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!

My all-Japan expert self-guided custom Japan private tours

Shirakawago Village farm house and old cherry tree

I have been designing and making unique expert self-guided custom Japan private tours and tour packages all over the country since 1990. I love making detailed and logistically perfect walking tours and instructions sets that move you across the landscape as if you were a local. Many travelers think guided tours with licensed guides are unbeatable. But that's not true at all! Many tour guides are not confident beyond the main attractions of the speciality area. And in the countryside it's very expensive to have a tour guide with you. In off-the-beaten-track areas of Japan a tour guide is hard to find and around USD 500/day + expenses. My self-guided tours are designed for city exploration and going to the edge of the edge. It's like a guide is with you every step of the way. You feel confident and in control with these logistically seamless programming documents (smartphone PDFs and as BW print outs). Learn more!

Self-guided tours can be designed for morning, day, and night tours. And they are designed by me, with your input, for who you are and how you like to travel. My self-guided Japan private tours have been used by a few millionaires and celebrities because they are private, just you and your family or partner or friends, yet logistically perfect for going anywhere.

I have been designing and executing Japan self-guided tours and private travel services all over Japan since 1990. And for all kinds of clients: from multi-generation families, couples, elderly travelers, to business, Bleisure and luxury travelers. Self-guided private tours are flexible and can be designed for train and subway or for a private vehicle + driver (or a hired bus and driver). My self-guided custom Japan private tours:

  • Are made for who you are and how you like to travel,
  • Save you time (and money too sometimes),
  • Improve the quality of your travel time in all ways,
  • Are made to avoid the crowds in super peak seasons,
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To learn more about the islands of Japan and what to expect if you go, see my island by island logistics and overviews for train travel, nature, festivals, and local cuisine.. Just scroll down to the index and then pick your destination: Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, the Japan Alps, Hokkaido, Kyushu, Shikoku, and Okinawa. Overviews

To learn more Japan month by month, see my deep month-by-month travel overviews. Just scroll down to the page menu and click on "when" and pick your month from March to February.

All my self-guided tours of Japan and travel services are customized to who you are and how you like to travel. Self-guided private tour travel itineraries, like any great itinerary, follow a timeline and include both specific sights and general guidance for a given time period (4 hours, 6 hours or 8 hours). Most of these PDF documents include Google Map lins, graphic maps, images, and other graphics.

The final OK, for any itinerary design, self-guided or guided, is given by the client before I actually design and create the step-by-step instructions for your tailormade Japan self-guided tour, transfer or cuisine experience. You can use public transportation or private vehicles and drivers. You can eat in inexpensive authentic fun places or you choose high-class Japanese cuisine experiences for lunch and or dinner. I know all the options. Learn more!

To get a better idea of what you can do with my unique self-guided Japan private tours, consider this Chinese Malaysian family's 10-day self-guided tour package based on their travel needs and challenges(and they never met a guide!). 1. Two sisters in their 50s traveling with their 80-year-old architect father with a walking cane and a portable wheelchair. 2. They wanted to see Kyoto, the Japanese countryside and experience high-end restaurants everywhere they went. 3. Private sedan or van travel with a driver was also a requirement for travel in the countryside. This family used these services: 1. A private van transfer from Kansai International to Kyoto. 2. Three days of touring in Kyoto and a half day in Nara (using train, subway, taxi). 3. A self-guided transfer by taxi, train and taxi to their Tokyo hotel and 3 days of touring in Tokyo and Kamakura. 4. A self-guided transfer by taxi, train and private van to Hakone | Mount Fuji and one day of touring in the area in a van. 5. A self-guided transfer by van to Shuzenji hot spring village and three days of van & driver touring on the Izu Peninsula. 6. A self-guided transfer by van, bullet train and monorail to Haneda International Airport.

Traveling in Japan is well known for its challenges. English is not widely spoken. And the Japanese writing (three kinds: hiragana, katakana, and Chinese kanji ideograms) is challenging to say the least. Moreover, the Japanese people are extremely shy, introverted, and afraid of making mistakes. My Japan self-guided tours take this into account, and I make it as easy as I can for you to feel in total control from start to finish. Why waste time and make mistakes when you can pay an expert like me to make sure you save time and have a better time on your next Japan adventure?

For example, Tokyo is a huge metropolis that is known for 5 or 6 major shopping and cultural centers, and I know them well. Manga, anime and cosplay? No problem. High art and contemporary galleries and design centers? No problem. Street food or gourmet food tours? No problem.

