Save time & have a better time anywhere in Japan (since 1990) with my expert private custom Japan tours & travel services. Learn more! WhatsApp: +1-415-230-0579. Email me today!

Tailormade Japan private tours, tour packages, services since 1990

My Japan tours include itinerary designs for day trips from Tokyo to see the famous snow monkey in Nagano!

Your Japan Private Tours provides 100% private custom Japan tours and tour packages on all 5 Japanese islands (since 1990). With my expertise you can avoid crowds, choose your own adventures, get off the beaten track as much as you like, save money, and leave all the "difficult details" to me (Ian Martin Ropke, an all-Japan travel expert, specialist, designer for over 30 years). My private custom Japan tour packages can be a few days, a week or three weeks. I work at retail prices, so one day is also OK! Every client is different!

My unique value-added Japan self-guided tours (Sgts) and “digital” Japan travel services, now used by all my clients (even those who prefer mostly guided tours), are like having a guide at your side. My customized and timed Sgts, delivered as PDFs to your smartphone, are bilingual in part and include maps. They also include highly detailed walking instructions: such as turn left, turn right, go straight two sets of lights, get tickets at the machines by showing this text block, hop a cab and show the driver your smartphone screen for destination in Japanese text). And all my Sgts include relevant local historical and cultural information and killer lunch options (free of charge!).

Please note: All my clients are encouraged by me to include the advantages of Sgts in their Japan travel plans. And it's not about saving money. It's more about group intimacy in cities (by day and by night) and the sense of control you have when you or your family go all by yourself to experience the Snow Monkeys as a day trip from Tokyo, the surfing beaches of Japan, the remote waterfall-lush gorges of Kyushu, or the fruit picking paradises of the Japanese Alps. FYI: My self-guided tours are 66% less than guided tours!

My private custom Japan tour designs--walking, driving, by taxi, with a car + driver, hiking--can be used in cities and in Japan's exceptional countryside worlds. And everything you choose or like becomes part of the final tour itinerary I make for you and which you FINAL OK (even guided tour designs!) And every tour and service has been designed for who you are and how you like to travel. And for the things you are interested in experiencing in Japan (traditional, modern, contemporary, nature, spiritual . . .).

And I work with lots of foodies as Japan's cuisine worlds have become increasingly famous around the world. Nearly 60% of my clients are foodies now.

What I do for all my clients:

  • Improve the quality of your Japan trip. All designed for who you are, how you like to travel, and your Japan hopes & dreams & interests . . .
  • Save you time & money! On all 5 Japanese islands since 1990 . . .
  • Digital transfers from any A to any B in the country @ Yen 6,600/group
  • Restaurant experiences and getting there and back (on foot, by subway, or taxi) @ Yen 6,600/group
  • And I work closely with all clients and can design to budget if requested. Learn more!

Use the handy page index below (and repeated at the end of each main section) to jump to the things you wish to learn more about: the islands, the seasons of Japan month by month, and my JPY retail prices for all my services (priced by group not per person). Learn more! Or email me today at yourjapanprivatetours AT gmail DOT com. Or text me on Whatsapp @ +1-415-230-0579.

Private custom Japan tour packages: self-guided, guided, and mixed

A Kyushu shrine forest setting, where mountains meet sea. My tour packages cover all of Japan's five islands.

My 100% tailormade, Japan private tour packages are all made for you, the client. Therefore, what you want is also what you will get. To the last detail. And if you don't know what you want, then I can provide possible outlines that we can work on together. I work closely with all clients (guided tours and self-guided tours).

Today, most of my Southeast Asian clients travel all over Japan without seeing a local tour guide; relying entirely on my bilingual scripted self-guided tours and travel services. My North American and European clients (and Auz and NZ too) continue to favor 50-60% guided tours the rest self-guided days and nights. It is important to note that self-guided days and nights are very intimate for couples, families and small groups of friends. It's not just about saving over 66% when compared to guided days and nights. Sgts are logistically equivalent to being with a guide but you don't have to interact with anyone except the Japanese you meet during your tour day: taxi drivers, strangers at ticket machines, restaurant staff . . . To learn more see my short list of Japan self-guided tour stories from past clients.

What my all-Japan custom travel tour packages can do for you and your family:

  • Save you time & money!
  • Improve the quality of your Japan trip
  • 100% designed for who you are and how you like to travel
  • I work closely with all clients before they go to Japan & when they are there!
  • Custom tours of Japan & expert travel services on all 5 Japanese islands since 1990!

Use my retail prices to estimate your Japan tour package cost

My Japan private custom tour packages can be a few days, a week, 10 days or longer. And with the JPY retail prices below you can get an idea of how much you might spend on my services to save time and have a better time on your next Japan tour package (self-guided or guided or a mixture of both).

