What Our Customers Say
Testimonials
July 15th, 2024
Exceptional Experience with Guide Sachiko in Kanazawa
I recently had the pleasure of exploring the enchanting city of Kanazawa with the remarkable guide Sachiko. As a family of four, including two energetic boys aged 10 and 13, we embarked on a fascinating journey filled with culture, history, and adventure. Sachiko’s extensive knowledge and engaging personality truly made our experience memorable and insightful.
From the moment we met Sachiko, her warmth and enthusiasm were evident. She tailored the tour perfectly to suit the interests and energy levels of our boys, seamlessly blending education with fun. Our first stop at the Ninja and Geisha Town captivated us all as Sachiko brought to life the stories of these intriguing figures from Japanese history. Her storytelling skills and interactive approach kept the boys engaged throughout, ensuring they not only learned but also enjoyed every moment.
Moving on to the breathtaking garden opposite the castle, Sachiko’s explanations of the historical significance and symbolism behind the landscape added depth to our visit. It was refreshing to see how she effortlessly adapted her explanations to cater to the wide age range of our family, making the experience educational yet accessible to all.
Sachiko’s organizational skills were impeccable; she helped us navigate the busy sites with ease while allowing ample time for exploration and photos. Her passion for Kanazawa’s rich heritage shone through in every detail she shared, making us appreciate the city even more.
As a family, we left the tour with a newfound appreciation for Kanazawa’s hidden gems, thanks to Sachiko’s expert guidance. Her patience, kindness, and genuine interest in ensuring our satisfaction made her not just a guide, but a companion on our journey through this captivating city.
In conclusion, I cannot recommend Sachiko and the Kanazawa Tours highly enough. If you seek an enriching and delightful exploration of Kanazawa with a guide who goes above and beyond, Sachiko is the perfect choice. Thank you, Sachiko, for a truly unforgettable experience that our family will treasure for years to come.
Thomas Erne
June 24th, 2024
Best Day We Had in Japan!
We were fortunate to have Sachiko as our guide for a day in Kanazawa. She helped us make the most of our limited time in this charming smaller city. We were able to pack in all the major sights, do a little souvenir shopping, have a great lunch, and try our hand at gold leaf, all in a one day tour! Sachiko was knowledgeable, and went out of her way to accommodate one of our party with mobility restrictions. Her English was excellent, and she patiently answered all our questions about life in Japan. She even booked a post tour dinner for us at tasty restaurant that was walking distance from our lodging. To top it all off, she snapped numerous pictures of our day, and shared them with us, to help us remember all we had seen and done.
All of the above alone would have resulted in a great tour. But our day in Kanazawa also happened to be my birthday. Sachiko went out of her way to make my day special. The chef at lunch brought a small dessert. The helpers at the gold leaf shop gift wrapped my work and made me a birthday card. The server at dinner wished me a happy birthday. Sachiko took the time and effort to make the day extra special, making her our very favorite guide we had in Japan, against some stiff competition!
I cannot speak to all of the tour guides at Kanazawa Tours, but if the others are half as wonderful as Sachiko, you would be in good hands. The company is well organized, and communicates well, so I am optimistic that any tour with them would be worthwhile. Arigato goziamasu for a great day and great guide!
Maia Sisk
June 2nd
Excellent Full Day Tour of Kanazawa’s Traditional Artisan Crafts
Had an excellent tour with a private guide, Nozomi Kondo, starting with a tour & history of Kanazawa’s local Samurai district and on to a local sign writing (Hirakiya) artisan workshop to learn about the traditional craft of creating huge banners for a temple using traditional sign writing techniques. Excellent session with lots of information provided by Nozomi.
Then taken to a kaisendon (seafood bowl) restaurant for lunch at Koufuku, which we thoroughly enjoyed and then walked through the nearby fresh produce Omicho Market where we sampled a number of foods.
Then onto another traditional lacquerware/kintsugi artisan family house/workshop (Mr. & Ms. Sadaike) to learn all about the creation of black lacquerware items, with excellent information provided again by Nozomi. Fascinating session.
Finally, Nozomi took us to Kanazawa’s Higashi geisha district and explained all about the geisha training and life, before leaving us to look around and find a restaurant for an evening meal, with easy to follow directions to get back to our hotel.
