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.
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” page.→Our Beliefs
Our Private Guides Features
Local Guides
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 or the cost of transportation between regions for our guides because they live locally.
Reliable Guides
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.
As Requested
Since this is a private tour just for your group, we can offer you a customized tour tailored to your needs. 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.
Guide Fee
We do not have a uniform guide fee.
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 only provide guide referral services
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 consult your guide directly for additional costs.
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.
Guide Areas
This site introduces private guides outside of the Tokyo area. 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. If you are looking for a guide in the Tokyo area, please visit our other site for more information.→Japan Culture Gide 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.
The Shikoku area(Takamatsu, Tokushima, Ehime, Kochi)
Fukuoka (Hakata, Kitakyushu)
Nagasaki
Oita (Beppu)
Kumamoto
Kagoshima
Naha
Frequently Asked Questions
I would like to apply for a guide, how do I do it?
Please fill out the Application Form on our website and submit it. We will contact you within 48 hours with the result of whether we have a guide available.
How do I know if my application was sent successfully?
If your application was submitted successfully, you should have received an email with the details of your application to the email address you provided. If you did not receive it, please check your email in the trash.
We do our best to search for an available guide for you. We will inform you of the result within 48 hours.
Step
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.
Step
– 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.)
Step
Enjoy a tour with the tour guide!
Inquiry Form
Beautiful Local Cities
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.
