Options for indenedent shore excursions in Japan

[nattie]

We are departing soon on 9 day cruise around Japan on Diamond Princess. I have ship tours booked in every port just in case, but I really wanted to see if there are any independent private tour options available? I am having very hard time finding anythiong outside of the main Tokyo/Kyoto/Osaka ports that I would consider superior to ship's offerings. I think Princess does good job on tours, I just dont want to be stuck on the tour bus and would much prefer a private or small group excursion. Any suggestions on where to look? 

[thehowlingroad]

If you're stopping in Busan, I recommend Korea Go Tours; they have several options for itineraries and work with licensed guides who have their own vehicles. But in Japan, it's more common to hire a guide for the day to conduct a public transit or walking tour with you and your group than it is to have access to a van/bus for the day. If you could let us know the ports you'll be in, that might be more helpful!

[nattie]

Thank you @thehowlingroad!!

I am fine with walking/public transit tours in most places. Just looking for small group or private vs bus of 50+ people. Our itinerary is:

Hitachinaka

Toyama (really want to do Shirakawa-go here)

Tsuruga (Hikone castle would be great)

Sakaiminato

Busan

Kagoshima

 

 

[thehowlingroad]

4 hours ago, nattie said:

Thank you @thehowlingroad!!

I am fine with walking/public transit tours in most places. Just looking for small group or private vs bus of 50+ people. Our itinerary is:

Hitachinaka

Toyama (really want to do Shirakawa-go here)

Tsuruga (Hikone castle would be great)

Sakaiminato

Busan

Kagoshima

 

 

 

Well, I would definitely recommend reaching out to Korea Go Tours for Busan. We had a really great day with them and I know others on our cruise had also used them. There are several popular places in Busan, such as the temple and Gamcheon Cultural Village, that can be very difficult to get to without a car.

 

For the other ports, our cruise didn't stop there, but Tours By Locals or GoWithGuide have lots of guides offering their services-- you pay their transit and meal costs and their daily rate. I remember also seeing some discussions about Kagoshima in this forum recently. If you keyword-search for it, you should be able to find those threads. But Japanese tour guides, especially ones who speak English, are in very high demand, especially when a ship is in town, because Princess will likely be hiring guides from the same pool that their customers are.

 

I will also say that if mobility isn't an issue, our experience in Japan, even in smaller cities, is that public transit is safe, punctual, easy to figure out (and even easier with an IC card and Google Maps!), and the locals are friendly and generally willing to help if they can. If you're not finding any guides in your ports, you may be able to reach the big tourist attractions on your own with some research.

[hubofhockey]

On 5/23/2024 at 4:05 AM, nattie said:

We are departing soon on 9 day cruise around Japan on Diamond Princess. I have ship tours booked in every port just in case, but I really wanted to see if there are any independent private tour options available? I am having very hard time finding anythiong outside of the main Tokyo/Kyoto/Osaka ports that I would consider superior to ship's offerings. I think Princess does good job on tours, I just dont want to be stuck on the tour bus and would much prefer a private or small group excursion. Any suggestions on where to look? 

 

Every tour we have had has been superior to cruise line tours (Shimizu, Hokadate, Hiroshima/Miyajima, Busan, and Osaka and pre-cruise in Tokyo/Kyoto).  Look in ToursByLocals.  If you have questions about specific ports, I can recommend guides, in particular.  

[Rivieracruisers]

On 5/24/2024 at 11:21 AM, hubofhockey said:

 

Every tour we have had has been superior to cruise line tours (Shimizu, Hokadate, Hiroshima/Miyajima, Busan, and Osaka and pre-cruise in Tokyo/Kyoto).  Look in ToursByLocals.  If you have questions about specific ports, I can recommend guides, in particular.  

I am interested in pre-cruise Tokyo if you have information to share.  We will be in Tokyo three nights prior to our October cruise this year.

Thank you, Jane

[hubofhockey]

10 hours ago, Rivieracruisers said:

I am interested in pre-cruise Tokyo if you have information to share.  We will be in Tokyo three nights prior to our October cruise this year.

Thank you, Jane

I can recommend two guides for Tokyo, both with Gowithguide.com. The guides all have bios and tours listed on the site.  Kahoko and Yoko were both outstanding. Kahoko’s evening tour with dinner at an Izakaya restaurant was excellent. We did two tours with her and one with Yoko. Yoko lived in Seattle for a while and speaks English like an American. Kahoko is very easy to understand. Both are great guides.  

 

I was not crazy about our gowithguide in Kyoto. She is a good guide but skipped lunch and Fushimi Inari (we did on our own). No excuse for not stopping in Arashiyama for street food other than her own pacing. That’s Toshiyo O.  
 

If you book Kahoko or Yoko, please let them know Len from Boston recommended them . 

[Cruiser24]

Hubofhockey:  We are going to be in Tokyo for three days prior to our April 2025 TA.  I would love to have a local tour guide rather than go with a larger group.  My biggest concern is where to stay while we’re there.  It is overwhelming to me.  How do you know where to meet the guide? Does he come to the hotel?  And the biggest question:  what hotel would that be.  Help!

