Tour guide in Hiroshima Tetsuo H.
Hiroshima, Japan
Japanese, English
167
Tours Delivered,
Since Sep 3, 2023
5.0
Hours, Avg. response time
I'm Tetsuo H., your private tour guide in Hiroshima
Guide #61244
I'm Pancho (Tetsuo Hamano), a licensed English-speaking private tour guide born and raised in Hiroshima, Japan. I guide private walks and days in Hiroshima and Miyajima: Peace Memorial Park, the Atomic Bomb Dome, Itsukushima Shrine and the Great Torii, evening food walks, and custom time around what you want to see. I'm a second-generation A-bomb survivor: my father and grandparents survived 1945, and I am here. If you ask, I share those family stories as accounts of survival and ordinary life afterward—not as a horror lecture. My tours are two-way conversations about peace history when it matters, plus modern Hiroshima, Japanese culture, and food. Before this work, I spent years at a global heavy-equipment dealership in Japan. I lived apart from my family for about 10 years, returned to Hiroshima in 2018, and left a local company during Covid in my fifties to do what I actually wanted. I started as a virtual tour guide in 2021, then moved to in-person guiding when Japan reopened to individual travelers. I have led 600+ private tours since October 2022. My style is a flexible tour. We follow what you are curious about, at your walking pace. I can arrange vegan and halal-friendly restaurants, shorter distances, souvenir shops, and after-tour ideas (food, bars, anime shops, and more). I am not a driver. I can join you in your vehicle, or arrange a separate car and driver. I look forward to walking my hometown with you. Selected as one of the Best Guides by a Japanese travel agency.
Delivers tours starting at
- Hiroshima
- Miyajima
Tours by Tetsuo H.
Customize your tour
Contact your local guide to know more!!
Traveller reviews
- Abigale L.United StatesAugust 2026
Tesuto ( Pancho) was great - very engaging and well spoken - we really enjoyed our tour with him and learned a lot
Replied from the guide, Tetsuo H.
August 2026Hi Abigale, Thank you so much for your kind review! It was a pleasure spending the time with you, and I'm really happy to hear that you enjoyed the tour and our conversations along the way. Thank you again for choosing me as your guide in Hiroshima. I truly appreciate your recommendation! Warm regards, Pancho
- Mahal B.NetherlandsJuly 2026
Pancho was a wonderful guide for my family and I. We had such a personable tour and Pancho was so informative with every stop on our tour. I used to live in Japan so I gave some specific criteria of what we wanted to see/visit during our visit in Hiroshima. And Pancho was very nice to modify the tour to our needs. My family and I are so appreciative of Pancho's...
Replied from the guide, Tetsuo H.
July 2026Dear Mahal, Thank you so much for your thoughtful review-and please don't worry about the timing! It was pleasure spending the day with you and your cousins. I really appreciated the opportunity to tailor the tour to your interests. It means a great deal to know that my family's connection to the Hiroshima helped make your visit more meaningful. Thank you again for...
- Jan S.United StatesJuly 2026
Replied from the guide, Tetsuo H.
July 2026Hi Jan, Thank you so much for your 5-star rating! I'm so glad you chose to spend part of your time in Hiroshima with me. Your support means a great deal to me, and I hope our paths cross again in the future. Warm regards, Pancho
- Michael G.United StatesJune 2026
I arranged a half-day tour of the Peace Memorial Park area with Pancho for late May 2026. As a native of Hiroshima and the son and grandson of A-bomb survivors, he was a perfect choice as guide. Pancho speaks excellent English, and setting up the tour with him was easy. We discussed itinerary options and settled our plans after just a few messages. From our meeting spot...
Replied from the guide, Tetsuo H.
June 2026Hi Michael, thank you very much for your thoughtful review. It was a pleasure sharing Hiroshima’s history and some of the lesser-known sites with you. I'm especially glad that places like the Hypocenter Monument and the A-bomb trees made a lasting impression. Thank you as well for your kind words about my family's story. It means a great deal to know that it helped...

