Tour report - Fantastic private tours in Japan

Category: Tour report

Let’s learn kanji, Japanese character, and get to know Japanese culture better with Meiji shrine tour

Posted on 2025年1月26日2025年2月1日 by japan flower tour home

I participated as a volunteer member in a study group held for deepening the understanding of Japanese culture of trainees staying in Japan invited by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). The study event was organized by the English group of the Tokyo city guide club (TCGC), of which I am also a member, and they do various things using English for people visiting Japan.

First, participants were asked to choose a kanji to try calligraphy, and under the guidance of a calligraphy expert, with supporters’ help like me, they experienced the difficulty and fun of calligraphy.

After that, we enjoyed some short game including picture matching cards that showed the origins of kanji characters, and then we went to Meiji Shrine with our guide.

JICA calligraphy event, Meiji shrie excursion JICA書道体験明治神宮ツアー

In January, Meiji Shrine displayed works that won prizes in calligraphy contests for elementary and junior high school students from all over the country, and participants deepened their understanding of kanji and the Japanese language by viewing them and thinking about the meanings of poems of Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken.

One day culture tour in Tokyo operated by JICA

Posted on 2025年1月19日2025年1月26日 by japan flower tour home

One-day cultural excursion

Yesterday, I guided the JICA trainees to Meiji Shrine and Senso-ji Temple as part of their cultural lecture in Tokyo. This training course is designed to learn about digital transformation technology, the advanced technology in agriculture and rural areas, and I was in charge of the cultural training part as part of the training that was staying in Japan for about four weeks. The trainees were 11 people from eight countries in Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and Africa, and I explained to them about the religious matters including our tolerance that underlies Japanese culture and the modernization of Japan, to people with different cultural and social backgrounds.

However, I tried to make it a relaxed atmosphere between the daily lectures without making it too formal. Due to the training budget, it was a little difficult for the 11 trainees, such as traveling by public transportation and having lunch at a tempura chain restaurant that was reasonably priced but be not accept reservations (it took longer time than expected), but I think they were able to experience one side of Tokyo life, including these slightly inconvenient aspects. The participants walked more than 15,000 steps in one day, and as some of them are not used to walking much, they seemed a little tired, but I believe they enjoyed their day in Tokyo.

With a family from garden and plant lover New Yorker

Posted on 2024年12月27日2025年6月14日 by japan flower tour home

Visit winter Japanese garden

Yesterday, I guided a family of four from New York to the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace and Koishikawa Korakuen. This time, they had applied for a course to tour Japanese gardens after they watching my profile on a registered Canadian travel agency. They are very interested in Japanese gardens and horticulture, and enjoy gardening in their own gardens, planting Japanese maples in them. I had a great time showing such guests around. Unfortunately, the peak of the autumn leaves had passed, but they still enjoyed the garden, with its red and yellow leaves still remaining, and the passing of autumn and the arrival of winter.

Japanese gardens landscape

Looking down on the garden from a high vantage point, I explained how the evergreen and deciduous trees, both large and small, are skillfully arranged to create an attractive landscape, and explained why evergreen plants such as pine and bamboo are so popular with Japanese people, while explaining about craftman’s skill on straw snow hanging and New Year decorations. I think they enjoyed a unique way to enjoy a garden in winter. All the photos, except for the lunch photo, were taken the day before during the preliminary inspection.

All of my outdoor work for this year, both paid and unpaid, is now finished, and I’m feeling a little like it’s the end of the year (although I still have a lot of desk work left).

Looking back on this year, there were periods when I couldn’t get any work and I got anxious, and then I got infected with COVID-19 and had to quickly ask for a replacement guide, so I experienced the hardships and sorrows of being a self-employed person, but overall I think I was able to manage my time in a relaxed and enjoyable way.

I’m thinking of not scheduling too much outside work like a guide until around mid-January, and instead spending some time relaxing and doing desk work like organizing accounting and finance-related work and improving my website.

It’s a little early, but I hope you all have a happy holiday season and new year.

This tour was organized through Tours by Locals.

