Private Amami Nature and Culture Experience

If you're visiting Amami, booking a tour with John is one of the best decisions you can make. From the very beginning, John was incredibly professional, reliable, and easy to communicate with. He was always on time, well prepared, and made everything feel effortless. More importantly, he's genuinely one of the nicest people you'll meet, warm, personable, and so easy to get along with. We joined John for snorkeling, hiking, and night tours, and every single one exceeded our expectations. His knowledge of Amami is truly exceptional. Whether it was the island's unique wildlife, rich history, local culture, or hidden gems, including wonderful dining recommendations he shared fascinating insights that brought every place to life. It was clear that he has a genuine passion for Amami. What really stood out was how much he genuinely cared that we had an amazing time. He went above and beyond to make our trip special and comfortable. We can't recommend John highly enough. If you're looking for an authentic, unforgettable experience with someone who truly loves what he does, book a tour with him, you won't regret it.

Our family spend the day snorkelling with sea turtles and kayaking through the mangrove forest with John as our guide. It was the best decision we could have made. John shared the fascinating history of Amami Oshima, explained the wildlife we encounted along the way and took us to a local restaurant. This day truly couldn’t have been better. Thank you for an incredible day. Our teenagers loved it.

John is amazing, we loved spending time, you showed us the real Amami, Thanks for taking such good care of us

Door to door service was super convenient. The snorkeling was the BEST we’ve ever experienced, and we lived in HI for 11 years. We saw about 8 turtles, 3 sea snakes, and a a ton of reef life. John brought a rescue float (which was nice to know it was there) and he dragged our life vests after we all decided we didn’t want them any longer. Lunch was SUPERB! He introduced us to a noodle dish we had never heard of, abura soba, and we’ll definitely be looking for it when we get home to Tokyo. He also brought us to a shave ice spot which we VERY much enjoyed. The shave ice was super fluffy and the local topping was oishi! Then, he took us to a marina to see more turtles, drove up a beautiful look out, and over to a Nature Park where his secret super power really shined…this man knows EVERY bit of wildlife on Amami! Birds were calling and he told us what they were. A woodpecker was pecking and he could tell by the sound what it was . Newts, Wolverine Frogs, Harvestmen, spiders, flys, birds, dragonflys….unreal! He took several photos of my family and even ended the day by taking us to a great little mom and pop shop where we could get groceries for dinner so we wouldn’t have to go back out after he brought us home. 5/5 doesn’t cut it. We had a wonderful day, made forever memories, and experienced at least 7 parts of Amami we otherwise wouldn’t have without John.

We had a great experience with John on Amami. Communication before the tour was easy, and the online payment process was simple and convenient. We started with a kayak tour through the mangroves, and afterwards John took us to a hidden waterfall that we would never have found on our own. During the pleasant drive, he told us a lot about the island, its culture, and its nature, which made the tour even more interesting. John is friendly, reliable, and knows Amami very well. We would definitely recommend him to anyone who wants to actively explore the island and experience its beautiful nature.

We spent a wonderful day with John snorkeling on the coral reef and kayaking through the mangrove forests. We were on Amami for only three days and wanted to see as much as possible, and this was the best choice. We also had the opportunity to learn about the island's complex and fascinating history and visit a local restaurant serving excellent fish. John is a fantastic guide, and we highly recommend this tour.

We did the Nighttime Wildlife Tour and the Full Day Kayak and Nature Tour, and both were FANTASTIC! Knowing very little about Amami, I did my research on what to do and John popped up with excellent reviews, so I booked directly with him. The process was seamless and super easy. He's very responsive to inquiries and questions. He also communicated just before our tours about what to expect and what we'd need which was very helpful as well. For the NIghttime Tour, it was super cool! We got to see so many different animals in areas we'd never be able to get to on our own. John can so easily spot the wildlife so he's super quick to point out when he sees something. And he has such a keen appreciation for the wildlife. He's VERY knowledgeable about all of the wildlife. Literally we would hear the faintest sounds and he'd tell us exactly what it was! The thermal imaging camera he used was pretty cool too. As passengers, we were able to look for animals in the dark / distance. We definitely felt that this tour was a special one. We've never done anything like it before but it was super cool and would highly recommend it to anyone visiting Amami. The charm of the island is its untouched nature, so being able to get up close and personal with nature was amazing. The Kayak / Nature Tour was totally different but equally as wonderful. We were able to go through the mangroves and appreciated John's knowledge of the timing of when we should go to make our experience the best (i.e. easier to paddle). It was really cool to see how beautiful these trees really are. It was such a nice, calm and relaxing experience. So peaceful. We also went to see a waterfall that was really special. There was a palpable energy in that space that you could feel just standing by the fall. Can't really put it into words, but magical sort of gets to what it was like. We also did a nature walk which gave us a different perspective from the night tour. It's amazing to me how much the environment changes from day to night. Literally the sounds you hear and totally different! I would definitely say that Amami is a nature lover's paradise without being overwhelming. And John is an ideal tour guide to help you experience the best parts. We also appreciated his deep knowledge of the island's history (and Japanese history in general). We can't recommend John enough!

The tour was very interesting, and John provided us with special insights into the nature and wildlife of Amami. Super professional, congratulations.

We had a wonderful experience with Amami Tours! Two couples booked a tour during a cruise ship stop. John picked us up promptly and gave us a relaxed interesting tour directed to our interests (hiking, birds and food). He is personable and knowledgeable. Highly recommended.

My wife and I toured with John and really felt that he was excellent. He was on time and provided interesting insights into both the culture of the island, the nature of the island and some very interesting aspects of the history. This included touring textile producing artisan shops. We enjoyed our lunch with him and hearing what it was like to actually live on this amazing island. We recommend him highly.