May, 2008
Guide: Kuniko Yanagi
Route: Ekouin (Ryogoku) – Edo Tokyo Museum – Chanko Lunch – Sumo Stable – Dinner at Izakaya

…for a wonderful day spent in the company of Kuniko, one of your voluntary guides. We had an absolutely fabulous time visiting the Edo museum, a hidden little shrine-cum-cemetery and then watching the sumo match. Wow, it was fascinating and amazing and I learnt a lot about this centuries old wrestling sport. Kuniko was a delight and taught me a lot. We also tried the chanko, the sumo’s national dish, but fortunately didn’t quite expand as much…

Well done and congratulations to your organization. It makes it all so much more personal and fascinating. See you soon again I hope.

October, 2007
Guide: Senichi Nagai
Route: Edo-Tokyo Museum, Tokyo National Museum, Akihabara, Akasuka, Nakamise Dori, Sensoji Temple

Dear Tokyo Free Guide:

I would like to thank Tokyo Free Guide for the tremendous email response received from your volunteers who offered to serve as goodwill guides during our visit to Tokyo. Especially, I would like to thank Senichi Nagai, who served as our personal guide, in showing us how to navigate Tokyo’s transit system and escorting us to the venues of our choice. In every aspect, Senichi was courteous, insightful and understanding of our wishes of selected sites to visit. His warmth and friendliness was obvious from the very beginning in making us feel as though we were being personally guided by a long time friend. We are eternally grateful to Senichi and Tokyo Free Guide for making our visit to Tokyo a lifetime memory that my family and I will always cherish.

With sincerest gratitude,

Shinji Hosokawa and the family

May, 2007
Guide: Sanae Kawamoto, Naomi Ishiwatari, Takae Azuma, and Chiemi Nimura
Route: Narita Airport – Hotel; Ueno – Harajuku – Omotesando; Asakusa – Hinode-sanbashi by waterbus – Odaiba by monorail; Shinjku – Edo Tokyo Museum; Hotel – JR Tokyo station

TFG ( Tokyo Free Guide)
For a long time we wanted to visit Japan, but it seemed to complicated, spatially because my wife is using a wheel chair. In our case the TFG (Tokyo Free Guide) made our impossible trip to Japan, possible. As we landed at the airport, Sanae Kawamoto welcomed us with her bright smile and the visit became friendly, very interesting and easy. She introduced us to the first Japanese meal, papered the plan, places to visit and explained how to use subway. Next days other wonderful guides joint us: Naomi Ishiwatari, Takae Azuma, Chiemi Nimura and our dream was fulfilled.
TFG is an extraordinary organization it is not only helping tourists experience Japanese culture and local customs, it is also bringing together directly, the western tourist with people of Japan.
We appreciate very much the opportunity that we had to know your guides and through them more people that we met. We had the chance to see so many interesting and beautiful places in Tokyo.

Thank you so much for this.

Carmela & Naftali.
Haifa, Israel

March, 2007
Guide: Tatsuo, Ryuichiro, and Shiho
Route: Ryougoku – Edo Tokyo Museum – Harajuku – Sendagaya

We all had a wonderful time and hope that in the future we could do it again. If ever you are in San Francisco or in the bay area I would love very much to give you a tour of my country and city.

The Edo-Tokyo Museum was not on my list of places to visit and I am so glad that you all suggested it. It was wonderful to see the development of Tokyo. The restaurant by the Sumo Stadium has really great food – oiishi desu. Thank you so much for taking us to Harajuku. No one would believe me if I tried to explain how unusual it is. And seeing the high end shops and all the people shopping at Omotesando, I could never afford to shop there. I am sure that I speak for both Glenn-san and Randy-san that we had a wonderful time with the three of you.

I will certainly recommend that others try the Tokyo Free Guide Service when they go to Japan. I will also recommend to my Japanese students that if they live and work in Tokyo after they return home that they also sign up to be guides.

It was so much fun to meet and exchange information with local Tokyo-ites.

domo arigato gozaimasu