Experience the best of
Japan with Withlocals

"Although the rain was pouring down the day of our tour with Shohei, he did a great job of showing us all around Kyoto. He told us all about Kyoto’s history, showed us some beautiful temples and areas around Kyoto, and kept us relatively dry. He was willing to answer any questions we had, took us to a great matcha stop, and recommended a delicious sushi place to us for lunch. The rain may have put a small damper on the tour, but it also kept the crowds away!"

"Ryuki took us to Fushimi Inari Taisha. Our friends had been there the day before, but Ryuki took us to a completely different part they'd not been. We saw a hidden bamboo forest, a shrine stone garden (which was absolutely fascinating), and finished up with some amazing dining recommendations, both in Kyoto and beyond. It was a fantastic experience and we really appreciate Ryuki's knowledge and time helping us to understand his city a bit better. Thank you so much, Ryuki!!"

"My husband and I booked a private 3-hour tour with Tiro recently while we were in Kyoto. We weren’t sure what we wanted to see, but we knew we wanted to learn some things about the culture and spend some time in nature and Tiro delivered! He listened to our likes/dislikes and quickly came up with an agenda that ticked all the boxes, from a leisurely stroll through the outskirts of a geisha district—we were lucky enough to encounter a couple geisha walking down the street with no one else in sight!—to a Buddhist Temple and, our favorite, a visit to a beautiful Shinto Shrine in a forest. Tiro isn’t native but he’s lived in Japan a long time and is fluent in Japanese. It was perfect as he knows the culture but also pointed out things that he knew would be especially interesting to us being from another country. Really glad we chose Tiro; it was a great way to spend a few hours. And now I know that tatami mats are a standard size and they sometimes measure rooms as such: i.e. 3 tatami mats wide by 5 tatami mats long. Little fun facts like this make me super happy! LOL"

"We joined Ted for the highlights and hidden gems of Kyoto tour and he was fantastic - he sent us visitation information before we arrived, he met us right on time, and was knowledgeable, funny, and friendly. The pace was perfect for our three hour walking tour and we hope to visit again, and he took us to a bunch of non-touristy spots including some of his favorites. We will definitely message Ted the next time we come; don’t hesitate to book him!"

"Ollie was so great. He met us at our accommodation (as requested by this nervous mother) and gave us a great overview of Tokyo showing us how to navigate Shinjuku station with its 200 exits, and taking us to the pretty Sensoji Temple passing through the old Asakusa district. It was lovely to meet you Ollie, good luck with the future. "

"Naoki has made our first time in Japan as he made it a truly rich and memorable experience! We booked 2 days with Naoki - one in Kyoto and another in Nara. He curated a great itinerary that connected history, culture, nature and food across both cities and was inclusive to my sister who is disabled. We particularly enjoyed seeing the quieter sides of busy tourist sites, and visiting Uji, which we hadn't thought of doing until Naoki had made the suggestion.  His communication was fantastic when organising the tour, even letting us know what the weather would be like on the day! During the tour, he was flexible and adjusted the tour to our pace without it feeling cut short. Even on our days without him, he provided us with amazing recommendations for food, shows and shrines to visit.  Please book with Naoki if you want a guide with great local knowledge and who will go above and beyond! "

"We spent 23 days between Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan. 18 of the days were spent on a cruise ship visiting Taiwan and Japan. In Tokyo we had booked a 3 hour tour with Gerald. We learned and saw more in 3 hours Then we had the entire trip. He’s from Canada and spoke english that we could understand. He met us at our hotel and we took a cab away from the inner city. I had a lot of questions about everything. One experience.that we did was to go into a small grocery store. We learned all about the food and what it cost. We went to a 300 year old temple that was all original. (There were no BUSES) I could go on for another 200 words so I’ll say one more thing. We are in our 80s but we can still walk 4 to 5 miles not running but walking. So 3 hours were just right for us. I wish we could have done 4or5 he was that good. "

"We absolutely loved our bike tour with Tiro. He was helpful, shared lots of interesting information, and made the whole experience really fun. We did the bike tour our first day in Kyoto and it was a great way to get our bearings and learn more about the history. Tiro took us to some really cool places that were also quiet and felt very unique. Our group of seven people (ages 13-45) all agreed it was one of our very favorite experiences from our entire Japan trip. Thank you! "

"Gerald was awesome. He totally indulged my anime obsessed daughter and took her to all her requested locations in Shibuya. While she was geeking out, he and I discussed history and some literature. Gerald showed us a view of Tokyo as good as Shibuya Sky and pointed out all the delicious desserts in food halls throughout Shibuya."

"Eiji was a wonderful tour guide, he is Japanese and from Kyoto. The real deal! We enjoyed our tour a lot and appreciated the secrets and Tipps about Kyoto he shared with us. We especially liked that he took pictures for us regularly and also showed us how to make a wish praying at the temple."