Takayama Half Day Tour (Private Guide)

A full day tour with Kumiko (Ku). What a superb experience. Kumiko has one hobby: let her guests have a super experience in Takayama. And she did! A great guide, lots of knowledge with a very personal touch.

Kumiko mitsuhata was an excellent guide. Full of energy informative and enjoyable. We recommend her highly.

We had a fantastic half-day tour with Kumiko! She picked us up at our hotel in Kanazawa, took us to explore the Gokayama Region, and dropped us off in Takayama. Our tour took us to Ainokura where we not only learned about the town but also got to take part in a paper making experience - a highlight of the day! We visited Suganuma with its rich history and beautiful views. Our last stop was the IWASE house where we were welcomed by the owners, they performed a traditional folksong for us and we were able to look around the inside of a pristinely kept thatched roof house. Kumiko took pictures of us along the way which were fun to have at the end of the tour. She gave us time to explore and walk around our stops while also offering history and insight along the way. At the end we were not able to check into our hotel yet so she found us a great spot for lunch and made sure we were set up there before leaving. Kumiko was so energetic, kind and informative and her English was great! We really enjoyed this tour.

Perfect way to explore Takayama! Our guide Natsuko was a 10/10! Her English was perfect as she showed/explained the sights in Takayama. The half day flew by! Thank you Natsuko!

Kumiko was the best tour guide we have ever had!! She has so much energy and enthusiasm, which is truly admirable. The tour went incredibly well. She gave us so much information about Takayama and the temples, and she seemed to know everything! Her shop recommendations were great too. We tried some delicious rice sticks that she recommended, and they were really good. She also brought food to feed the carp, which was such a fun experience. Even though it was August and the middle of the day (and really hot!), we had the best walking tour. Kumiko made the experience so enjoyable. You will not regret booking this tour, she is THE BEST!!!

Kumiko Mitsuhata is a very good enthusiastic and professional guide. She is extremely kind, knowledgeable and considerate. I would highly recommend her to any tourist wanting a local guide of Takayama.

Kumiko defines above and beyond in care, knowledge, and attention. She is amazingly talented in art and calligraphy and willingly shared her expertise with us I cannot give her higher praise. We were fortunate to have her as a guide

Our tour guide Kumiko was phenomenal. One of the best we have ever had. So knowledgeable and friendly. Showed us the best areas of Takayama. She gave us great cafe and restaurant recommendations. I definitely recommend anyone to go on a tour with Kumiko. She went out of her way to make sure we had a phenomenal experience.

What an incredible day with Kumiko. She was so informative, full of energy and kindness, and has spent most of her life in Takayama which is always helpful for a tour guide. She tailored the tour to my personal interests and showed me her favorite historical places, food stalls and shops. If you are fortunate maybe you will get to see her artistic skills! I only wish the tour had been longer or that we could have spent more time together. Such a treat and highly recommend!

Kumiko was our guide around Takayama today. We visited the Morning Market, Festive Floats, shrine and Takayama Old Town. Her manner was so delightful, friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. She made our visit a highlight of our travels here in Japan. Takayama Tours is a must use!!! Thank you Kimiko.

We had a very comprehensive tour. Our guide Kumico was excellent. She had "teaching aids" like photos, charts or videos. Was very kind and polite, answered patiently to every question. She made us want to come again to Takayama. To my opinion visiting Takayama without a guide will not give you a proper value. I am not familiar with the other guids but I can highly recommand Kumico.

I had Kumiko as my guide and she was fantastic, knowledgeable and incredibly kind. She was very engaging and her own binders of information made all of the stories easier to understand and fun to learn. She's an amazing artist and can quickly draw and create such cute things for you. I totally love my Kaonishi drawing! 😁

Our guide was engaging and kind. She knew about the history of Geisha and Samurai cultures as well as modern Kanazawa. We enjoyed our 1/2 day trip so much. Don’t forget your umbrella

A very nice tour with our guide Mrs. Kayo Iida in Kanazawa. We visit Kanazawa Castle Park and the Samurai district. We also visit a factory where they paint silk for kimono’s and other articles.

Kumiko Mitsuhata (Ku) was an amazing guide for our half day tour of Takayama. She adjusted the itinerary and worked magic to get us on buses to our next destination the following day due to train cancellations, even going back to our hotel to leave information there for us. We saw the main sites with her and she showed us where to see the other sites on our own later that day. She was bubbly and full of energy and also does amazing calligraphy and she enhanced our experience hugely. Thank you very much Ku, from Pat, Julie and Paul.

INCREDIBLE MUST DO! Kumiko was exceptional! She brought so much energy to the tour, she made everything personal to us, showed genuine interest in learning about us and asking questions and made sure everywhere we went the vendors knew we were on our honeymoon which made for lots of celebration and congratulations. She was about to talk us through so much of Takayama’s history and the food was to die for! Will be recommending this tour just specifically Kumiko to all our friends. 🌸

Kumiko worked very hard to make sure we had a great day. We asked if we could visit a Wagyu farm and she arranged a visit immediately. It was a wonderful visit. She also took us to a really cool cave in the mountains and showed us some great shops and places to eat. She is incredible and I would recommend her to anyone.