You can see what I love about Japan on my YouTube channel's growing video playlist.. My videos have been created from my huge Japanese digital photo collection. Presently, there are 3 videos that showcase: 1. Portraits of Japanese people in daily life (5 min.). 2. The Japanese Shinto religion: images, scenes and symbols (2.66 min.). 3. Japanese Buddhism in daily life: images, scenes and symbols (5 min.). On YouTube just search for Your Japan Private Tours.

Learn more! Or email me today at yourjapanprivatetours AT gmail DOT com. Or text me on Whatsapp @ +1-415-230-0579.

Self-guided Japan tours & adventures anywhere in Japan!

Kyushu's famous Takachiho gorge and waterfall: one of my popular self-guided tours from Kumamoto or Yufuin.

My much less expensive (66% less!) custom self-guided tours of Japan offer great value, and all of my clients use them regardless of budget. They give you an intimate travel experience with all the logistical expertise and instructions you can imagine (you can also be with a licensed tour guide when and where you want that experience). My Japan self-guided tours and packages are perfect for city tours, day trips from major cities, and traveling all over the areas of Japan that are still off the beaten track.

Since 2018, most of my clients from Southeast Asia do their entire trip using only my self-guided tours and travel services (transfers, cuisine experiences, special tickets and arrangements). Popular destinations for Sgts include Hokkaido (skiing, dog sledding, snow shoeing, hot springs, summer nature and hiking); Kyushu (Takachiho Gorge, Yufuin, Kurokawa, Mount Aso, nature and hiking tours) and Shikoku (spiritual walking tours; nature tours; coastal tours); and the inner regions of Honshu island (Nagano | Kamikochi | Takayama | Toyama; hiking and nature tours), and the best of the northern coastline areas of Honshu Island (Tango Peninsula, Matsue, Shimane Prefecture west to Shimonoseki).

Since 1990, I have designed Japan self-guided tours all over the country for all kinds of clients. My unique approach to self-guided travel allows you to be in control and confident no matter where you go or how! my growing short list of previous-client Japan self-guided tour stories will give you a good idea of where you can go and what you can do without a guide using my unique services.

Learn more! Or email me today at yourjapanprivatetours AT gmail DOT com. Or text me on Whatsapp @ +1-415-230-0579.

Custom guided Japan tours & day trips for all major destinations!

Japanese and foreign tourists love the guided experience provided by Kyoto's genki energetic rickshaw drivers.

My private guided custom Japan tours--city tours, day trips, walking tours, and special interest tours--are available in and around Japan's major tourist centers (Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Takayama, Hiroshima, Fukuoka, Sapporo). As a professional Japan travel specialist and designer, I also create guided night tours in Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka. And for spiritual travelers or travelers trying to avoid crowds in Kyoto super peak season, I design guided (or self-guided) early morning tours, as well as tours to destinations I like to call "secret spots."

Your Japan Private Tour's most popular guided custom tours of Japan lie on the Golden Route. uided private custom Tokyo tours: walking tours, contemporary culture tours, specialty tours, shopping tours. Guided day trips & excursions from Tokyo: to Hakone | Mount Fuji | Lake Kawaguchi, Kamakura, Nikko & the Izu Peninsula. Guided private custom Kyoto tours: walking tours, craft tours, garden tours, specialty tours. Custom guided day trips from Kyoto: to Nara, Osaka (especially for night tours), Shigaraki | Miho Museum, Mount Koya, Himeji | Kurashiki, and Hiroshima. Guided private custom Osaka tours: focused on the city’s newest attractions (Abeno Harukas), lively fish & food markets, Osaka Castle, modern shopping zones, the city’s amazing night life & youth culture watching. Custom guided day trips from Osaka: to Kyoto, Kobe, Himeji | Kurashiki, and Koyasan.

In addition to my regular guides Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka, I also work with great local tour guides in Takayama, Hiroshima, Sapporo and Fukuoka. When a local tour guide is not available, for whatever reason, even in Tokyo or Kyoto, you can always rely on my custom independent self-guided private tour solutions (town & country).

Notes: 1. Tour guides are freelance agents and take jobs from more than one agency; so booking guided tours earlier than later is smart. 2. My self-guided tour scripts (PDFs) are equal to a guided tour for moving around in Tokyo or the countryside. Self-guided tours include instructions for getting tickets on the go; graphic maps; walking instrutions; train station platform #s; perfect Japanese taxi instructions; and relevant historical and cultural information for the sites and locations visited. What more could you ask for?

Learn more! Or email me today at yourjapanprivatetours AT gmail DOT com. Or text me on Whatsapp @ +1-415-230-0579.

My expert digital Japan travel services: transfers, restaurants, tickets

Trust my all-Japan travel services like you would trust this Buddhist jizo guardian.

