Our tour guide Mishan waited for us at the dock for more than 6 hours after our cruise ship was very late arriving in port (due to a storm on the way). In spite of this she provided us with an excellent private tour to include the Meiji Shrine.

Taking us through street food markets and shops and rooftops with stunning views

Kieran went above and beyond to show us some interesting spots in Tokyo that were a little bit off the beaten track

Marek was our guide and he was great! Gave a very good insight into the history and culture which was at the right level for us. He was engaging and took us to places we wouldn’t have thought to go.

What a fabulous day touring Tokyo with our guide, Megumi. A native of Tokyo, she took us all over town, hopping from place to place on the ubiquitous Tokyo Metro. (We are experienced international travelers, but without a guide we could not possibly have seen as much, or learned as much about Tokyo and Japanese culture.) She met us at our hotel, and we rode the metro to the Tokyo Outer Market/ Fish market - from there to a lively shopping area. Now it was lunch time - Meggy took us to an area with many small restaurants and we enjoyed interesting Japanese fare made in front of us on a teppan. Along the way we also visited a number of temples and gardens, and learned about the proper way to approach a temple, to pray, and leave a request for good fortune. Along our walks and over lunch we spent a lot of time learning about life in Tokyo and for Japanese youth. Megumi was so knowledgeable and personable. We had a fantastic day. Highly recommended!!

We did a day trip to Hakone and Fuji with our guide Mari. What a wonderful experience! We met Mari at the Shinjuku station just west of our hotel, and hopped on the 2 hour train to Fuji. Visitors to Fuji don't always see the peak but we knew we had a good chance as it was a bright sunshine filled day. Mari seated us on the right of the train and on the ride up, Fuji burst into view in all its glory. We then transferred to a special railcar that climbs the mountain switchbacks to Hakone. We were there mid April and cherry blossoms in Tokyo were starting to fade, but at the higher altitude and cooler temps of Hakone they were in full bloom! We took a break and Mari walked us around some cherry blossom stands near the Hakone station, then next, a short ride up the steep hill on a funicular. At the top we disembark to transfer to cable car gondola for the final ascent to Fuji - Mari knew just where to stand and sit for the best views - and mid way along the Ropeway, Fuji appeared from behind a ridgeline - huge and snow covered. The ropeway ends at a large viewing station - we spent awhile walking around, admiring the unobstructed views of Fuji and taking plenty of pics. Despite the warm temps of Tokyo, and the sun, at Hakone it was cool and very windy - so if you are going be prepared and bring down jackets or raincoats against the wind. The winds built up to point that the Ropeway was shut down, resulting in a huge line for busses - but with Mari's help, we called a cab and got back home at a reasonable time. A great day with lots of memories.