen per card (refundable) plus whatever you need for fare costs. You need to purchase one for the guide as well. On day 2 she then helped us activate our Japan Rail Passes at Tokyo Station which was remarkably quieter than Shinjuku-Ku Station and also assisted us to book our trip to Kyoto.

We visited the outer market at Tsukiji. This was filled with traditional Japanese foods and food-related items. We then went on to Asakusa to have a look at the Buddhist Sensoji temple and then had lunch (Chicken rice bowl) at a side street restaurant. From there we traveled to Yanaka which is a suburban shopping street. We could have spent more time there however we needed to get back to our hotel for another commitment.

On day 2 we started off going to the East gardens of the Imperial Palace which stands on the site of the original Edo Castle and is home to the emperor. We then moved on to the Shinto Meiji Jingu shrine. After that we had a ramen lunch.
From there we were taken to the Harajuku and Omotesando districts. This is a crazy busy and vibrant area. We also got to visit a photo booth store where we experienced a Japanese teen hangout zone. We also asked Yoko to take us to the Shibuya Scramble which was not a problem, so don’t be afraid to tailor the trip if you need to.

This is a walking tour and you do walk a reasonable amount including traversing stairs and escalators. If you don’t enjoy walking or crowded public transportation then this trip is not for you. We however could not recommend it more highly! Thanks Yoko for your excellent knowledge and for taking care of us so well over the two days!

  Terrific time in Tokyo  - We had a very enjoyable day touring Tokyo and seeing the sights we requested plus a few others recommended by our guide, Rei. The restaurant she chose for lunch... read more was excellent and both Rei and our driver were very helpful and accommodating for the older members in our group. It was a great experience we won’t forget!

  Fabulous Personal Tour  - Great Tour Company. I inquired about a tour and got a response the very next day. As the tour date approached and I realized I needed to revise... read more the tour itinerary, I sent an email and was told it wouldn't be a problem. Rie (our very capable, prompt, conscientious, professional and wonderful guide) did conatant at-the-moment adjustments to the tour the entire day. She was always giving us options and made our day perfect. She picked a great restaurant for lunch and was always pointing out local vendors. Thank you!

  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.