Kumiko was very informative, enthusiastic and well-prepared with printed material to help explain the sites we were seeing, and spoke good English. She was flexible and helpful and took us to shops we were interested in visiting. We enjoyed her company and invited her to have lunch with us afterwards. She took us to all the main sites, the Hida Kokuburji temple, the morning markets, Festival Floats Museum, the Sakurayama Shrine and through areas of old wooden latticed houses. It was a very enjoyable morning walking tour. Her company is called Kanazawa Tours.

Our guide, Ku, is the BEST guide we had in all of Japan. She was so energetic, she welcomed us into Takayama with such excitement & passion for her home town & culture. We got to know local artisans, local celebrations, food, crafts, history! Most importantly, Ku is engaging, she makes everything enjoyable. She is very knowledgeable and I only wish we could have spent more days with her! Her guidance made our day very very special. I highly recommend Ku.

Kumiku was an excellent guide full of knowledge and laughter. She was probably the best guide I have ever experienced. She had a welcome sign which she made herself full of flowers and welcoming me.

We had an absolutely wonderful day in Takayama with our guide, Kumiko. She was so lovely, kind, and incredibly knowledgeable — truly a joy to spend the day with. She connected with our kids right away, making the experience fun and engaging for them while still giving us so much insight into the history and culture of the area. Kumiko guided us through the morning market, the Higashiyama walking course, local shops, a museum visit, and the town center. At every stop she shared stories, answered our many questions, and made sure we were comfortable and enjoying ourselves. She was also wonderfully accommodating, adjusting the pace and activities to fit our family perfectly. Takayama is a beautiful place on its own, but experiencing it with Kumiko made it truly unforgettable. We can’t recommend her highly enough!

Great experience!! Our tour guude Kumiko was great, she was really nice and helpfull!! I really recomend takeing this tour to get to know the town!!

Private tour with Ku in Takayama We were greated by Ku with a lovely welcome sign that almost made me cry after long train rides!! She was exceptional in looking after our wants & needs!! Her maps and drawings were so informational- she really knows her city!! She looked after us as if we were her family!! I can’t say enough about what a wonderful guide Ku was!!!

We had Miyuki as our guide - she was excellent - friendly, knowledgeable, interesting - she was a local so knew all about the area and it's history. She asked us what we were interested in & then tailored the tour to what we wanted to do, see & know - she took us to the market - and explained some local traditions & delicacies - rice crackers, coffee in edible cups & a cat's face & then on to sample some sake. It was a great tour. Thanks Miyuki x

Sachiko made sure we enjoyed the experience. Her ability to build a relationship provided a memorable experience. Sachiko understood the significance of tea production for Japan. Moving from the tea fields to the home of Mrs. Hora brought us into an appreciation of Japanese cooking. Sharing experiences over a meals builds lasting memories. After the meal the enrichment continued with roasting tea leaves. These cultural experiences embodied why we visited Japan. We left the tour totally satisfied.

We had a lovely evening exploring takayama with Kumiko. We were there for the Autum Takayama Festival and she explained the meaning of the event and all carriages. Thank you Kumiko!

Our guide Ku (Kumiko Mitsuhata) was wonderful. She met us with a special family greeting poster. She delighted us with her stories and local knowledge - English was very good. We felt we better understood Takayama history and culture after just a few hours. Thanks Ku

Kumiko was a great guide from before the start (she dropped off a welcome note and a suggested itinerary to our hotel on the evening prior to the tour) and to after the finish of our tour (when we found leaflets had been dropped off to our hotel to help us with forthcoming stops on our tour). She welcomed us at the meeting point with a poster with my name on it and then discussed the suggested itinerary. We were very happy to go along with her suggestions. We went to a temple where she arranged with the priest for us to go inside which was a very interesting experience, then on to the market, to a museum, a shrine and the old houses. It was very varied and Kumiko gave us useful explanations backed up by well prepared visual aids. She was very safety conscious. At the end she prepared a little thoughtful gift for us. We highly recommend a tour with Kumiko.

Our driver and guide, Kumiko Mitsuhata, was so helpful and knowledgeable in addition to being so kind and friendly. Your company is fortunate to have such a dedicated person.

We had a half day walking tour of Takayama with Ikue. This was exactly what we expected, taking in a range of the sights. Ikue was flexible and made several suggestions on possible things to see at our choice and kept the pace perfect throughout. Excellent knowledge and impeccable English, with a friendly personality. Perfect experience.

We had the best time with this tour. Kumiko the tour guide was hands down the best guide! She was very informative, helpful and the most friendly tour guide. She made the whole tour very enjoyable.

It was a snowy day in Takayama and our guide Fumiko was resourceful and knowledgeable. She included indoor activities like rice cracker making into our tour so we could warm up indoors. She knew everything about the history of the town and made all the explanations fun and interesting. She also recommended the best lunch spot and sake brewery . I highly recommend a tour with Fumiko and we will definitely request her when we return to Takayama. There are so many more things we want ti see next time.

Thank you Kuriko for your warm hospitality. We are so glad that you are our guide in Takayama guiding us through wabi sabi tour. Picking us from our hotel with your beautiful handwritten booklet to ensure that the day kick off smoothly to the wabi sabi tour walking through old private houses area , to Mita morning mkt to enjoy the mochi and Hida beef. Followed by Sakurayama hachimqn Shrine and Featival float museum. Even helping us to make a reservation at a dining place before our tour end. Thank you for the great experience.

Kumiko Mitsuhata was a great guide. She was a very good guide explaining everything, charging us part of the story and relying on drawings and timelines to make sure we understood it well.