I provide a full range of professional all-Japan travel services. These include expert solutions for any and all needs and I have worked with many families and individuals from all over the world who required special services (wheelchairs, food allergies, etc.).

The travel and business services that most travelers are interested in or need. 1. Any and all transfers: to and from airports & from any A to any B in the country with perfect bilingual instructions. 2. Restaurant experiences & reservations & perfect directions for getting there and back, or with a pre- or post- dinner stroll route. 3. Professional transportation and logistics services for private vehicles (sedans, vans, buses). 4. All-Japan (town and country) accommodation booking assistance for Japanese minshuku, pensions, B & Bs, and high-end ryokan inns. 5. Business travel services to save time & improve trip outcomes including interpreters, advanced event tickets, private maiko geiko geisha banquets.

No matter what you need or want to experience, I've got you covered with expert tailormade Japan travel services that save you time and improve your travel time! And this also includes corporate business, Bleisure, and MICE or special event travel. Learn more about my all-Japan expert travel services.

How my Japan self-guided tours & travel services save you time and money!

How my all-Japan travel packages can help you:

  • Save you time & money!
  • Improve the quality of your Japan trip.
  • And everything is designed for who you are and how you like to travel.
  • On all 5 Japanese islands since 1990 . . . Learn more!

My tailormade Japan self-guided tours, packages and digital travel services, on Japan’s 5 Japanese islands (since 1990), are designed to save you time and improve the quality of your Japan trip from start to finish. I design 100% customized itineraries--usually from scratch--for all my clients. I do not charge for planning or consultation, and clients give their final OK for everything I design before the payment stage.

Wherever possible, I try to balance how much you will see in 4 or 8 hours with design flexibility, common sense, and precise logistics. I like to avoid tourist traps and recommend visiting super popular places, to avoid the crowds, first thing in the morning or near closing time. And I focus on areas or districts during a full day or half day tour not individual temples or shrines or sights per say. It’s all about flow!

All my Japan self-guided tours (and guided tours) can be designed as walking tours or strolling tours. Walking tours are more intense and longer while stroll tours are shorter and easier. Note: In super peak Kyoto high seasons (late-March to April and mid-October to the end of November) I highly recommend strolling a lot and using only subways and trains to avoid gridlock. And in those periods, I design itineraries to put clients in the right places at the right time so that you have as much Kyoto serenity as possible. Sometimes, especially in the afternoon, the best thing to do is head for the edge of town and the countryside beyond (which is a lot closer to downtown Kyoto than you might imagine!).

Remember: If you are trying to save time and money, my Japan self-guided tours offer incredible value. Tailormade self-guided tours are 66% less than my guided custom tours of Japan. I design all the itineraries, the routes, and the flow, even for guided tours. My Japan self-guided tours (and guided tours) are always customized to your individual or group needs and designed for good time flow, flexibility, and ease of travel. They also include expert commentaries and insights: compact, relevant and meaningful!

Learn more! Or email me today at yourjapanprivatetours AT gmail DOT com. Or text me on Whatsapp @ +1-415-230-0579.

Japan month-by-month deep travel essays: nature, food, festival

The spring Kyoto maiko and geiko dances.

Most travel planning is based on timing or season. Japan, a country with four distinct seasons, is different every month of the year. Spring is chilly and then warm . . . Summer is wet in the beginning (June rainy season) and then very hot and humid at sea level. Autumn is the rice harvest and the cool views of momiji maple leaves and charcoal cuisine. Winter is for watching the drift ice or skiing in Hokkaido (which you can also do at Hakuba, Nagano in the Japanese Alps). Below you will find a link for every month of the year to better plan your next Japan trip (self-guided, guided, mixed). Learn more!

If you don't know when you are going to Japan or or where or what you would like to see on your next Japan trip then explore the next section: indepth content for each of Japan's main islands: logistics, seasons, destinations, nature, cuisine, and history. Learn more!

Japan's 5 islands in depth: transportation, accommodation, destinations, local foods, history

These rice terraces are on the northwest coast of Kochi Prefecture, Shikoku.

Japan is a very big and long country made up of five separate main islands. From north to south: Hokkaido (snow sports, seafood, nature), Honshu (1,300 km long, 50-230 km wide; and bigger than the island of Great Britain!), Shikoku (Buddhist pilgrimage, beaches, nature, cuisine), Kyushu (Southeast Asian arrival paradise from food to nature and hot springs), and the tropical islands of Okinawa (scuba diving, jungle, hidden beach worlds).

Honshu Island: Much more than the Golden Route: Honshu is huge! Beyond Tokyo and Kyoto lie the island's 1,300 km (810 mile) northern coastline, Noto and Tango peninsulas' timeless villages, Tottori's sand dunes, and the endless hidden wonders of Izu, Mie, and the Inland Sea.

