July 2010
Guide: Ryuichiro Hayashi
Route: Tsukiji fish market – Ginza – Asakusa – Akihabara; Tokyo Metropolitan Government building – Harajuku – Shibuya – Odaiba

My name is Maricel Lustre. A few weeks ago, I wrote to Tokyo Free Guide requesting a free tour. TFG assigned a wonderful tour guide to us named “Hayashi Ryuichiro” also known as Ichiro-san for short.
My family and I would like to thank Tokyo Free Guide for giving us Ichiro-san. He is very professional, punctual, knowledgeable and was able to save us money by using wise transportation. We enjoyed all of the places we visited but we had lots of fun in Odaiba. We also loved dining at Ganko. We are very happy in having Ichiro-san as our tour guide. Our14 year old son loved him! Ichiro-san was very patient with him. Our son could not stop talking about him. We learned so much from Ichiro-san. It was our first time to tour Tokyo and our experience was very memorable. Thank you very much Ichiro-san for showing us Tokyo. We feel very fortunate in having met you because in doing so we have gained a friend. Read the rest of this entry »

March 2010
Guide: Yukie Takahashi
Route: (Day 1) Kamakura; (Day 2) Harajuku – Omotesando – Shibuya

Gracias a Tokyo Free Guide y especialmente a nuestra guía Yukie, que habla español perfectamente, pudimos disfrutar de Tokio mas allá de lo puramente turístico. El primer día fuimos con Yukie a Kamakura, donde vimos esa parte más tradicional con templos increíbles donde se respiraba una paz especial, Yukie nos explicaba cada detalle. Después nos llevó al Bosque de Bambú donde tomamos un té tradicional japones, os lo recomiendo! Y finalmente vimos la estatua del Gran Buda, sólo decir que es IMPRESIONANTE! Para acabar la noche, nuestra guía reservó para cenar en un restaurante de Shibuya donde cenamos especialidades japonesas junto con más amigos de Yukie y para rematar nos fuimos de fiesta a un Karaoke!! Genial!

Read the rest of this entry »

March 2010
Guide: Ryuichiro Hayashi
Route: Tokyo: Shinjyuku Gyoen Park – Kabukicho – Metropolitan Tokyo Goverment Building Observatory – Harajuku (Takeshita Street/Kiddy Land) – Shibuya (Intersection/The Myth of Tommorow painted by Taro Okamoto/Hachiko Statue); Kamakura: Kita-kamakura – Engakuji Temple – Hachimangu Shrine – Komachi street – Daibutsu (Koutokuin Temple) – Hase-dera Temple; Nikko: The world heritage Shrines/Temples (Kegon Falls & Chuzen-ji Lake, under a heavy snow, it was a memorable journey (see the picture with the mexican flag)).

I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank to “Tokyo Free Guide Organization” to have given us the opportunity to meet our fantastic friend (guide) “Ryuishiro” Hayashi, we had a great time with him in Tokyo. He is very patient, polite, easygoing and a flexible person. With him we learned a lot about the japanese culture, typical food, snacks/candies and much more !!

Since we got in touch with him before our arrival in Tokyo, he gave us a lot of advices/suggestions which helped us to better arrange our trip around Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, Hiroshima & Miyajima.

Now he has 6 good friends in Mexico. Read the rest of this entry »

January 2010
Guide: Senichi Nagai
Route: Ueno – Yanaka – Shinjyuku – Harajyuku – Shibuya

We had some email contact with our guide before we arrived in Japan and we were eager to get to know him further. Senichi-san met us at our hotel in the Akasaka district, a considerable distance from his home. He had carefully prepared an itinerary that included shrines, temples, gardens, some of the older part of the city and a lunch restaurant. We walked and took public transport to the various sights and the entire time Senichi-san made sure we were able to understand all of the things we saw and did. He was considerate and knowledgeable and very kind to two gaijin new to his country. We had a most enjoyable day together. A particular highlight was the Koishikawa Korakuen Gardens which we found both beautiful and peaceful, but everything about the day was a pleasure. Thanks to TokyoFreeGuide.com, which we wholeheartedly recommend, and of course our new friend Senichi Nagai, for this terrific experience.

January 2010
Guide: Ryuichiro Hayashi
Route: Ueno – Yanaka – Shinjuku – Harajuku – Shibuya

May I take this opportunity to thank you so much for such an excellent service. Our guide Ryuichiro Hayashi was the most polite, knowledgeable and pleasant person it was our fortune to meet. We have recommended not only your service but our wonderful guide Ichiro to everyone. Many many thanks, from Paula and Gordon.