We couldn’t have asked for a better guide. She was so knowledgeable and willing to answer our questions as well as explaining all aspects of the tour experiences. The tour itself was excellent and we had a really great day.
Thank you.
Maria
May 28th
Kanazawa Tour – worth every yen!
Sachiko was an excellent guide!! She customized our experience to show us amazing highlights of the city! She was timely and we fit so many sights into one day!
We saw: the Omicho Market, Gardens,Castle Grounds, Samurai district, Ninja Temple, an amazing sushi lunch with a very personable chef who was just amazing. He noticed that I am left handed and switched my sushi to be easier to pick up as a lefty! After lunch we headed to the Geisha district for tour and shopping. While there, we visited a gold leaf shop, where the proprietor taught us about the gold leaf making process (so amazing to learn!) while Sachiko translated.
Sachiko guided us through all of the sites (except the Ninja temple – she made reservations for us there, but private guide is not allowed in temple) filling in with useful cultural facts and history throughout the day. She was so knowledgeable!
Shopping with Sachiko was fantastic, she took us to the best shops and also translated anything we needed when we had questions on signs. She was patient and kind throughout our time and I would highly suggest you book a tour with Sachiko and Kanazawa Tours!
Sachiko also took a whole album of pictures during our time, which has been so amazing to look back at!
Debbie
May 13th
True insights into Japanese culture and history from a long time resident of Kanazawa
Went on seven hour tour of Kanazawa with Nazomi Kondo of Kanazawa Walking Tours.She was truly outstanding, and I have had a lot of guides in several countries. She was extremely personable and knowledgeable and totally fluent in English. Answered all my many questions about Japanese culture and history in depth. She was quite flexible and interested in improvising our plans to suit me as we went along. She even spent an extra hour with me “as a friend.” I would highly recommend her to any one visiting Kanazawa
Jane
May 14th
Wonderful and unforgettable experience with Sachiko in Kanazawa
Sachiko was an excellent guide, very knowledgeable, informative, professional, great listener and very helpful.
We had an amazing experience walking around Kanazawa with her. We visited Samurai district, Kenrokuen park, Geisha district and had some delicious lunch together.
Sachiko was a pleasure to be around, very personable and attentive, her trip planning was impeccable!
She gave us good advice on how to buy a yukata, also took many pictures and shared them with us!
We are very lucky to have had her as a guide and will gladly recommend her to our friends and family!
Inga
April 14th
Thank you Tetsuro Aiba!!
I went to Takayama with Tetsuro Aiba for a full day. Do not hesitate to go with this very knowledgeable guide. I learned a lot and was lucky enough to see the spring festival of Takayama with him! I also tasted different types of sake as well as authentic sushi prepared in front of me. I am very grateful for this experience and the sightseeing. He was able to explain to me many things about the history, the architecture, the food, the agriculture and the culture of Takayama. A very resourceful man. Thank you very much!!
Matt
March 15th
Truly exceptional – today was a “wow” day with Sachiko & Kanazawa Tours!
Sachiko is an exceptionally talented tour guide in Kanazawa! She’s very knowledgeable (a lifelong resident), well-prepared (came with maps and other great materials) incredibly helpful, and very fun to be with. Her English was perfect so she was easy to understand and communicate with, and she gave us tons of tips and recommendations for the best local shops, restaurants and sights to hit even after our tour was over, based on our interests, tastes and budget. She’s flexible, adaptable and especially good at tuning in to your specific needs and going at the pace that works best for you, providing just enough details about what we were seeing (including the history and background) but without overwhelming us! In a nutshell, she’s a person we felt lucky to meet – upbeat, very kind, and someone very fun to spend time with. We never would have had such a meaningful, enjoyable and helpful introduction to Kanazawa without Sachiko!
We highly recommend her (and all Kanazawa tour guides) to help navigate, appreciate and visit Kanazawa and this entire region of Japan! We have spent each of the last 3 days with a different one of the Kanazawa Tours guides (all great!) each day (Ikue in Takayama, Yuka driving us from Takayama to Kanazawa with a stop/tour in Shirakawa-go, and today, Sachiko in Kanazawa). Kanazawa Tours clearly focuses on quality and cares about providing an exceptional experience for their clients. We are grateful to have connected with them in Japan. Highly recommended!
Carsch