The much more traditional city landscape of Kyoto are great for tours of all kinds, everything from garden and temple journeys, morning and night. Just let me know your hopes & dreams for your next Japan trip, and I will custom design a great series of days and nights for you in the Old Capital (and in night-time Blade-Runner Osaka). And don't forget super-peak high season months (April and November) make Kyoto extremely challenging for those expecting Zen tranquility and few people. Lucky for you, I have "special" itinerary designs for handling the worst of super-peak Kyoto high seasons (when you can have an extra 300,000-400,000 Japanese domestic tourists in Kyoto every day!). Learn more!

To get the perfect Japan self-guided tour design for your travel preferences and interests it is very important that you give me as much information as possible right from the start. Transportation preferences. Food and dietary | allergy issues. Specific shopping, art or craft must dos, etc. Some clients begin working with me up to 10 months before arriving in Japan and during that time we may exchange 60 or 70 emails. No problem! I give each client all the personal attention they need.

My expert self-guided custom Japan private tours are especially suited to off-the-beaten-track destinations and adventure tour packages. Many southeast Asian (and from Australia and New Zealand) have been to Japan a couple of times or more, and they are increasingly going to more remote areas of the country. In the past 10 years I have seen a dramatic rise in clients from Singapore, Australia and Malaysia interested in the "rest of Japan." These kinds of clients are interested in experiencing the Japanese countryside and Japan's exceptional nature worlds. I love designing these kinds of trips because they are the Japanese journeys that also moved me the most. On your next Japan trip, consider the Japanese Alps in summer, spiritual tours to remote temples and shrines in any season, hiking tours on the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage route in May or October, deep nature worlds just over the horizon, and winter sports or diving | snorkeling when the season is right.

Self-guided tours are also ideal for city tours and day trips from major destinations. And you can travel around Tokyo or Osaka or Kyoto anyway you like depending on your budget or preferences. And self-guided tours are the best way to do day trips from major centers like Tokyo since you don't have to pay for the guide and the guide's travel expenses. Top day trips from Tokyo include: Hakone | Mount Fuji, Kawaguchiko | Mount Fuji, Kamakura, the Izu Peninsula, and Nikko. From Kyoto or Osaka the top day trips include: Nara, Shiga (Miho Museum, Lake Biwa, Shigaraki pottery village), Kobe, Kurashiki, Naoshima art island, and Hiroshima. There are also amazing villages and virgin forest entry points close to Kyoto that are simply extraordinary (especially for those from over-crowded Southeast Asian centers). In winter, you can easily go cross country skiing or snow shoeing near Kyoto. Learn more!

Self-guided custom Japan private tour stories from previous clients

Here are just a few of my self-guided tour (Sgt) stories from previous clients. These true stories will give you an idea of what you can do and how far you can go with a self-guided custom Japan private tour:

Sarah Packard (USA) and her two kids (9 & 11 years of age) spent 10 days in and around Tokyo and used my SGTs to see and experience lots of manga, anime and youth culture attractions. They dressed up in kimono, experienced a high-class "ninja" dinner. All of their travel was by subway and train with a few short strategic taxi rides.

Ian Hart, an Irish helicopter pilot, came to Japan with his wife in October 2018. They rented a car from Kansai International Airport and for the next 10 days drove off-the-beaten-track across Shikoku Island (4 days) and Kyushu Island (5 days). I provided daily detailed driving instructions and all local hotel and inn bookings. Mr Hart and his wife were very happy with my planning and the trip was a success (and we never spoke on the phone once!).

Mr and Mrs Wolf from New Zealand sailed their yacht to Japan in the summer of 2017 and parked their yatch in the Osaka area for 14 days. Using daily SGTs and local accommodation bookings they travelled from Osaka to Nara, Kyoto, Kanazawa, Shirakawa, Takayama, Hakone and Tokyo. From Kanazawa they took the train, bus and a taxi to visit the famous rice terraces of the Noto Peninsula. In Hakone they hiked in the mountains for a day and also went deep into Hakone's contemporary art museums.

Mr Andy White of the USA came to Tokyo in May 2018 to visit family. But he was also a passionate collector of Japanese ceramics for the tea ceremony and ikebana flower arrangement. I created a fast and busy 5-day trip for him that included Kyoto ikebana and ceramic studio tours, and a quick trip to Kyushu to visit the Arita, Imari and Karatsu porcelain areas. I also booked all of his local accommodation for his budget.

Mr Mohammed from Kuwait and his Italian wife travelled the Golden Route from Tokyo to Kyoto and back in 2016. Their interests were perfect cherry blossoms and the most expensive Japnenese restaurants for lunch and dinner (every day). They traveled most in luxury sedans (BMW and Lexus) with a private drivers who didn't speak English. The only time they were with a guide was during a private geisha | maiko banquet in Kyoto during which the guide provided expert interpretations and explainations of the "performances".

