Premium & Private Day Tours Across Japan
Why Choose a Japan Private Tour?
Planning a private tour of Japan is one of the best decisions a traveler can make. Japan is filled with famous landmarks, but a memorable journey isn’t about seeing as many places as possible.
It’s about experiencing the right places, at the right pace, with someone who understands what matters to you. That’s how I design every private tour.
As a National Government Licensed Tour Guide based in Osaka, I personally create and guide fully customized private journeys throughout Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, Kobe, Himeji, Hiroshima and across Japan. Whether it’s your first visit or your fourth, I help you experience Japan beyond the ordinary.
I don’t believe the best day is the one where you visit the most places. Instead, I focus on creating a relaxed, meaningful day. Most tours visit a carefully selected number of places, leaving time to appreciate beautiful gardens, enjoy local cuisine, discover hidden corners, and simply experience Japan instead of rushing through it.
If visiting famous places such as Fushimi Inari or Kinkaku-ji is important to you, we’ll absolutely include them. But if you’re open to suggestions, I’ll also introduce places that many visitors never discover. Quite often, those become the places my guests remember most.
Many of my guests return to Japan. Many introduce their parents, children, friends, and colleagues. To me, that trust means far more than simply completing another tour.
Every itinerary begins with a conversation about your interests, travel style, and what you hope to experience in Japan. From there, I’ll design a customized private tour that becomes uniquely your own journey.
If you are looking for something beyond the itinerary, explore my Japan Experiences — from tea ceremony and matcha in Kyoto, to sake breweries, onsen, and Osaka nightlife.
Have questions? Check my Frequently Asked Questions page.
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Feature Destinations
Private Tours
Experience Japanese Culture and Traditions
Some of the most memorable moments in Japan happen beyond the famous sights. Discover traditional culture, hidden hot springs, sake, whisky, local food, and nightlife—experiences I can incorporate into your private tour based on your interests.
Japanese Castle Tours
Traditional Japanese Tea Ceremony
Onsen (Hot Springs)
Sake Brewery and Japanese Whisky Distilleries
Japanese Foodie and Nightlife
Informed & Entertaining Experiences
Expertly Guided Premium Tours
Customizable Itineraries
TAKE MY GUESTS’ WORD FOR IT
Check Out My Instagram!
Happy 10th year anniversary! I am so honored to be invited this special party of the bar in Kobe. Some of my very special guests really enjoyed the excellent cocktails Reika makes. Some of them really miss the wonderful evening at this bar. No wonder she continues to serve her wonderful guests for 10 years. And I am sure that my guests want to return there when I guide them again in Kobe area. By the way, who wants that special anniversary T? #barhopping #10yearanniversary #kobetour #japanprivatetour #japanprivatetourguide @tour_guide_takuya
I didn’t know we still can buy Date. But the design of those two bottles are tiny but different. The potentially new bar I may consider to take my guests in my Kobe foodie tour. Are you ready?? #barhopping #kobetour #japanfoodie #japanprivatetour #japanprivatetourguide @tour_guide_takuya
あ、バレた⁉️脱走シリーズ。しかし、亀が壁登るのは、知らなかった。#ミドリガメ #turtle #アカミミガメ
When I was around 12 years old, I saw this black monster pulled the freighters around Shin-Osaka station. Today, this piece of Japanese engineering is only electric locomotive preserved by the old neighborhood in the public park of Osaka. This should be preserved at the museum. #eh10 #electriclocomotive #japannationalrailways #hitachi #osakatour @tour_guide_takuya
Somehow, I came up to Osaka Castle in the middle of night. And I came up with a good idea for next year. Man, I am dumb enough not to come up with the new idea. #osakatour #osakacastle #japanprivatetour #japanprivatetourguide #kanpai @tour_guide_takuya
A pony at the ITM? This was my first time to see the horse after over thousand times at Senrigawa of Itami Airport. The owner told me he lives around here and keeps this pony. He even gave me a piece of carrots so I could feed this pony. What a huge surprise!! #pony #horse #itamiairport #osakaairport #itm @tour_guide_takuya
Japan has only twelve original castles still standing in their authentic form. I have visited eight of them personally — and guided guests through Himeji, Hikone, and Matsue.
Each one is different. Himeji towers above the plain in white — a UNESCO World Heritage Site that rewards a full morning. Hikone sits quietly above Lake Biwa, its 1606 tower unchanged, its garden still intact. Matsue watches over Lake Shinji in the San'in region, where Lafcadio Hearn once walked the samurai quarter. Bitchu Matsuyama emerges above the clouds on autumn mornings at 430 metres.
