神社巡り：東京で日本語文化に触れる

We decided to take this tour after wanting to learn a bit more about Shintoism and we were in Japan for our Honeymoon. We have a great time, learnt loads about Shinto and the Japanese culture in general. We were taken to three completely different shrines and the travel between was easy. Hiro was very friendly and really made this experience memorable for us. It felt like he was tailoring it to us as we walked around, he was attentive and no question was too much. Definitely an experience I would suggest anyone who has an interest in Japanese culture and Shintoism to go on. At the end he gave us some suggestions too for how we could spend the rest of our day based off of what we were interested. Definitely a brilliant memory for us, thank you :)

The explanations we had to appreciate what we were looking at! As we are not very familiar with Japanese art, or specifically with Shintoism, it was a great way to start. Our nice and kind tour leader made it even better for us

We had a great time with Akemi who was very accommodating with our schedule and took us to shrines and temples. She explained the culture and traditions really well and answered our numerous questions in detail. Definitely worth experiencing this yourself.

How friendly , happy and helpful our guide was. Interesting culture behind the shrines. I had an unexpected knee injury we still attended the tour but it is tough if anyone is injured ,however guide was very patient and allowed me to rest as needed. Tour guide was Ami

Had a great time on this tour. We got to see so much. Meiji Jingu shrine was my favorite. It was like stepping into a different world. We loved our tour guide Hitomi. She was very knowledgeable on the history of all the shrines and temples we visited. She had us try Mochi for the first time. We had a nice lunch at a local place where I had my first Japanese beer... Kanpai! Lol. We also got to visit the "Cat Town" Yanaka Ginza which was interesting. Hitomi was so sweet and so much fun to be around. She also happens to be a Calligraphy Master. She presented us with a board that she penned herself with a sweet phrase about a once in a lifetime encounter (which was meeting us), she personally wrote a note to us on the back. She added her personal red stamp. We were so touched by this thoughtful "omiyage" that we were able to have as a keepsake of our time together.

We had the HONOR to have Toshio Arai as our tour guide for the day. He was extremely kind, patient, fluent in English but most importantly, very knowledgeable of the history of Japan and how that translated into the history and mythology behind Shintoism. His tour was the perfect introduction to the cultural aspect of our Japan trip as we learned the customs and symbolism present throughout distinct shrines. Every question we had was answered expertly and we just couldn’t have asked for a better and kinder tour guide. We took this Shinto tour as a private tour and I would say it is 100% recommended that way. Me and my partner saw multiple large groups that had to gather around their guide and I could see how it would be easy to miss things. Again, 100% recommended. I hope you are lucky and you get Toshio Arai as your tour guide!

This was a wonderful way to understand more about Japanese culture, and be able to experience traditional Shinto monuments and rituals in a way that is respectful and educational. Our tour guide Hitomi was amazing. She is very well informed on the subject, and also was such a kind and sweet person. She gave us a work of calligraphy at the end of the tour (done herself!) that is going to be a treasured piece of art in our home. Additionally, my little sister who did the tour with me said that she felt so much peace and serenity in the shrines we visited that we went back on an additional day to appreciate the beauty. When we went back, we saw a massive tour group, and both my little sister and I commented on how lucky we were to be able to experience the shrine on a small guided tour. Well worth the value!

We had an amazing time on this tour. The background on the history of the Meiji period was very interesting, and it was a great experience getting to learn the proper etiquette for visiting and praying at shrines respectfully. Our guide Shunsuke was incredibly friendly and knowledgeable and we loved getting to know him! He even took the time to learn about our interests and show us a few places along the tour that we would enjoy. This tour completely exceeded our expectations and was a fantastic first tour in Japan.

If you're interested in learning about the history of Shinto in Japan, this tour is perfect! Our guide was very knowledgeable and took us to various Shinto Shrines in the Tokyo area. He explained what the statues represented, the proper procedure for preying, and some of the teachings of Shintoism. The Shrines were all beautiful and amazing to view in person!

This was a fantastic experience, due to the excellent guide Atsuko Kobayashi. We gained so much insight from Atsuko, to give us a better understanding of modern day Japan, through it’s history and in particular the role and importance of Shinto practice. Atsuko guided us through three differing temples, and helped us participate appropriately in the rituals. For people wanting to better understand Japan, this tour is essential (p.s. it was my fifth visit to Japan)