Kanazawa's Golden Soul: Private Full-Day Bespoke Immersion

This was a wonderful day - the highlight of our trip to Japan for two couples. Our guide Hiroshi was terrific - friendly, knowlegeable, flexible and always making sure we got what we wanted. We did. We were taken in a minivan with captain's chairs for all. He knows his way around town and we saw things that we did not know existed. We got an excellent tour around the sights of the old capital. He chose a sushi restaurant for lunch that we would never have found ourselves and then insisted on coming with us to the right platform at the station when we took our train back to Osaka to get back on board the ship before she sailed. The tour was arranged by email with Gemma who responded quickly and made sure we got what we wanted. All in all, an excellent experience.

I did the full day artisan tour with Sachiko. This is my second time to Japan and Sachiko was the best guide I've had for anything. She's highly fluent in English, even for speaking about more technical terms with the artisans. It was so wonderful to get to visit directly with the two artisans and learn so much about their craft and about them personally. Sachiko also shared with me stories about Kenrokuen Garden and the Nomura Samurai House that I would have missed if I'd gone on my own. Sachiko was able to answer all of my questions and obviously has deep knowledge of Kanazawa and her role as a guide; I felt she was looking out for me carefully all day and made sure I had the most wonderful day I've had in Japan so far, after more than one trip. Thank you so much to Kanazawa Walking Tours, Sachiko, and both of the artisans who shared so much with me! Arigatou gozamasu for a lovely experience!

Sachiko Nakai was a really wonderful guide. She took us to the samurai and geisha quarters and also to demonstrations of local craftsmen- embroidery & umbrella making. She was not only extremely knowledgeable but also a great companion for the day. She answered all our questions and made very helpful suggestions about what to see. She was also very considerate and concerned with our welfare. We would recommend her very highly.

We had a very enjoyable and informative tour of some of Kanazawa’s historic sites and traditional craft studios with our delightful guide, Sachiko. She picked us up at our ryokan and took us on a fascinating exploration of the city that included demonstrations of gold leaf making, Kaganui embroidery, and Kaga-yugen kimono silk painting. She also guided us through the former Chaya Shima geisha house, now restored and a museum, telling us about the history of the geisha community over the centuries. Also on our itinerary was the beautiful modernist D.T. Suzuki Museum, dedicated to the Buddhist philosopher of that name, where Sachiko took us through the Water Mirror Garden and the Contemplative Space. We also enjoyed a delicious lunch with Sachiko at a curry restaurant. She brought us to the various locations at a perfect pace, imparting lots of interesting information without overwhelming us. She was very attentive to our interests and needs, and we felt like we were out for a day with a friend rather than a tour guide. Sachiko’s English is very good, and anglophones will find her enjoyable to listen to and able to answer questions with friendly enthusiasm. We are pleased to give Sachiko our highest endorsement!

Amazing informative day - crafts and culture - with Sachiko. So friendly and happy to answer all our many questions! Thank you.

Having studied in the United States and lived in Europe, Nozomi Kondo had an excellent understanding of the subtle cultural differences between the those who live in the “West” and Japan. From the concept of “losing face” to that of Wabi Sabi ( the distinctive way the Japanese see our imperfect world) she was an excellent teacher. Knowledgeable, gracious and patient, we enjoyed spending time with her.

Our guide Ian led us on a fascinating all day tour of Kanazawa, visiting sites as diverse as the castle, tea ceremony, Samurai warrior's house, kimono painting, temples and even including an excellent lunch on the top floor of a local shopping centre. Unlike many tours, we were able to participate first hand at the traditional tea ceremony and decorating a kimono. Ian was a constant source of information on the history and culture of this fascinating country . Thank you !

Ai was a great guide, very friendly and easy to have conversations with. We saw all the sites we had noted and Ai was able to answer our questions and provide lots more information too. It was lovely to have breaks over coffee and lunch to find out more about life in Japan

My husband and I spent 1 1/2 days on a private tour of Kanazawa with our guide Nozomi. It was an amazing experience from start to finish!! From the first event participating in a traditional tea ceremony to the authentic Japanese lunch she suggested, we loved it all! Her knowledge and enthusiasm made our time in Kanazawa the highlight of our trip to Japan!!

Ai, our guide from Kanazawa Tours, met us at the train station. She spoke excellent English. She explained our itinerary and we were off to catch a bus to our first stop. As we discussed before, when we booked our tour, we paid for her transportation and her lunch. She showed us the morning market where they sold fresh seafood and other products. She explained about the tea they have which uses the stems of the tea plant, not the leaves. We toured the Samurai section and she had so much knowledge about this area it was amazing! Someone even tried to tag along with our tour. She firmly told them that this was a private tour. If we had gone on our own we wouldn't have learned so much about the area and the Edo period. Also, she pointed out that during WW2 Kanazawa was spared from the bombings so a lot of the area retained it's historic buildings. We visited the geisha district and Ai was again so knowledgeable. She also asked if we wanted her to reserve a gold leaf activity which is located in the geisha district. Thank you, Ai, for such a great tour and we learned so much from you! For anyone else booking this tour I hope you are lucky enough to have Ai be your tour guide.