[Hlitner]

Tokyo has an excellent public transit system (Metro, elevated rail, buses, and even taxis).  I mention this, because if you want to hire a private guide (you can try sites like "toursbylocals") you can arrange to have your guide pick you up at your hotel.  Most private guides, in Tokyo, will use public transit as part of their tour.  

 

That being said, for those who are a bit adventurous, and willing to do a little homework, they can get a SUICA Card (pre loaded with money to use on the various transit systems) and just go on one's own.  It is not as difficult as you might think (there are many signs in English in the stations) if you have a working cell phone to use as a GPS map system.  Just keep in mind that Tokyo is a huge sprawling city, and even with (or without) a guide, you will be doing a lot of walking.  

 

Last year, DW and I spent 6 days in Tokyo (by ourselves) and no problem getting around or finding the various sites/places on our agenda.  I should add that Japan (and Tokyo) are very safe environments and locals will routinely go out of their way to offer help (even when you don't ask) and directions.  

 

Hank

[Peteymil]

On 5/26/2024 at 8:50 PM, hubofhockey said:

I can recommend two guides for Tokyo, both with Gowithguide.com. The guides all have bios and tours listed on the site.  Kahoko and Yoko were both outstanding. Kahoko’s evening tour with dinner at an Izakaya restaurant was excellent. We did two tours with her and one with Yoko. Yoko lived in Seattle for a while and speaks English like an American. Kahoko is very easy to understand. Both are great guides.  

 

I was not crazy about our gowithguide in Kyoto. She is a good guide but skipped lunch and Fushimi Inari (we did on our own). No excuse for not stopping in Arashiyama for street food other than her own pacing. That’s Toshiyo O.  
 

If you book Kahoko or Yoko, please let them know Len from Boston recommended them . 

Were these walking tours or  with car?

Edited May 30 by Peteymil

[hubofhockey]

On 5/28/2024 at 3:55 PM, Cruiser24 said:

Hubofhockey:  We are going to be in Tokyo for three days prior to our April 2025 TA.  I would love to have a local tour guide rather than go with a larger group.  My biggest concern is where to stay while we’re there.  It is overwhelming to me.  How do you know where to meet the guide? Does he come to the hotel?  And the biggest question:  what hotel would that be.  Help!

The guides in Tokyo will meet you at your hotel.  I had a bunch of Hilton points and free night stays, so we stayed at the Conrad Tokyo.  The Hilton would have been fine too.  We wanted an American brand with helpful people and larger rooms, but look at TripAdvisor.  All of the AMEX Hilton cards right now have sign up bonuses with points and free nights.  If you can, take advantage.  Definitely get the AMEX Hilton Surpass.  The annual fee is $150, but $200  can be earned with quarterly purchases of $50 gift cards, which you would redeem on vacation.  That card gives you gold status / free breakfasts as well.  If you just get one, get that one and stay at the Hilton.  If you get a couple of FNCs, go with the Conrad.  Love the location and views.

[hubofhockey]

On 5/29/2024 at 11:03 PM, Peteymil said:

Were these walking tours or  with car?

 Walking and Metro/subway.  I would think a car would be difficult in Tokyo.  In Kyoto, and i strongly advise spending pre-cruise nights in both Tokyo and Kyoto, some travel by taxi isn't a bad idea as it's not that expensive and attractions there are a bit spread out.  Let the guide know to do what makes sense and you will pick up the taxi fare.  Celebrity does the 1.5 days in Osaka, which many use for Kyoto, but we used that for a day in Osaka and a 1/2 day in Nara.  

 

By the way, for Busan, we did Tours by Locals with a great guide who speaks perfect English.  His name is BK (short for something.  he jokingly said not Burger King) and was one of our favorite guides.  He has a van. It fits six passengers comfortably.  We added two couple from our CC roll call.  The cost was $480.  Another can't miss on Tours by Locals is Moto for Shimizu.  He took us to a family run tea farm with a factory.  Very cool experience.  We also did the typical stuff and he also took us to one of his favorite lunch spots, which was not touristy at all.  It's these kinds of experiences why I love the private tours and just don't like the cruise lines for any of that (only when you have to).

 

 

[Peteymil]

Great information. Thank you. 

[Cruiser24]

1 hour ago, hubofhockey said:

The guides in Tokyo will meet you at your hotel.  I had a bunch of Hilton points and free night stays, so we stayed at the Conrad Tokyo.  The Hilton would have been fine too.  We wanted an American brand with helpful people and larger rooms, but look at TripAdvisor.  All of the AMEX Hilton cards right now have sign up bonuses with points and free nights.  If you can, take advantage.  Definitely get the AMEX Hilton Surpass.  The annual fee is $150, but $200  can be earned with quarterly purchases of $50 gift cards, which you would redeem on vacation.  That card gives you gold status / free breakfasts as well.  If you just get one, get that one and stay at the Hilton.  If you get a couple of FNCs, go with the Conrad.  Love the location and views.

Thank you for the suggestion.  I’ll definitely look into it.