Hokkaido Island: A still wild natural world known for food and winter sports: Hokkaido is all about national parks, hot springs, flower parks, the Ainu, scuba diving, and some of the best seafood in Japan, but it's huge so time is required!

Kyushu Island, Japan's ancient origins with direct connections to southeast Asia: International flights arriving at Fukuoka International are a great way to have a perfect vacation | holiday | adventure | romantic story featuring hot springs, mountain villages, ceramics, bamboo baskets, and coastal wonders.

Shikoku Island: More history and old Japan than you know: Just south of Osaka | Kobe | Hiroshima, Shikoku is special for spiritual travel (the amazing 88 Buddhist temple pilgrimage), old and contemporary culture, stunning natural settings, and incredible local foods!

The Okinawa Islands: An ocean paradise with great music and cuisine: Okinawa is well known for world-class beaches, scuba diving and snorkeling, exotic food, and a unique music and martial arts culture. And it's a great place to start or end a Japan private tour.

Learn more! Or email me today at yourjapanprivatetours AT gmail DOT com. Or text me on Whatsapp @ +1-415-230-0579.

Old & new content: Japan culture essays & Japan travel news updates

The magnificent Kamakura Buddha.

Going to Japan is like going to another planet. The French acutally refer to Japan as "Planet Japon!" And since you are going to a very challenging and extremely exotic destination the more you know the better. Most of what you need to know is easy enough to find on the internet and entry to Japan is easy for all developed countries.

But there are other things worth reading up on and learning about. Japan's history, for example. Did you know that Japan was first worldwide for firing ceramics and the narrative novel? And then there are the many forms of Japanese culture: traditional and contemporary. Which is to say everything from the "the samurai old days" to manga, anime, cosplay, and video games. And the amazing ways the ways the Japanese interpret Western ideas, ranging from desserts and theme parks to media and relaxation . . . Learn more!

I have have posted many essays on Japanese society and culture on this website. To see them all go to my old-new Japanese culture essays index. As a writer, I'm always tring to post useful and interesting content for foreign travelers coming to Japan. And there are so many different kinds of travelers with an endless range of interests. So look for more interesting "long-reads" here on Japanese people, places and new developments . . . OK? Learn more!

Latest essays published on this website include:

Ian Martin Ropke: Japan travel designer since 1990. And here's why!

Ian Martin Ropke Founder and Owner of Your Japan Private Tours.I founded Your Japan Private Tours in 1990 in Kyoto, and I have been active in the Japanese travel and tourism industry for nearly 30 years as a Japan travel expert, specialist and designer. I have worked with many government tourism organizations in Kyoto as well as corporations from around the world. I was the Editor-in-Chief of the Kyoto Visitor's Guide (which died during Covid) from 1995 to 2012!

Historical Dictionary of Osaka and Kyoto by Ian Martin RopkeI am the author of the Historical Dictionary of Osaka and Kyoto; 1999; Scarecrow Press | Rowman & Littlefield; listed in the bibliography section of the Wikipedia entry for Kyoto, and in the Further Reading section of the Wikipedia entry for Osaka.

I know Japan extremely well and have traveled extensively all over the country since the early 1980s. I lived in Tokyo for nearly a year. Then Osaka for half a year. And then nearly 30 years in Kyoto . . . I love Japanese culture, history and the people. And I try to share this passion with my clients whenever I can.

My work is 100 percent client centric: so everything is tailored to who you are and how you like to travel. I advise and assist clients from everywhere anywhere in Japan (town & country on all 5 islands). My specialties include walking, driving and hiking tours anywhere in Japan (town & country), Japanese cuisine experiences (from gourmet to street food), all key forms of Japanese traditional culture (tea ceremony, gardens, religion), and everything to do with modern contemporary Japan (manga, anime, art, architecture, tech).

I have also worked with many prominent corporate travel & business event planning clients as a Japan travel expert, specialist, designer. From 2003 to 2009, I was responsible for BAE Systems' (formerly British Aerospace) Japanese culture seminar program (Tokyo & Kyoto). Other past corporate clients include Microsoft, Hewlett Packard, Prudential Financial, Fannie Mae, Google Maps, and AstraZeneca.

As the founder of NexussPlus.com, I am also an expert in all international tourism and travel, which I have been researching since I was a teenager . . . NexussPlus is a global private travel and international services startup that will hopefully change travel, slow climate change, and create new decision and democracy | community AIs.

For my "full" resume and overall work experience in Japan go to the About Ian Martin Ropke page on this website. Please see my LinkedIn profile for more information about me and my work.

Learn more! Or email me today at yourjapanprivatetours AT gmail DOT com. Or text me on Whatsapp @ +1-415-230-0579.