Private Hiroshima Peace Memorial & City Tour With Local Guide

Yuka was the most incredible tour guide! She showed me all the top sights and gave so much insight into the history of Hiroshima. Would recommend this to anyone!

It was so informative and so moving. Our guide was very knowledgeable and moved us from place to place at a wonderful pace. I would recommend this activity 100percent!

We had a great day walking around Hiroshima with Masa. She provided much insight and information into the city’s history and we learnt about things that we did not know before. Masa is very easy going and friendly. It was an interesting day spent with her. Thank you!

We had an amazing tour with Masa. She was an outstanding guide and tailored the tour to suit our interests. We visited the Peace Memorial Museum and Masa was able to make the experience very meaningful by sharing details passed down to he from her parents who were both survivors of the bombing. We spent time in the Peace Park visiting various memorials as well as going to the hypocentre of the bombing and the Atomic dome. If you are lucky enough to have Masa as your guide you will have an excellent tour.

Our guide for the tour was Masa Kobayashi and she was excellent. Her English was perfect, her explanations were excellent and she made the whole tour amazing. She contacted us before the tour to make sure that we would be having a tour tailored to our interests and it certainly proved to be that. We visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and Masa made sure that we had as long as wanted to spend there, we were not hurried through. Masa also shared many personal stories that were passed on to her from her parents who were both alive at the time of the bombing (hibakusha). We spent a lot of time in the Peace Park going to various memorials before visiting the hypocentre and the Atomic Bomb Dome. I cannot recommend this tour highly enough and if you are lucky enough to have Masa as your guide, it will be amazing.

We had a great time on our tour with Masa. She was very flexible and easy to communicate with in terms of starting and modifying our itinerary. We were grateful to learn about the history of Hiroshima in detail, and it was especially meaningful to hear about it from a local. We visited the Peace Park, Museum, Shukkei-en, and A-Bomb Dome. Masa was also such a warm-hearted and thoughtful guide, willing to engage with our many questions, including some challenging ones about the history of the city and war. Highly recommend this tour. :)

Masa was an exceptional guide, bringing her personal insight into the city and the experiences of its population. I would recommend the tour to anyone

Aya was a fantastic host for our tour of Hiroshima. She shared stories and made it a truly memorable experience for us! Definitely recommend.

Aya gave us a superb personal tour of Hiroshima..showed places I requested [from a past visit] to give my friends a feeling and awareness of what Hiroshima is about.

Masa was an exceptional tour guide. Her knowledge and openness to share her families story was so appreciated. She helped both the adults and teenagers understand the history and significance of Hiroshima.

Naomi is amazing, very knowledgeable- great English- we learned a lot- and she took us to a great local lunch. We would definitely tour with her again!

We had a wonderful tour with our excellent guide Aya. She was very knowledgeable and it was very moving to hear her families experience of the bombing of Hiroshima. She was very patient and had a great sense of humour. It was one of the highlights of our trip to Japan and Aya made it very special.

Masayo’s warmth is something truly special. From our very first contact, months before our trip, she was incredibly thoughtful and attentive, making sure every detail was taken care of — not only during the tour itself, but also to make our whole visit to Hiroshima a wonderful experience. What made the tour particularly moving was hearing Hiroshima’s story through Masayo’s personal perspective as a second-generation survivor. Her honest and heartfelt account added a depth and emotion that we will never forget. Our time with Masayo was one of the highlights of our trip to Japan. We feel very lucky to have met her and cannot recommend her highly enough!

Could not have been better .. not just great tour but beautiful people . Very grateful

We recently did the Hiroshima tour with Aya as our tour guide. It was an amazing tour of Hiroshima and it was elevated by Aya's personal connection. We were truly moved by the experience and one we will remember for years.

We can't recommend Masa enough! She was one of the highlights of our trip to Japan. From the moment we met her, she was warm, knowledgeable, and incredibly kind. She shared Hiroshima's history in such a thoughtful and engaging way, and her personal stories and local recommendations made the tour feel so much more meaningful than just visiting the sights. Traveling with three kids can be challenging, but Masa was unbelievably patient with them. The moment that touched us the most was at the Peace Memorial Museum. Knowing some of the exhibits would be difficult for our youngest daughter, Masa stayed behind with her, making origami and keeping her entertained while we toured the museum. That level of thoughtfulness and care meant the world to us and is something we'll never forget. To top it off, our train was unexpectedly delayed getting to Hiroshima. Instead of making us feel rushed or stressed, Masa was flexible, adjusted the schedule, and made sure we still had an amazing experience. If you're visiting Hiroshima, do yourself a favor and book a tour with Masa. She is an exceptional guide and an even more wonderful person. Thanks to her, what could have been just another tour became one of the most memorable experiences of our entire trip. It's a day our family will remember forever.

