Private Miyajima: Itsukushima Shrine, Island Nature & Local Guide

Yuka was great. She contacted us weeks before our tour to find out what we were interested in seeing and when I told her I was relying on her expertise she stepped up and offered an itinerary. Yuka was supported of what we needed, was very knowledgeable and overall good company. The one thing I would recommend to others is checking the tide schedule because the Tori gates during low tide are not as dramatic.

My friend and I were lucky to have Yuka Y as a guide for a 5-hour tour to Miyajima. She was amazing! Yuka was informative, proactive in her communication and was even able to accommodate our request for a later start time. (We did ask days in advance to respect her time). She made it very easy to meet up and travel to Miyajima. Her knowledge enriched our experience so much. A tour with Yuka and Local Gem is well worth it so just book it!

We had a great time on our Miyajima tour with Yuka. She was a really good guide and super easy to talk to. Instead of just showing us the usual sights, she gave us a lot of great context about the island and how it connects to Japanese culture and history in general. Her explanations were clear and easy to follow, which we really appreciated. Definitely glad we booked it!

So glad we made a trip to Miyajima Island. We had a great experience with Masa as our guide. This was our second tour with her, having visited the Peace Memorial Park the previous day. She speaks excellent English and shared real stories about her family and the history of Hiroshima. On Miyajima Island, we moved at a good pace as she knew exactly where to take us to avoid the crowd, and showed us the perfect photo spots. She shared many details about the temples and shrines which we would have missed without her showing us. And she also takes great photos! We totally enjoyed the two days with Masa and would 100% recommend her!

Yuka is a great guide. We very much enjoyed our visit to Miyajima. We covered the island and its beautiful sites. Yuka was very flexible and helped us see the maximum number of sites. She’s very knowledgeable and personable. We had a great time and learned a lot.

I had an excellent tour today (15/09/26) of Miyajima Island with Masayo. I learnt so much more and saw so much more than I would have on my own. Masayo is so knowledgeable and is a natural teacher. She is also very considerate, warm, happy and caring. It was an absolute pleasure to spend the day with her. Masayo was also very helpful prior to the tour with working out a 3 day itinerary for me. I am very grateful to Local Gem Tours Hiroshima and Masayo for their help in giving me a perfect 3 day stay in Hiroshima.

Our tour of Miyajima with Masa was the highlight of our trip to Japan! Masa was extremely knowledgeable and personable. We learned so much from our tour and truly enjoyed our day. Highly recommend!

Yuka made this trip seamless for us. Her knowledge was great, she catered to our interests and pace with our three children (aged 5-13). She was warm, friendly and clearly loves her job. She knew the ways to avoid the over crowding , maximise routes to see more whisky walking less, and all the hidden little jewels. We all loved our day with her. Highly Recommended guide whether solo, couple or family.

We spent a second day with Yuka touring Miyajima island. This was a highlight of our 2 week trip to Japan. Yuka knew the exact order to see the main highlights and avoid the crowds. She took us to a great restaurant specializing in oysters which are grown in the waters nearby. Overall it was a lovely day.

We had a great day with Yuka! We saw two beautiful temples, saw cute deer, did some shopping and ate a yummy lunch. We would highly recommend this tour and Yuka as a guide!

We had a wonderful day with Yuka! She was so knowledgeable. We saw two beautiful temples, had a delicious lunch and did some fun shopping! Truly a terrific day!

I had a private tour with Yuka. She was well organised, very knowledgeable, patient and friendly. She made every aspect of the tour easy. Her English is very good and everything is explained clearly. I learnt a lot on the tour thanks to Yuka and the price was worthwhile.

Yuka was our guide today. She greeted us at our hotel (she was there early) we requested to walk to the train station vs taking a taxi. She got us through both the train and ferry station which ease. She knew where to sit on the ferry to get the best view, she is very knowledgeable of the entire island and shared her pictures with us. She selected a great restaurant for lunch and offered us the cable car ride back instead of the train for a different experience. Yuka speaks very good English, we had a great day on this island tour.

