Golden thread Ishikawa

kushima walk, dyed in the color of the ancient vermilion Hiroshima

Otaru Canal(in winter) Hokkaido

Satta Pass Shizuoka

Rurikouin Kyoto

Himeji Castle.(Morning glow.) Hyogo

Would you like to visit a region of Japan? Here are some personal guides from around Japan

This website refers private guides to major cities in Japan for international visitors planning a trip to Japan.

Thank you for visiting. My name is Ken Oka, an active interpreter and guide in Tokyo who is a private guide for visitors to Japan, and at the same time I am the president of ZENflow Tours, which operates this website. (For details, please move to Profile page)

I started this guide referral site for two reasons. First, I wanted as many visitors to Japan as possible to enjoy a rich and memorable trip to Japan. The other reason is to provide many job opportunities for the interpreter guides who are working hard in various parts of Japan. This site has a different “thought” than other travel agencies or matching sites. If you have time, please take a moment to read the “Our Beliefs” below.

Our Beliefs

When I started my guiding business six years ago, the treatment of guides in the Japanese travel industry was (and still is) very poor. Travel agencies kept guide compensation low, and the government had changed the law to legalize unlicensed guides. Therefore, it was said that even if you held a national certification as an interpreter guide, you would not be able to earn enough money to live on. In reaction to this situation, I started working in a very unusual way: instead of accepting work from travel agencies, I set up my own website and started taking orders directly from visitors to Japan via the Internet.

Fortunately, many of our clients were supportive of this approach, and we were able to get business back on track quickly after Covid. We also felt that many of our clients preferred the services of a small but flexible company like ours to those of large travel agencies. Therefore, I am sharing my experience with other interpreter guides in Japan and disseminating information in the hope that more guides will work in the same way.

With so many guests coming to Japan these days, there is a shortage of tour guides. Outside of Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka, the number of tour guides in the provinces is originally small, and even when cruise ships arrive in the provinces, it is very difficult to find a private guide there. I am also asked by many of my clients to introduce them to guides in the regions. In particular, I am receiving an increasing number of requests from clients who ask, “After Tokyo, I am going on a cruise to visit all of Japan, so could you introduce me to a personal guide at the port of call?

It has been a great disappointment that we have not been able to respond adequately to such requests in the past. Therefore, I have decided to start introducing private guides outside of Tokyo on this website. I believe that local guides who live and work in the area should be in charge of guiding in rural areas. Local guides’ love for their hometown is the source of attractive guiding, and it also creates employment in the local area. I believe that the role of the tourism industry is to help revitalize the local economy.

Japan’s regions are full of charm. When you visit a regional city, whether on a cruise ship or on the Shinkansen bullet train, be sure to ask a local private guide to show you around. You will be able to experience the charm of each region in a way that you would not be able to on a regular excursion. The advantage of a private guide is that you can look around at your own pace and in a relaxed atmosphere.

A good guide can make a trip very fulfilling. Instead of a conventional itinerary prepared by a travel agency, we guarantee that you will get the benefits for your money: fascinating spots known only to local guides, the best selection of destinations and flexibility according to season, time, and weather, and explanations based on historical and cultural backgrounds that are beyond what a guidebook can tell you. We promise you that you will get the benefit of our services for the price.

Another thought is to improve the treatment of guides. Usually, travel agencies and matching sites deduct a commission of 30% or more from the guide fee paid by the customer and pay it to the guide. When several companies intervene, it is not uncommon for the amount actually passed on to the guide to be less than half of the amount paid by the customer. On the other hand, we believe that the guide should receive most of the guide fee paid by the customer, and therefore we charge a much lower introduction fee (10% plus settlement costs) than other travel agencies or matching sites. In this way, we do our best to support freelance interpreter guides who wish to become independent in the community.

Our services

Characteristics:

Our private guides are

  • Kind – They are local guides with a love for the community.
  • Reliable – All of our guides are officially licensed.
  • Easy – They listen to your needs and create a tour plan based on them.