Review from the guest posted to Tours by Locals

One of the best tours we had in our many travels to Japan and many other countries. Atsuhiro-san came prepared with a custom tailored information package and gave us a complete and informative brief before we started. He is very knowledgeable about the history of Japanese gardens as well as the details of every place we visited. We enjoyed his company and we learned a lot about Japanese gardens and the larger context in which they are developed. Highly recommend this delightful tour with this great guide.

Astonishing autumn leaves at Kitanomaru Park

Posted on 2024年12月7日2025年1月26日 by japan flower tour home

Best time for Maples and Ginkgo trees

I organized an autumn foliage observation event for a group of the Tokyo City Guide at Kitanomaru Park as a host. The maples in the forest were at their best on a cloudless day, and the gradations from orange to crimson were beautiful. The old ginkgo tree, said to be about 200 years old, was a beautiful yellow suitable for a landmark. Members of the event learned how to distinguish between species in maple trees, which can be difficult to distinguish between, and enjoyed not only the autumn leaves but also the red berries of evergreen trees.

Wonderful days with young trainees from Brunei

Posted on 2024年11月26日2025年1月26日 by japan flower tour home

Heartwarming Days of Exchange

The delegation from Brunei, who we stayed with for about a week, returned home. On the last day of their three-day homestay in Mie Prefecture, host families prepared a lot of halal Japanese food for the Bruneians, and held a grand farewell party for us, including dressing us in kimonos, performing a typical Bruneian dance, and dancing the Bon Odori dance with everyone.

We felt lucky just to be able to see Mt. Fuji from the bullet train returning to Tokyo, and then, at Tokyo Station, Doctor Yellow train arrived at the platform next to us. We were really blessed with good weather on this trip, and it was a truly lucky week. The group finished their presentation and left in high spirits for their home country. Although it was a short visit, I hope that this visit will help promote mutual understanding between Brunei and Japan, and that Japan’s excellent culture and agricultural technology will be conveyed to Brunei.

Welcome to beautiful Japan, young Brunei agricultural engineers!

Posted on 2024年11月24日2025年1月26日 by japan flower tour home

Welcome to Japan

Since last Tuesday, I have been participating as a coordinator in a project operated by the Japan International Cooperation Center (JICE) under commissioned by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs which invites youth people from ASEAN countries to Japan to learn about the good things about Japan. The course I am joining in is attended by young farmers and agricultural officer from Brunei, and they have been attending lectures at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and visiting a new initiative called aquaponics, which combines hydroponic and aquaculture.

Tokyo to Matsusaka

Now we are in Mie Prefecture since last weekend, where we have been enjoying autumn in Japan by visiting irrigation facilities that have been in operation for over 200 years and farmer’s market by agricultural cooperative, and enjoying mandarin orange picking. And since the day before yesterday, they have been staying at a farm and experiencing various life of farmer. This course is a joint course with young agricultural workers from Vietnam, and I am translating English while another coordinator translating to Vietnamese at the same time, which can be a little difficult, but I enjoy it with the energy of the young people. Although it is a short course of about one week, I hope that they will understand not only the good things about Japan, but also the difficulties of agriculture in Japan, and that this will be useful for agricultural development in their home country of Brunei.

Amazing autumn views from Mt. Takao and Japanese gardens in Tokyo with wonderful guests from the U.S.A and Canada

Posted on 2024年11月13日2025年6月16日 by japan flower tour home

On Sunday (November 10th) and Monday (November 11th), I guided two friendly senior couples from Phoenix (Arizona) in the United States and Toronto, Canada, to gardens (Koishikawa Korakuen garden and Hama Rikyu Gardens) and other places in Tokyo and Mt. Takao. The customers had made a reservation about half year ago, and they wanted to see the Japanese gardens and autumn leaves, so I made the schedule above, taking into consideration the opening days of the gardens and the possibility of increasing the chances of enjoying the beautiful autumn leaves at a leisurely pace. However, as the scheduled date approached, I was worried about whether I could provide a satisfactory guide, as the autumn leaves were much later than usual and the weather forecast predicted a high probability of rain on both days.