Masa was fantastic, informative and understanding. One of the best tours I’ve been on.

We had the pleasure to share the afternoon with Masa. Not only did she gave us a lot of information, in sharing her families history with us she made the experience very personal. Her dedication ist beyond measure. Thank you!

Our guide Aya was amazing. She spoke fantastic English. Was beyond accommodating to our group. It was a rainy day and she still continued with us despite the rain. We started at the museum because the rain. Her personal stories we poignant. I am very glad we choose a guide as it really truly enhanced the experience. On a side note my father fell and actually broke his hip while walking through the museum and she was beyond helpful in so many ways. Truly a wonderful human. I would absolutely recommend 1000 times yes.

This was a fantastic tour, I would highly recommend. Aya is a terrific guide, incredibly knowledgeable, personable and passionate about peace. We opted to do a tour in Hiroshima so that we could connect with someone locally and get a deeper understanding of the incredible impact that the A-Bomb had on countless people and their families. We greatly enjoyed our visit including the A-Bomb Dome, Peace Museum as well as Shukeien Garden which was absolutely stunning. Aya also went out of her way in the weeks and days ahead of meeting to help with logistics and provide a host of other suggestions for things to do during our brief visit. Truly above and beyond, next level service!

I wasn't sure what to expect from a walking tour of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. I found out about Masa through YouTube, which made her laugh when I told her, but this experience completely surpassed anything I could have anticipated. The tour takes you through the Peace Memorial Museum, the A-Bomb Dome and the Peace Park, but it was the museum that stayed with me most. The exhibits are powerful and deeply personal and they stay with you long after you leave. It is not an easy place to walk through, nor should it be. What truly elevates the tour beyond the exhibits is Masa herself. At certain points along the walk, she shares her own family's story and the direct impact the bombing had on them. Hearing that account, told with quiet dignity and no drama, while surrounded by the evidence of that day, adds a layer of meaning that no book could ever provide. It was a genuine education and a reminder of how little we truly know about this history in our own corner of the world. It leaves you in no doubt about the devastating and lasting impacts of nuclear war, on people, on families, on generations that followed, and you go home with a very different perspective. Our whole group left quietly moved and, honestly, humbled. Masa's generosity didn't stop at the tour either. She was kind enough to offer suggestions on things to do in and around Hiroshima, all of which were wonderful. Our only regret was not getting a group photo with her. Thank you, Masa. You made Hiroshima unforgettable in every sense. Absolutely unmissable.

Yuka was really great and so patient about a late arrival from the train. We spent 2 days with her and it felt like traveling with a friend. For this tour, she knew the exact order to take us around, starting with beautiful Japanese gardens and then to the A-bomb dome, through peace park ending with the Hiroshima peace museum. She shared details you can't get in your own. We even had dinner together at a popular restaurant with locals and enjoyed okonomikaki, which is a regional dish of Hiroshima. I highly recommend her tours!

We had a truly wonderful experience on this Private Guided Tour in Hiroshima. Our guide, Yuca, was warm, sincere, knowledgeable, and very thoughtful throughout the entire tour. The tour gave us many meaningful insights into Hiroshima’s history, and hearing the voices and testimony of an 2nd generation A-bomb survivors was especially moving. Yuca’s guidance helped us understand the history not only factually, but also on a much more personal and emotional level. Her sincerity and dedication made the experience feel very special. Especially visiting an elementary school located within 500 meters of the hypocenter (now a museum) was deeply moving. At the end of the tour, we visited the Peace Memorial Museum on our own. While the museum is undoubtedly important, it was very crowded and felt a little overwhelming after such an emotional experience. For us, the guided tour itself was by far the most powerful and memorable part of the day. This was much more than a typical sightseeing tour. It was respectful, insightful, and deeply meaningful. I would highly recommend this Private Guided Tour to anyone visiting Hiroshima who wants to gain a deeper understanding of the city, its history, and its message of peace. Thank you Yuca🩷

Masayo was an excellent guide. She was a descendant of a survivor and able to share an intimate history of what occurred in Hiroshima. Highly recommend her for a private tour as her knowledge was vast and very friendly.