October 2009
Guide: Yuka Namiki
Route: Shibuya – Harajuku – Shinjuku

Dear Tokyo Free Guide

We want to thank Yuka Namiki for being our guide in Tokyo on October 14th 2009. We had a wonderful time with her. She has showed us the most popular shopping areas in Tokyo and beautiful Japanese gardens as I asked her. We also visited Meiji Shrine and the Metropolitan Tokyo Government Building for an amazing sightseeing. We really enjoyed to know a little more about Japanese culture and habits.

Thank you once again for this wonderful and useful service. We’ll certainly recommend it to everyone who plans visiting Tokyo.

Susana e Mario

July 2009
Guide: Katsue Shinomiya, Chika Kobayashi, and Chikako Honda
Route: Itabashi-ku (supermarket, tea ceremony in Yukata at Katsue’s house, water mill etc) & Kawagoe; Kiyosumi Garden – Chofu City Fireworks Festival; Shibuya – Omotesando – Harajyuku – Roppongi

Dear TFG,

My name is Dario and I’d like to thank you because I really had a great time with you in Tokyo.

Guides were always forthcoming and willing to take me wherever I wanted, pointing out and explaining particulars that I would have missed if I had been alone. Moreover I had the opportunity to experience Japanese habits, kitchen and culture. I visited Tokyo with Chika and Chikako and Kawagoe with Shinomiya-san. Great time in each day!

Last thing I want to say is that as soon as I got back to Italy I was looking forward to getting back to Japan, and that’s also for my experience with TFG.

Dario

April 2009
Guide: Yoko Gomi
Route: Asakusa – Shibuya – Kameido

Hello!!

Yoko is the best guide in the world and we had a great day with her. Now we have got another reason to come back to Japan.

Un fuerte abrazo,
Palma y Miguel (Spain)

August, 2008
Guide: Yu Arafuka
Route: Jinbo-cho – Tsukiji – Asakusa – Ueno – Roppongi – Shibuya

Dear Tokyo Free Guide,

Thank you for Yu!

Yu Arafuka whole-heatedly toured me from dawn to dusk with an indomitable determination to ensure I saw everything I wanted to see in Tokyo. Even before I arrived, he was extraordinarily kind and
helpful in making sure all of my interests were taken care of–he researched and composed a list of inexpensive hotels for me and offered to pick me up from the airport to make sure I arrived safely
to my hotel. He was always fast to reply to my questions and I immediately felt more comfortable about traveling alone for this trip. Because of Yu, my quick trip to Tokyo was very fulfilling, informative, and enjoyable. I had such a lengthy list of places I wanted to go and Yu weaved our itinerary together flawlessly, our tour was so extensive that I think we covered seven or eight of the subway lines! And with his engaging and warm personality, we quickly became fast friends. He is a true professional and an amazing ambassador. I am very happy to have a new friend in Tokyo!

Thank you again!
Megan from America

July, 2008
Guide: Mitsuyo Fujiwara, Junko Murakami and Ayumi
Route: Ueno – Tokyo University – Yanaka – Asakusa; Nezu – Imperial Palace – Harajuku – Shibuya – Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building

To TFG

I would like to thank TFG for putting us in contact with 2 guides during our trip to Japan in July this year.

On July the 5th Mitsuyo Fujiwara guided my husband and I and our 3 sons around Ueno and through to Asakusa and Kappabashi. We saw some lovely older places around the local Ueno / Yanaka area where we were staying and made our way around on the local bus on back streets that we would never have found alone.

After contacting me in Australia she met us at our hotel and had organized a great day with one of the highlights being a visit to Tokyo University where she had arranged that we would attend a practice for the University Tea ceremony club. This was amazing.

The next day Junko Murakami met us at our hotel with her friend Ayumi who was around our sons’ ages and we went to the Imperial Palace and on to Harajuku and Shibuya. Sunday in Harajuku was great fun and there was something for all ages to see and do. The boys had a great time with Ayumi comparing cultural activities and learning about the best places to shop in Harajuku and Shibuya. In the early evening we went to the Tokyo Metropolitan Building for the great view.

Dinner in Shinjuku finished off a great day. Junko works full time as well as guiding and I am so pleased that she gave up her free time to guide us as we had a wonderful day.

Both these days were the highlights of our Japan holiday and I have been recommending TFG to all my friends. This is a wonderful idea and it meant so much to meet and spend time with Mitsuyo and Junko as well as Ayumi. Seeing a city through the eyes of a local makes it seem so much more
interesting and personal.

Thank you

Wendy Welsh

Nambour
Queensland Australia