These are not sightseeing stops. They are places that take you inside a different Japan — one of strategy, craftsmanship, and history that most visitors never reach.
If castles are part of what draws you here, I can build the itinerary around that.
🏯 Link in bio — Japanese Castle Tours page now live.
#JapaneseCastles #JapaneseCastleTours #HimejiCastle #HikoneCastle #MatsueCastle #BitchuMatsuyama #姫路城 #彦根城 #松江城 #備中松山城 #JapanPrivateTour #PrivateGuideJapan #JapanTravel #VisitJapan #JapanBeyondTokyo #SamuraiJapan #AuthenticJapan #JapanCastle #TakuyaYanagisawa #JapanPrivateTourConcierge
🏛️ Japan's Newest UNESCO World Heritage Site — and I Can Take You There.
On July 26, 2026, "Ancient Capitals of Asuka and Fujiwara" was officially inscribed on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List — Japan's 27th World Heritage Site.
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Spanning Asuka Village, Kashihara City, and Sakurai City in the southern Nara basin, the site comprises 19 assets — palaces, Buddhist temple ruins, and burial mounds — that together trace the very formation of the Japanese nation through dynamic exchange with East Asia.
Asukamura
What you'll experience on a private tour with me:
🪨 Ishibutai Kofun — The exposed megalithic burial chamber is Asuka's most iconic landmark. Standing beside these 77-ton stones, I'll tell you the story of the man believed to be buried here — and why the mound disappeared.
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🎨 Takamatsuzuka Kofun — The wall paintings, discovered in 1972, are considered the pinnacle of ancient Japanese art, showing the influence of Goguryeo and Tang Dynasty culture while expressing a distinctly Japanese aesthetic.
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⭐ Kitora Kofun — The chamber paintings include the Four Guardian Deities, the twelve zodiac figures, and what is considered the oldest precisely-rendered star chart surviving anywhere in East Asia.
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Asuka Village is a living field museum where you can feel the origins of Japan, set within a traditional rural landscape that has been preserved and passed down through generations.
Asukamura
I have personally conducted site-familiarization visits and can guide you across all key assets. Private, fully customized day tours available from Osaka, Kyoto, and Nara. #AsukaVillage #FlyingAsuka #AsukaNara #UNESCO #WorldHeritage #NewWorldHeritage
#AncientJapan #AsukaPeriod #FlyingAsukaTour #JapanPrivateTour
#IshibutaiKofun #TakamatsutsukaMural #KitoraKofun #AncientKofun
#JapanHistoryTour #FlyingAsuka2026 #AskaFujiwara #UNESCO2026
#PrivateTourJapan #JapanTourGuide #OsakaDayTrip #NaraTour
#TakuyaYanagisawa #JapanPrivateTourConcierge
🏯 Big news for Japan lovers!
The Agency for Cultural Affairs of Japan has officially nominated Hikone Castle for UNESCO World Cultural Heritage status!
If approved, Hikone will become only the 2nd Japanese castle ever inscribed — joining the legendary Himeji Castle. 🌟
Hikone Castle is one of just 4 castles in Japan designated as a National Treasure — a rare, irreplaceable piece of Japanese history standing since the early Edo period.
✨ Want to experience it before the world rushes in?
👉 Join my Hikone & Nagahama Private Tour and explore this once-in-a-lifetime destination with a licensed guide!
#HikoneCastle #彦根城 #UNESCO #WorldHeritage #JapanCastle #NationalTreasure #HikoneTour #NagahamaTour #JapanPrivateTour #PrivateTourConcierge #KansaiTravel #JapanTravel #ShigaPrefecture #VisitJapan #HiddenJapan #JapanGuide #EdoPeriod #SamuraiJapan #JapaneseHistory #TravelJapan
Some doors don't open for everyone.
Kobe has one of Japan's most sophisticated food cultures — shaped by 150 years of international influence through its port. But the best places are not the ones in the guidebooks. They are the ones you find only when the right person opens the door.
Maki's Secret Gourmet Tour of Kobe is a private food experience led by one of Kansai's most connected food insiders. The venues are not announced in advance. Every stop is chosen because it is genuinely worth your time — and reserved because she is the one asking.
Kobe. Akashi. An evening you won't find anywhere else.
By application only. Link in bio.
#KobeFood #KobeFoodTour #JapanFoodTour #PrivateTourJapan #KansaiFood #JapanTravel #KobeJapan #FoodieTravel #JapanFoodie #HiddenJapan #KobeEats #AkashiSeafood #JapanPrivateTour