Mr Williams and his son (USA) came to Japan to scuba dive and hike in national parks of Hokkaido. It was their first trip to Japan and they did the entire trip by train and taxi. They dove with the sharks off the coast of the Izu Peninsula (about three hours from Tokyo). I provided logistics, accommodation bookings and fine dining everywhere along their route. Learn more!

Off-the-beaten-track self-guided custom Japan private tour packages

I have designed and created self-guided custom Japan private tour packages on all of Japan’s main islands. I have designed driving tours, hiking tours, bird watching tours, full moon tours, and expert historical and architectural tours. My expert self-guided custom Japan private tour packages,

  • Save you time & money!
  • Improve the quality of your Japan trip.
  • Are 100% designed for who you are and how you like to travel.
  • Available on all 5 Japanese islands since 1990: town & country!
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  • Honshu Island: Independent travel on the Golden Route: from Tokyo to Kyoto & Osaka. And the amazing attractions of places like Takayama, Kanazawa, the Izu Peninsula, Nagano, Naoshima and Kurashiki (to list a few).
  • Kyushu Island: A popular destination for hot springs, mountain villages, ceramics, bamboo baskets, and coastal wonders.
  • Hokkaido Island: Hokkaido is Japan's version of Canada’s wild worlds. But Hokkaido is also about hot springs, incredible flower parks, great skiing, scuba diving and some of the best seafood in Japan!
  • Shikoku Island: Just south of Osaka | Kobe | Hiroshima, Shikoku is known for spiritual travel (especially the 88-temple pilgrimage), wild and stunning natural settings, amazing seaside rice terraces, and empty, seemingly endless coastlines facing the open Pacific.
  • The Islands of Okinawa: Okinawa is well known for world-class beaches, scuba diving and snorkeling, exotic food, and a unique music and martial arts culture.

Self-guided custom Japan private tour packages for city tours & day trips!

My value-added, expert self-guided custom Japan private tours make getting around Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka easy and fun. Most of my clients choose public transportation because it is the fastest, inexpensive, and great for people watching. Some clients hire vans, luxury sedans and drivers for 8 hours at a time. But directing your driver is always a challenge. I make all these logistical processes very easy with my step-by-step guidance that can be a walking tour (turn left or turn right or go straight until you see . . .) or a driving tour (get off the freeway and follow highway #66 to the first village where your inn is) or the guidance that your taxi driver needs to be with you for a couple of hours or more.

Self-guided private tours are designed to buy train or subway tickets from machines in seconds, based on my logistically perfect instruction sets, and often a total stranger at the machines will help you with my instructions! Self-guided private tour instructions include detailed walking instructions for getting to the right platform and for getting to the right exit for your next destination. When you think you might be lost, simply point to a block of text and someone on the street will confirm your location and point you in the right direction. So you can't really get lost. I even have designs where the tour goal is to get kind of lost in a quiet neighborhood in Kyoto or in legendary Aoyama cemetery in Roppongi, Tokyo.

My self-guided tours also include night tours and adventures (18:00-22:00) and serene early morning tour options (6:00-9:00). On my night tours I like to focus on shrines, superstition, people watching, street food, and stunning night views. Popular self-guided night tours include Tokyo (Roppongi | Shinjuku back lanes), Kyoto (Gion & Fushimi Inari Grand Shrine) and Osaka (Abeno Harukas | Bladerunner Dotonbori Namba). My early morning independent self-guided tours (6:00-9:00) are perfect for spiritual travelers (sun rise meditations), nature lovers and photographers. During Kyoto super peak season (April, November), early morning tours are especially good value. I also design early morning "picnic" tours that feature local food shopping the night before, and then, the next morning, a picnic somewhere special. In the serene surroundings of a temple or shrine complex or in an ancient village or historical district on the edge of town.

Explore the following pages and learn how my self-guided custom Japan private tours can work for you in and around Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka. Every client is different. Tell me what you want and I will make it as ordered. Learn more!