Naomi was an excellent tour guide. Super knowledgeable, has direct family connection to the bombing, and probably one of the sweetest and kindest people we have ever met.

Yuka was a friendly and informative guide and we found the three hour tour very moving

My tour guide was Yuka. We went on a tour of the historical sites of Hiroshima, going back centuries up to the modern history of Hiroshima today. It is a hard tour emotionally. Yuka was an exceptional guide; professional, knowledgeable and friendly. I cannot thank her enough for her efforts. I highly recommend this tour based on its itinerary and the guides like Yuka, who complete the experience with their knowledge.

Masa was very helpful and informative as she guided us around Hiroshima. She shared with us some of her personal family history with events of August 1945 and made it very relatable to us.

I highly recommend booking this tour with Naomi! Naomi was knowledgeable and passionate about her City and its history. She speaks great English and it was wonderful to spend the day with her - we saw more of Hiroshima than we would have on our own. Naomi was very helpful to get a deeper understanding of the bombs horrific, lasting impact but also Hiroshima’s resilience and heart. We were able to have a stronger connection to the history and stories than we would have been able to without Naomi as our guide. The work of the museum and guides like Naomi to share history and advocate for peace is incredibly important. I highly recommend booking a private tour with Naomi, especially since you are supporting a small business rather than a large tour company. Naomi also hosts home stays at her rice farm - I look forward to visiting her during our next trip to Japan!

Our guide Masa was a font of knowledge about Hiroshima and its past. We could not believe how lucky we were to be greeted at our accommodation’s door by her smiling face and welcoming manner. Masa shared her deep insight, personal history and knowledge with us which we appreciate greatly. This tour, with Masa as your guide, is a must when visiting Hiroshima to gain an understanding of Japan and world history. Thank you Masa.

Masa was a wonderful tour guide. Being a descendant of survivors of the bombing she has a deeply personal connection and her stories were profoundly impactful. Masa was engaging and charismatic and we all loved her. Wish we could have spent more time with her as her insights on all things related to Japanese culture were invaluable. We hope to return and spend more time learning about Hiroshima and if we do we will definitely be contacting her to be our personal guide. Thank you again Masa for the best day of our Japan trip so far!

Our afternoon tour with Naomi was excellent. She was proactive in communicating prior to the tour with additional options about a speech from a Hiroshima survivor, if we were interested. She had an excellent knowledge of Hiroshima and was able to impart her knowledge of the history of Hiroshima. Her English was very clear and she was able to communicate about the tour easily.

Our guide Masa was amazing!!! Full of facts and knowledge and having personal first hand experience of the devastation caused by the atomic bomb made it even more relatable! We had such a great day with Masa (even though it poured all day with rain) she made every minute enjoyable! We couldn’t have asked for a better tour guide!!!!! A day we’ll never forget 🥰🥰

Yuka was an excellent and very knowledgeable guide! There were 10 of us in total including my father-in-law who is in a wheelchair and 4 teenagers. But Yuka handled everything very efficiently including timing our 4 hour tour perfectly, and she picked us up and brought us back to the station, for which we were very appreciative. Her stories about Hiroshima gave amazing context, and it would have been a different experience for all of us had we not known those stories! Highly recommend 👍👍👍

Aya was the perfect guide for our visit to Hiroshima. She taught us a tremendous amount about the effects on Hiroshima when the Atomic bomb was dropped and the after effects in the years afterwards. She also added how her own family was impacted which added greatly to our understanding. We started our visit in the beautiful Shukkeien Garden and finished in the Museum. Aya made a reservation for us at an Okonomiyaki restaurant that was perfect.

Our tour of Hiroshima with Masa was an incredibly meaningful and memorable experience. What made it especially powerful was learning that her own family was personally affected by the atomic bomb — it brought a depth and humanity to the history that you simply can’t get from books or museums alone. Masa was very knowledgeable, sharing not just historical facts but personal perspectives with honesty and care. As a Japanese person who also understands the Western perspective, she explained things in a way that felt balanced, accessible, and thoughtful. She created a space where we felt comfortable asking questions, no matter how sensitive, and answered everything with genuine openness and respect. It was an emotional and deeply moving experience that we’ll carry with us for a long time. If you have the chance to explore Hiroshima with Masa, it’s something truly special.