Masa was an outstanding guide. Because he grew up in Hiroshima, he had intimate knowledge which he shared with us. He took us on the normal tours but also on side streets and off the beaten path. Excellent English and ability to share and explain. Fully informative. A real pleasure.

Yuka gave an excellent tour of Miyajima Island. We had a great time. Her English was very good and easy to understand. Yuka’s knowledge of Miyajima and Hiroshima was outstanding. I would use her again in the future.

What an amazing day! Aya was the perfect guide, patiently guiding us through (a rainy) Hiroshima and then a high-speed boat trip to Miyajima Island (which has to be anyone’s highlight on a trip to Hiroshima). I simply can’t imagine being guided by anyone other than Aya. She brought to life the culture, magic, and beauty of Hiroshima with stories and explanations.

Masa was a great guide! She is very knowledgeable about the Miyajima Island. She showed us the ways to be respectful of the Temples and shrines. As well as the history behind them. The Otorii Gate was very beautiful and there as sacred deer 🦌 just roaming around. You won’t be disappointed if you hire her to be your guide. We really enjoyed her company.

How can we sum up the magic of being guided by Masa through the centuries-old Itsukushima shrine and Daishoin temple on Miyajima Island? Here the kindest, most knowledgeable guide one could possibly hope for: expert, energetic, enthusiastic, positively superb at interpreting the surroundings… going beyond simple dates and “fun facts” to impart deep understanding of the cultural and spiritual forces at work. It was such a privilege to be in Masa’s company; without it we would not have understood 10 percent of all we saw. Miyajima is charming of course but experiencing it with Local Gem Tours made a profound difference for us. We cannot recommend Masa and Local Gem Tours highly enough.

This was a wonderful tour and Masa was a brilliant guide. She had amazing personal history in Hiroshima and was more than happy to share the story of her family. She was a fantastic guide who was very knowledgeable and kind. Highly recommend the tour and Masa

Very experienced knowledgable guide, Yuka. Must do trip over to the island to see the floating shrine and experience the ferry over with fabulous sights, a must do trip.

Awesome experience!!! Two thumbs 👍🏼 up! Our tour guide Aya-san was superb! She was punctual, professional, friendly and kind. She was also flexible to our request. We not just meet a tour guide, but made a good friend. I would definitely recommend friends and family to use Viator and request for Aya-san as their guide. Looking forward on our next visit to Hiroshima!

I had an excellent experience with my tour guide! Masahiro was an amazing person, he explained all this history very thoroughly. His english was great, and his italian even stronger! The tour itself is one you can’t miss. Beautiful landscape, structures, history, and cute little japanese deer who are so calm. Just do it.

My mother and I were taking a cruise to Japan and couldnt do many tours with the times available, but this tour was perfect. Yuka was a wonderful, thoughtful, and knowledgeable guide. She helped us buy tickets to the island and showed us around many sites. She was very accomodating since my mother was having knee pain and couldnt do a specific part of the tour. I highly recommend Yuka!

This was an amazing experience and trip for our family! Masa was a great tour guide. Her recommendations and experience were very helpful and we truly enjoyed our time with her. She made this trip memorable for everyone in our family. Her personal experiences were inspiring and aligned with our own family history and we appreciate her sharing them with us. We would 100% book with her again. Thank you for the human connection. It was a trip we will never forget.

Our Tour Guide, Yuka-san, was polite and kind. She gave us history about both hiroshima and miyajima island which was both informative and fun.

Masa san is an excellent guide. She made us feel like we were touring Hiroshima with a friend. My friend and I were fortunate to experience Hiroshima through Masa san’s knowledge and it made our visit very special. I highly recommend any tour with Masa san.

Our tour to Miyajima Island was an unforgettable experience, made even better by our amazing guide. Not only was the island breathtaking, but our guide truly brought it to life with local stories, history, and deep knowledge — all shared in excellent English. They were warm, kind, and professional — clearly passionate about the area, having grown up in Hiroshima. Their insights made the tour personal and meaningful. We felt very lucky to have such a dedicated and thoughtful guide. Highly recommend this tour — and especially this guide — to anyone visiting the region!