Our registered guides are freelance guides who live in the respective regions and have a love for the area. We do not ask our clients to bear the cost of lodging for our guides or the cost of their transportation between regions. Of course, all of our guides are certified interpreter guides recognized by the Japanese government, and we do not introduce unlicensed guides.

In addition, our registered guides are registered with us of their own volition and in agreement with our management philosophy. Therefore, they have the ability to create a guided itinerary based on your requests. Please do not hesitate to tell your guide about your itinerary preferences. The guides we introduce to our clients are always eager to show the local area to individuals and small groups.

The guide will propose the tour content, price, and other conditions to you. If you are satisfied with the content of the proposal, please conclude a contract with the guide. Since the guide is an independent private tour operator, he/she is a party to the contract with the client. Please agree with the guide on the price, payment method, and other terms and conditions.

Since this is a private tour just for your group, we can offer you a customized tour tailored to your needs. Please feel free to fill out the inquiry form and send it to us.

We do not set a uniform guide fee. In addition to the price, the tour content, payment method, and other terms and conditions will be proposed directly from the guide to the clients. If the clients agrees to the content of the proposal, the contract is concluded. Since the guide is an independent business owner, the client’s contractual partner is the guide himself/herself.

We provide guide introduction services and are not a party to the contract for the guide service itself. We do not receive any introduction fee from our clients. Therefore, we do not receive any money from our clients except when the guide entrusts us with receiving payment from the client.

Please note that due to inadequate public transportation in rural areas, it may be necessary to use cabs or hired cars during tours. Please consult directly with your guide regarding such additional costs.

Tea ceremony services
Map of Japan

Guide Areas

This site introduces private guides outside of the Tokyo area. (If you are looking for a guide in the Tokyo area, please visit our other site for more information.) Please fill out the inquiry form and send it to us, and we will check the availability of the guide and introduce you to one of our registered guides who can guide you to the area of your choice.

The following areas currently have registered guides. Special emphasis is placed on cruise destinations. Currently there are about 100 registered guides, but we will gradually expand the number of registered guides and the number of registered regions.

In addition, this website introduces attractive areas that we recommend that have not yet been visited by many foreign tourists. If you are interested in any of these areas, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Japan's major cities connected by a bullet-train and ports where cruises stop
  • Hokkaido (Sapporo, Otaru)
  • Shimizu
  • The Chukyo area (Nagoya, Mie, Gifu)
  • Hida Takayama
  • Niigata
  • Toyama
  • Kanazawa
  • Fukui (Tsuruga)
  • The Kansai area (Osaka, Kyoto, Shiga, Nara, Kobe)
  • Hiroshima
  • Kagawa (Takamatsu)
  • Kochi
  • Fukuoka (Hakata, Kitakyushu)
  • Nagasaki
  • Oita (Beppu)
  • Kumamoto
  • Kagoshima
  • Naha

Beautiful Local Cities

If you’re looking for a guide in the Tokyo area

How to Find a Tour Guide/Procedure

Are you ready to send a request to find a private tour guide for you? The chart below shows steps to take go get a guide.

Fill in the Application Form and press ‘send’.
We do our best to search for an available guide for you.
We will inform you of the result within 48 hours.
1) When a guide is available;
– We will reconfirm with you if you would like to talk to the guide.
– If yes, we will share your inquiry with the guide.

2) When a guide is unavailable – Sorry, but we would have to decline your request.
– The guide will contact you by email ASAP and start discussion with you for details.
– You will agree on the conditions with the tour guide.
(If you do not reach the agreement, sorry but the transaction is unsuccessful.)

Enjoy a tour with the tour guide!

Inquiry Form

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Starting with the first photo displayed at the top of this page, “Golden thread Ishikawa”©zoosan, “Ikushima walk, dyed in the color of the ancient vermilion Hiroshima”©Michio_Matsuoka, “Otaru Canal(in winter) Hokkaido”©Yo_Tanaka, “Satta Pass Shizuoka”©Shori, “Rurikouin Kyoto”©Suganu0405, “Himeji Castle.(Morning glow.) Hyogo”©rikky_photography (Licensed under CC BY 4.0