Our guide, Naomi, was great. Very friendly and helpful. She gave a lot of history of Hiroshima and the surrounding areas. She also gave us a nice recommendation for good food after the tour.

Masa is an incredible tour guide with amazing knowledge and historical perspective on every place we visited over our 4 hour walking tour. We would highly recommend this tour when in Hiroshima. By the time our tour concluded we were touched emotionally and felt we had made a new friend.

We had a wonderful tour in Hiroshima today with Masa as our guide. She was incredibly kind, knowledgeable, and passionate about sharing Hiroshima’s history with us. You can really tell how much she cares about what she does — every explanation felt meaningful and thoughtful. Beyond the historical insights, she also shared very helpful local tips that made our visit even more special. Thank you, Masa, for such a memorable experience. We truly recommend touring Hiroshima with her!

One of our favourite days and tour on our Japan trip! We truly loved and appreciated our tour and tour guide - Masa. She was warm, friendly and shared a lot of information about Hiroshima and gently shared her personal experience as well. Would highly recommend!

Masa was flawless. Amazing guide with true knowledge on the history of Hiroshima, she was able to answer all of our questions either was A-bomb,politics,religion,food or anything else. We had her for 3 hours and we manage to fit the museum, the park, the fire, childrens memorial, ground zero, the castle and the gardens. She shared personal stories since she was a second generation survivor from the A-bomb. Get Masa!!!

We had a wonderful 3 hr tour with Masa. She is very kind, knowledgeable and genuine. She has family who experienced the bomb and shares details that bring the devastation to life. The museum was well done and interesting. Excellent value for private experience. Thank you Masa.

​Our visit to Hiroshima was made so much more meaningful thanks to our tour with Masa from Local Gem Tours. While we learned a lot about the history, seeing the city through the eyes of a local really made the experience for us. ​Masa was so kind to share personal stories about her and her family’s experiences, which gave us a perspective you just won’t find on the internet. It was such a privilege to hear these stories which turned the history into something deeply human and moving that we’ll never forget. ​Masa also went out of her way to help us with the rest of our stay, pointing out great local eating spots and giving us useful tips for our visit to Miyajima Island the next day. ​It was so great having a genuine local for our tour with her love for the city really evident. This was such a memorable and moving tour that will stay with us for a long time. If you're in Hiroshima, definitely book a tour with Masa!

Great experience going on this tour with Masa! She’s incredibly knowledgeable on the subject and took the time to walk us through everything leading up to the bombing and the aftermath. She also brings a unique perspective as a 2nd generation survivor, telling us her family’s experience living within the blast zone during the attack. 110% recommend booking this tour!

I solo travel A LOT. So I know what I want in a guide. It's a connection, a friendship and the provision of a memorable experience, tailored to me and my interests. Let me tell you... MASA is one of the BEST guides I've had throughout my many years of solo travel. She is knowledgeable, warm, kind, bursting with positive energy and... Hiroshima (and what happened there) is a very personal topic for her and her family. She presents the information neutrally and advocates for peace. We shared that, and an absolutely unforgettable day that has been the best moment of my long-awaited Japan trip. The Michelin Guide for food gives 3 stars for restaurants they recommend a foodie make a special out-of-the-way excursion to try... I give Masa and her company 3 stars for a tour that's worth coming to Hiroshima and experiencing, even if it wasn't in your original itinerary. Don't miss out!

Our guide was Yuka. She was so wonderful and taught us so much about the people, the bomb, the dome, and the buildings. She took us through the museum as well. And she took us to Shukkeien Park for the Momiji festival, which was astoundingly beautiful. Had an incredible time with a very accommodating guide. Thanks, Yuka!!

The information was delivery in a well organized way Tour guide very pleasant and legible on the history of the town.

What an amazing experience. Masa is a true local guide and she has a very real story to tell. The best guide we've had in Japan.

We really enjoyed Masa’s guidance on our Hiroshima tour. We found her to be a very informative and delightful guide - we learned so much, and fell in love with Hiroshima! We also appreciated Masa helping us find our way to Miyajima after our tour concluded, aswell as advising us on spots to visit there too. We highly recommend Masa-san!