  • Tokyo self-guided | guided tours: All of my Tokyo tours feature the best of old & new Tokyo (old traditional neighborhoods, people watching, contemporary | modern culture, and excellent Japan shopping experiences). I also design fascinating night tours of Shinjuku, Roppongi and a few secret after-dark Tokyo destinations. Popular self-guided | guided day tours & day trips from Tokyo: The most popular day tours and day trips from Tokyo include Mount Fuji | Lake Kawaguchi | Hakone, Kamakura, Nikko and the Izu Peninsula.
  • Kyoto self-guided | guided tours: My Kyoto tours include all popular areas and destinations. These can be walking tours, driving tours, craft tours, garden tours or tailored to your personal preferences. My most popular tours from Kyoto: Nara, Shigaraki | Miho Museum, Himeji Castle | Kurashiki | Naoshima, the Tango Peninsula, and Hiroshima | Miyajima (easy as a day trip when you use the bullet train).
  • Osaka self-guided tours: Osaka is famous for its fresh fish & food markets, modern shopping, ceramics, incredible food options and an amazing range of night life attractions. Popular self-guided day trips from Osaka: Nara, Kyoto, Kobe, Himeji | Kurashiki, Naoshima, Koyasan, Hiroshima | Miyajima.

What is a self-guided custom Japan private tour? Pluses & minuses.

What is a self-guided independent tour? A self-guided independent tour or service is a tour or service that is provided as a scripted, bilingual PDF. My self-guided tours & services (cuisine experiences | restaurant reservations) are PDFs that follow a timeline and include tailormade bilingual instructions for getting tickets, for telling a taxi driver where to go, and for everything else. Most self-guided tours also include maps, detailed smart walking instructions and cultural or historical insights for the sights and places during the tour.

The advantages and disadvantages of self-guided tours are as follows: 1. Time saved. 2. Easy to follow expert guidance. 3. Customized to who you are and what you want to do. 4. They can be used on a smartphone or they can be printed out in advance. 5. Expert guidance for 65% less than a guided tour. The only disadvantage, if there is one at all, is that self-guided tours do require the client to pay careful attention to each step along the way and the instructions provided. On occassion, the client doesn't pay enough attention and they might get on the wrong bullet train or take the subway in the wrong direction. So if you don't like to be independent then a guided tour would suit you better. Guided tours, though much more expensive, also give foreign travelers the opportunity to speak with their guide about modern Japanese life and other topics of personal interest. And many of my clients choose a combination of self-guided and guided tours.

My Japan self-guided independent tours are expert designed to be flexible and time saving for who you are and how you like to travel (train | subway or private sedan | van & driver). All of my self-guided independent tour designs reflect the specific needs and desires of each and every client, for every budget. I provide self-guided independent travel services anywhere in Japan in English, Spanish and German (as well as other major languages through Google Translate: please inquire).

My logistically-perfect self-guided independent tour designs are the smart way to go anywhere in Japan without worrying about the details.

Self-guided custom Japan private tour FAQs

Dragonfly doorway noren textile closeup and noren are featured in my private tours in spring and summer

What are self-guided tours & how are they different? Answer: My independent self-guided tours provide the key guidance you rely on a local tour guide for. My self-guided tours are tours without a tour guide but full of guidance and bilingual instructions sets for buying tickets on the go, for telling a taxi driver exactly where you want to go anywhere in Japan, and a step by step approach to tours for cityscapes or rural towns and villages.

What self-guided tour services does Your Japan Private Tours offer? Answer: I provide all standard custom travel services as independent self-guided services. This includes getting from any A in Japan to any B in Japan for Yen 4,800/1-6 people; add 5% for each person over 6pax (can be designed for taxi travel, train travel and subway | train city travel; including buying any and all tickets on the go). My restaurant reservation services are also self-guided: I call the restaurant and make the reservation in your name (including seating type and cuisine preferences and food issues) and then provide you with instructions for getting to the restaurant and back to your hotel (using taxis mostly; taxis that have been called in by the hotel or by the restaurant or by a total stranger on occasion). I also provide self-guided specialty services such as instructing your personal hired car and driver where to go for hours at a time anywhere in Japan OR for getting to a specially set up interview or craft studio study trip . . . The choices are all yours! I can provide the guidance you will need anywhere in Japan (since 1990)!

How much advance notice is required for ordering an self-guided tour or service? Answer: Generally I need about 72 hours or 3 full days to create what you will need. However, I have also designed and sent out independent self-guided tours with 24 hours notice. I am flexible and fast but sometimes also too busy to handle a last minute request. Please inquire.

Planning international trips is a time-intensive process and getting it right depends, in the end, on what you know and who you know. Your Japan Private Tours (YJPT) founder and owner, Ian Ropke, has been providing high-level Japan travel consulting services to individuals, families, groups and companies since 1990. Everyone is special at YJPT and I look forward to advising and helping you plan a great itinerary for your trip and, if also required, connecting you with friendly reliable English speaking guides anywhere in Japan.

Thank you for taking the time to read this little overview. When you are ready let me know how I can make your trip to Japan interesting, fun and relaxing from start to finish. The more you tell me about your preferences and interests the better the design.