In the meantime, I decided to thoroughly check out Mt. Takao last Wednesday and the gardens in Tokyo on Saturday to check the condition of the destinations. In addition, I found out just before the tour that all four of the guests were quite seniors, considering the walking distances we have to walk over the two-day trip and checked elevators and escalator on routes as much as possible (as there were no elevators nor escalators in the gardens or on the mountain paths, I thoroughly checked the stations and other places where escalators could be used).

I also sent photos of the summit of Mt. Takao during the pre-trip inspection in advance to provide information that while we can’t expect to see full colored maples, but can enjoy some colored maples on Mt. Takao, so as not to raise the guests’ expectations too much. Also, in the gardens in Tokyo, I decided to focus on the ingenuity of the gardens and the autumn leaves of zelkova and wax trees and acorns such as oaks instead of maples.

Fortunately, it was raining that night, but the weather changed from cloudy to sunny during the day, so we were able to enjoy the tour. The peak season for autumn leaves and cherry blossoms is limited, and the impression changes depending on the weather, so I realized how difficult it is to prepare in a limited schedule to ensure that our guests are as satisfied as possible.

Still, by making as much effort as possible, the sun was on our side, and we were able to see beautiful smiles at the end.

This tour was organized through Tours by Locals.

Autumn harvest observation event in Yoyogi Park on a cold, rainy autumn day

Posted on 2024年11月3日2025年6月16日 by japan flower tour home

Unfortunately, it rained in Tokyo on Saturday, the first day of the three-day weekend. However, the rain was still a little light in the morning, so the Nature Exploration group in Tokyo City Guide Club held an observation event in Yoyogi Park with the theme of autumn fruits or nuts.

We don’t usually pay much attention to these small fruits, but if looking closely, I can see that Chinese hackberry, Scabrous aphananthe, and camphor trees are secretly bearing fruits.

Also, depending on the type of acorn, the way the fruit is formed and the shape and pattern of the cupule, also called a cap, vary, and when we understand the differences, we will feel a little proud. The autumn leaves in the park have started to change little by little, with flowering dogwood and winged spindle bearing red fruits, but most of the trees, including the maple, are still green.

The autumn leaves are a little late this year, but in a little while the leaves of the trees in the park will turn red and yellow and we will be able to enjoy them again, but I am a little worried about how the heat of this summer will affect the autumn leaves.

What surprised me a little was that the early-blooming Kawazu cherry trees was blooming out of season. Could this be due to the long, hot summer this yea

Offering the best experience for cruise ship guests visiting Tokyo

Posted on 2024年10月5日2025年6月16日 by japan flower tour home

Yesterday and the day before, I was assigned a task work for the first time since spring, showing guests who came to Japan on a cruise ship around Tokyo’s tourist spots and taking them to the airport after disembarking. The cruise ship I assigned this time crossed the Pacific Ocean from Alaska and arrived in Otaru about four days ago, then docked in Tokyo. It was a ship with many seniors and elegant persons on board, and children were not allowed on board.

Many of the passengers were visiting Tokyo for the first time, so I took them on a bus ride through the city center, explaining the popular tourists’ spots such as Tokyo Tower or the State Guest House that could be seen from the window of coach, and guiding them the Imperial Palace and the Skytree.

I usually guide small families and groups on custom-made itineraries using public transportation such as the subway, but it was quite a challenge to explain the surrounding scenery from the bus window one after another to about 30 customers, and to guide them so that they don’t get lost in the crowded the Skytree and Solamachi shopping town. I also walked slowly, being considerate of senior passengers, and walked shorter distances than usual, so I thought my legs wouldn’t get too tired, but standing and sitting on the bus and talking to face to customers seemed to put a lot of strain on my legs, and yesterday my legs were so tired I had to give them a massage in the bathtub long time.

Still, I completed the whole trip without any passengers getting lost, and when we got off the bus, everyone was smiling and I even received a small tip, so I guess it was all good.

Of course, there are many small things I could have done better, and I need to improve one by one.