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!

All Japan custom private tours, packages and expert travel services

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

Your Japan Private Tours has been designing and executing 100% custom Japan private tours, tour packages, and expert travel services, on all 5 Japanese islands since 1990. YJPT does everything the client wants or requests from includes booking accommodation, hiring vehicles + drivers, booking restaurants, getting tickets in advance, and more. I am an expert in all things to do with Japan travel, tourism (and culture and history too; see my book & other publications below). Learn more about my expert custom Japan private tours & packages & travel services.

My custom Japan private tours, packages and services:

  • Are made for who you are and how you like to travel,
  • Save you time, lots of time (and money too sometimes),
  • Improve the quality of your travel time in all ways,
  • Make sure you avoid the Kyoto crowds in super peak seasons,
  • Can be designed to go anywhere & do anything (self guided),
  • And everything I make is retail priced.
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All my custom Japan private tours, guided or self guided, are designed by me, approved by the client and then followed by the guide or converted into a self guided tour. I vet all guides I work with and make sure they follow what the client has approved or final oked.

For off the beaten track Japan trips my self guided tours (Sgts) are super advantageous. You can go hiking in national parks, do exotic sports like scuba diving or hang gliding, go to remote villages, and venture into parts of Japan few foreign tourists visit. These tailormade-for-you Sgts are like having a guide at your side. Sgts are timed and designed for smartphones. They include highly detailed walking instructions: such as turn left, turn right, go straight two sets of lights. They also have all the bilingual instructions you need to get tickets on the go, jump in taxis and just relax, and get help from the people around you when you're not sure. And all my Sgts include relevant local historical and cultural information and killer lunch options (free of charge!). Learn more!

My tailormade Japan private tour designs--walking, driving, by taxi, with a car + driver, hiking--can be used in cities and in Japan's exceptional countryside locations. 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 . . .).

I work with foodies all the time and have been booking tables across Japan since 1990. Nearly half of my clients are foodies these days!

You can see what I love about Japan on my YouTube channel's growing video playlist.. 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.

Save time & have a better time anywhere in Japan with my travel design expertise (since 1990). 100% designed for who you are & what you want! Learn more! Ian Martin Ropke (unique on Google search) | Whatsapp: +1-415-230-0579.

Tailormade Japan private tour packages

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

My 100% custom Japan private tours & packages give you everything you will need or want 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; self-guided tours; travel services). Learn more!

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, with 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. Sgts are 66% less than guided tours but logistically equivalent to being with a guide. To learn more see my list of Japan self-guided tour stories from past clients.

My expert custom Japan private tours & packages, designed for anywhere in the country: Save you time; improve the quality of your travel time (day & night). I work closely with all clients before they go to Japan & when they are there!

  • Guided tours (Gt); expenses not included; 4, 6, 8 hours: Yen 39,000/family, 54,000, 72,000; I only work with licensed guides
  • Self-guided tours (Sgt); expenses not included: 2, 4, 6, 8 hours: Yen 5,000/family, 12,000, 16,500, 24,000
  • Reservations & transfer arrangement service charges:* Yen 4,800/instance/family: restaurants (including to and from logistics), vehicle + driver, and perfect step-by-step bilingual transfer instructions from any A to any B in Japan (for example, Tokyo hotel to Kyoto hotel).
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*Notes: 1. Expenses are not included in Sgt and Gt prices quoted above (lunch, taxi, train, subway, temple entry, etc.). 2. The above prices would be higher for large families or friend groups, please enquire. 3. I am client centric & like to work closely with clients and not their agents, if possible. Learn more!

Guided expert custom private Japan tours & day trips

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). I only work with licensed guides and I'm very picky about who I will work with!

I also provide 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 in 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).

Save time & have a better time anywhere in Japan with my travel design expertise (since 1990). 100% designed for who you are & what you want! Learn more! Ian Martin Ropke (unique on Google search) | Whatsapp: +1-415-230-0579.

Self-guided custom Japan private tours & adventures!

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 (Japow powder & high-end 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.

My expert Japan travel services save you time!

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 you can save time & money with my expertise

My tailormade Japan 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!

Japan deep monthly travel essays: nature, food, festivals

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 but only Hokkaido has Japow powder skiing!). 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 island by island: transport, hotels, local foods

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.

Save time & have a better time anywhere in Japan with my travel design expertise (since 1990). 100% designed for who you are & what you want! Learn more! Ian Martin Ropke (unique on Google search) | Whatsapp: +1-415-230-0579.

Japan travel news blog & culture essays

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!

My deep content blog is worth checking out for new Japan travel news and great information on all kinds of things related to Japan. Below is a short list of of my recent blog posts | articles. Enjoy the read!

I have have posted many essays on Japanese society and culture on this website. Links to a few of these essays are posted below and the full list link is at the very bottom. 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!

Ian Martin Ropke, Japan travel designer since 1990!

Ian Martin Ropke Founder and Owner of Your Japan Private Tours.I, Ian Martin Ropke (unique on Google Search), founded Your Japan Private Tours in Kyoto in May of 1990. I am an expert Japan travel specialist and designer. I was the Editor-in-Chief of the Kyoto Visitor's Guide from 1995 to 2012! I have been active in the Japanese travel and tourism industry for over 30 years. Over the decades, I have worked with many government tourism organizations in Kyoto as well as corporations from around the world. Learn more about me and my work!

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 Inc., a Delaware C-corp, 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, another BlackBerry moment, 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. Also see my LinkedIn profile for more information about me and my work.

Save time & have a better time anywhere in Japan with my travel design expertise (since 1990). 100% designed for who you are & what you want! Learn more! Ian Martin Ropke (unique on Google search) | Whatsapp: +1-415-230-0579.