Yuka as an amazing tour guide. She took us to all the main sites, and learned a lot about Japanese culture. Her English was very good as well, so easy to communicate with. Highly recommend!

Our tour guide, Masayo Kobayashi, was utterly brilliant. She was kind, caring, knowledgeable and took care of us like we were the closest of friends. We couldn't have asked for better.

Mass was a really great guide. She was extremely helpful, knowledgeable, fun and flexible. We had a great tour to Miyajima and Masa made it possible. Go with Masa and you won’t be disappointed.

Masa was a wonderful tour guide for our half day visit to Miyajima island. She shared a wealth of knowledge about the area, the significance of this holy island, and the culture in general. She also shared personal stories about the history of her family in Hiroshima, from before WW2 and after. She kept us moving at a good pace, always found nice spots to see a special view or cool off and refresh from the heat. If you plan to visit Miyajima, Masa would be an excellent choice! (And make sure to plan yoir visit around high tide on your calendar date, so you can see the floating Tori gate in all its glory.)

My experience with Masa was a great experience! Her knowledge of the history of Miyajima greatly enhanced my experience as I am a history teacher. The historical details she shared with me enhanced my appreciation of the importance of Hiroshima, historically. She also shared experiences that impacted my view of the use of the atomic bomb as well. Had I the chance to change one thing, is that I would have booked a longer tour and included the Hiroshima Peace Museum and Dome. I hope to return to Hiroshima in the future and take one of her other tours with Masa!

We had a special trip from Hiroshima to Miyajima. Our guide , Yuka, had a very well-organized schedule. The afternoon walk was beautiful. The island is very vibrant and special. In addition to the floating torii gate, we visited pavilions, temples, and beautiful natural sites. We took some spectacular photos of this experience. Be sure to try the oysters and fried momiji manju! Yuka was very attentive and gave us many food recommendations.

Masa was absolutely amazing. From the moment we started our tour until the very end. She was kind and friendly, very knowledgeable and she got along with everyone from my 13 year old son who absolutely adored her right through to me and my husband. Her warmth and experience was welcomed and made the experience so much more than a great experience. It was exceptional! If you are in Hiroshima, going on this tour, with Masa, is a must! Thank you xx

Masa, thank you so much for a wonderful tour. I can highly recommend the tour to anyone. Masa is the best guide we have had during our two weeks in Japan. She really brought to life all of the history of Miyajima Island as well as providing an insight into the Shinto and Buddhist religions and temples. Her local knowledge was exceptional, providing real insight into Miyajima and Hiroshima. Her dinner recommendations were also spot on!!

My wife and I met Yuka at our inn, where we took pictures just outside with her and the deer. From there we walked the island visiting shrines, temples, restaurants, and an ice cream shop. We had a blast because Yuka is smart , caring, patient, and professional. Her guidance made our short stay most memorable!

Yuka was great! She joined us in all aspects of our trip and made us feel at home. We covered all things cultural, historical, social, and theological. We even shared some local foods and snacks. Overall, Yuka and this tour were amazing!!!👍👍

Our lovely Japanese tour guide Mana was exceptional. She taught us much about the religions, cultures and life in Japan. Being a second generation survivor of Hiroshima, her families personal recount was very touching. Miyajima island is a must when visiting Japan. I would 100% recommend having Masa as your guide. She even had gifts for me that were gluten-free, which was very special.

I had an amazing experience on the Hiroshima/Miyajima tour with Masa! From the start, she made the tour feel very personal and tailored to our interests, which really set the tone for a relaxed and enjoyable day. Masa’s warm and welcoming personality put us at ease right away, and her knowledge of the history and culture of the area was impressive. She took the time to answer all our questions and even adjusted the pace based on what we wanted to focus on. The small, thoughtful touches made the experience so memorable. I highly recommend this tour to anyone looking for a deeper, more personalized look at Hiroshima and Miyajima!