Amozing host, highly recommend Mika and the tour!
Our family of 4 with kids 9 and 11 spent a wonderful 4 hours with Mika early on a Saturday morning. A true Kyoto born local who lives here and speaks very good English.
We were keen to see some popular sights like Fushimi Inari and the Bamboo forest but the rest was pretty flexible and Mika san planned our morning amazingly. From the train journey to the walking route and stops along the way to explain Japanese and Kyoto local customs as well as the nice lunch stop in Arashiyama for Udon.
The boys are generally restless after an hour but Mika san kept us all very informed and the kids very engaged the whole morning that we felt very sad to say goodbye after lunch. Mika san also gave us some good tips of where to go after our tour and our onward journey to Osaka. Highly recommended and especially Mika san.. we’ve had some private tours and guides before but she was truly friendly and we felt very comfortable from the first few moments and felt like we were leaving a dear friend by the end of the tour.
by SGNomads09 (01/20/20)
We had a great time with our guide, Yasuna. This was our 3rd tour with Japan Wonder Travel and they have all been perfect! We learned so much from Yasuna - we wish we could have spent more time with her! Thank you!
by Nancy (01/08/20)
Mika Yoshida was our guide while we were in Kyoto and she was brilliant. She made our time so enjoyable and managed to create a tour that was perfect for us despite never having met us before. She is the perfect tour guide and because of her Kyoto will always have part of our hearts.
If you only have few days in Kyoto, use this company- you’ll never regret it.
by Clare (01/05/20)
we had a very nice visit to kyoto thanks to our guide Yasuna from japanwondertravel who knew how to bring us to the most beautiful places of kyoto thanks again to our guide
by Visit in Kyoto (12/30/19)
Hiromi was a great guide. Everything was well organised and met my interests perfectly. I enjoyed her company and very useful commentary. Five stars!
by Kiwi (10/25/19)
We took 2 half day walking tours with Mika Yoshida as our guide and she was brilliant. We saw so much and learnt about many things that we would not have noticed without her knowledge, she is first class
by Arthur and Clare (10/21/19)
Our family arranged for a half day tour with Naomi from Japan Wonder Travel for our first morning in Kyoto. Naomi was very flexible and easy with our group of young children and also happy to talk through the many options of where we could best use our time. We ended up visiting Nijo Castle, and Naomi not only shared her knowledge with us, but also had visuals to help us learn the history, and helped us get a nice well rounded sense of the past in the area as well as specifics to the site we were visiting. She also helped us navigate the public transport system, and took group pictures for us. It was a wonderful morning and well worth it!
by Fletcher family (10/18/19)
Loved our tour with Ellie.
Informative, fun and provided a great introduction to Kyoto and its history and culture.
Many thanks
by Jim (10/17/19)
I took the bullet train early in the morning from Tokyo to Kyoto and met my guide Kaori at the train station for a 4 hour tour of Kyoto. I had sent her a list of the temples and places that I would like to visit during those four hours and she went over and beyond her duty to do so! Before each site she explained the significance of each place and the history behind them. We walked the streets of Kyoto and tasted many samples of local food from the different vendors. Before I got back on the bullet train she came with me to the Nishiki market to make sure I got the full experience of the market and found the train station in time for my departure! I highly recommend Kaori! She was very knowledgeable and very very sweet! Thank you for a wonderful taste of Kyoto!
by Christin (10/04/19)
My adult daughter and I did this tour with Mika on our first full day in Kyoto. The weather was brutally hot and humid, and our guide Mika was very understanding and sensitive about the impact on us. We did a combo of walking, subways and taxis to maximize our time at the sites. Mika was a great guide, going above and beyond to answer questions, teach us about Japanese culture, religion and life. She lent us Japanese fans (of limited help!) and listened to our preferences. She wrote out some questions about directions in Japanese so we can get help finding our way onto the right trains when we’re on our own. Highly recommend the tour and Mika!!More
by Docsdm (08/23/19)
This trip was totally worth it. Not only do you save time trying to figure out how to get from point A to point B, but you will learn a lot about the sites you visit. Our guide was Hiromi and we had a great experience with her. She is personable and funny and very knowledgeable. She certainly knows a lot about the sites and Kyoto in general. We would not have had the same experience at the sites we visited if not for her. We had a wonderful tour and I highly recommend her. We were traveling with a 12 and 14 year old. The private tour held their attention better than being in a large group. Plus, you can customize the trip to see what you want to see. This experience was worth the money.
by AJD (08/05/19)
This was the wisest decision that I made to have this tour. My guide was Kaori San 香織 San. She was awesome, guiding me through the shrine and temple under very undesirable weather. While we strolled along the interesting alleys, she introduced to me a lot of shops that I could enjoy free tasting and learned a lot about Kyoto's unique culture. She also took photos for me. It was indeed a very wonderful time with Kaori San. I definitely look forward to another trip to Kyoto very soon.
by Cindy_hker (07/28/19)
Hiromi was the very best tour I could have had. She took us to Kyoto and we had a great time at Fushimi Inari and Kiyomizu-dera. She was very nice and gave us so much information about the shrines. She taught us SO MUCH! Very knowledgeable! 11/10, would take a tour with again
by Justin (07/26/19)
We had an amazing tour of Kyoto with Ellie! Ellie was the perfect guide, so friendly and funny and explained everything so well for us. We had such a great time! We loved the Fushimi Inari Shrine (the famous orange gates, lots of people there) and the gorgeous Kiyomizu Temple in a beautiful green area with cute shopping area near it. We got to enjoy seeing some school children trying to walk blindfolded from one "Love rock" to another at the Temple area. It was just such an enjoyable day. I will recommend Ellie for friends going to Kyoto. Thank you, Ellie!!!
by Sarah (07/06/19)
Thank you for a wonderful tour of Kyoto with Kenji! Everything was wonderfully organized and so enjoyable. He showed us all of the best places in a really relaxed but busy half-day. He was so kind. Thank you, Kenji! We loved Kyoto!
by Sarah (07/06/19)
Lovely person and tour!
by Coggy (06/14/19)
Hiromi was a fantastic tour guide. She is very client centric, energetic and warm. We enjoyed spending time with her on the tour very much.
by We highly recommend the high day tour of Kyoto (06/02/19)
Great tour from Kenji. We were a group of 6 with a 6-month baby and he was very flexible and knowledgeable. Would recommend to book if you are in the area!
by Sasha (04/13/19)
Kenji was a magnificent guide for my 4 hour tour of Kyoto. He provided lots of good information and history as we walked. He even had printed pages that’s provided additional visuals. Kenji took pictures to commemorate my tour since I was alone. Thank you, Kenji.
by BarriJ (03/16/19)
After Tokyo we travelled to Kyoto. Very interesting and different from Tokyo. We saw traditional temples and the Nishiki street market. So fantastic to see both. Followed by a fantastic lunch.
by Lars S (01/07/19)
Great service! Will definitely recommend to our friends. Thank you Mika!
by Connie (11/25/18)
We had a great tour with Mika! Even though it was 100° out we were able to enjoy our visit to several locations and the castle. She even helped me buy a katana from a local sword shop.
by John (07/24/18)
Naomi was our tour guide and she was excellent. We chose the 4 hour option and chose Arishiyama Forest and Fujimi Ishri shrine on opposite sides of Kyoto. We travelled efficiently and chatted easily about all things Japanese and about Kyoto. My daughter and I really enjoyed it immensely and would highly recommend Naomi.
by Sandra Rizzo (04/14/18)
Yumiko and the Japan Wonder Tour team was awesome! From the beginning, they kept in contact with me before our trip to ask what we wanted to do. They set up the meeting place and the time according to our schedule. Yumiko met us the the train station and we were off and running. We had a 1/2 day 4 hour tour and Yumiko was awesome!!! She made sure that we made every minute count. We went to the Golden Pavillon, the Furshimi Inari Shrine and the Gion District. She even took us to our hotel because she was worried we would get lost. Talk about customer service!!!! Yumiko was so knowledgeable about the Kyoto and the history of the city and all the things we saw. I highly recommend this company and Yumiko for any tour of Japan. First class service all the way!!
Thank you Yumiko!
by Aloha from Hawaii (03/19/18)
We had a most amazing tour in Kyoto with Japan Wonder Travel! Our guide, Yumiko, was extremely informative and friendly. Beyond the sightseeing of several temples and shrines on our walking tour, she even helped me locate a couple of Japanese versions of US books in a shopping mall bookstore! Additionally, we had to take the Bullet train to Osaka from Kyoto, and she got us to the correct train. She went so far above and beyond to make sure that we were educated and entertained, and made us feel very welcome. We would highly recommend her for this, or any, tour of Japan!
by erlo33 (12/08/17)
