Tour guide in Kyoto Tomoko H.

Kyoto, Japan

Japanese, English

Tours Delivered,
Since May 13, 2013

18.0

Hours, Avg. response time

I'm Tomoko H., your private tour guide in Kyoto

Guide #7534

4.9 (542)

Hi! I'm Tomoko and I'm a national licensed tour guide in Japan. I specialize in tours of Kyoto, Nara and Osaka. But I can take you to different cities, as well. I have been professionally licensed since 2006 and since then I have guided many people from many countries - individuals, couples and groups. My favorite way to guide you is with walking tours. That way, you can feel the real charms of the places in a relaxed mood. You will feel as if you are with a close friend who is both knowledgeable and kind. I am totally passionate about my country and its culture One of the things I love most is to see people smile and hear them say "wow" when they learn or see something new. There is an intimacy on my private tours. And when I am planning the tour with you, I can arrange everything in advance. Best of all, when you work with me on your plans, it helps to create a relationship even before you get here. About me? I am an easy going and cheerful person. I have received many "thank you" letters from my clients… and many have referred to me as knowledgeable, friendly, warm and interesting. (Sometimes - even funny!) As I, myself, love to travel and have been to many countries, I appreciate how important it is to enjoy an inside perspective of a city or country. Here in Japan, I will make you feel like a "visitor", not a "tourist". And. . . I'm also a jazz singer. I sometimes have jazz gigs in jazz bars. I'd love to sing for you in my tour, if you'd like. I will be very happy if you will allow me to be your guide and I promise, you won't regret touring with me. I'm a national licensed English speaking tour guide. My National Gide Certificate is #EN00259. I graduated from Doshisha University, English Literature Department. I'm not a driver. I can accompany you in your vehicle or I can arrange for a separate car and driver.

Delivers tours starting at

  • Kyoto

  • Osaka

  • Nara

Tours by Tomoko H.

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4.9

Traveller reviews for this guide

542 reviews

  • Melanie R.
    June 2026

    Tomoko was very accommodating with our tour wishes. We were able to fit in everything we wanted to see. She’s very knowledgeable about the history of her home town. We thoroughly enjoyed our day. We would definitely book with Tomoko again.

    Replied from Tomoko H.

    Dear Melanie-san, Thank you so much for taking my tour and giving me such a wonderful comment. I'd love to see you again when you come back to Japan!

  • Michelle R.
    June 2026

    Tomo was incredible! Prior to arriving in Kyoto she communicated with us and planned the perfect day for our family of 4. We were able to see many sites and she has so much knowledge about each place we visited. She brought us to a fantastic lunch soba/udon restaurant as well. This has easily been one of the best tours we have been on and we will totally be using her...

    Replied from Tomoko H.

    Dear Michael-san, Thank you very much for taking my tour and giving me such wonderful comment. I'm very glad that you enjoyed the tour with me a lot. I hope I can meet you again when you come back to Japan. Tomoko

  • Gregory K.
    June 2026

    We had an amazing time exploring Kyoto with Tomo! She is incredibly knowledgeable about the history of every sight and knows the city inside and out, meaning we moved between places efficiently and smoothly. Her English is flawless, and she is absolutely hilarious and engaging. We loved our entire experience and highly recommend her!

    Replied from Tomoko H.

    Dear Gregory-san, Thank you very much for taking my tour and giving me such a nice comment. I'm very glad you enjoyed the tour with me. Tomoko

  • Josh E.
    May 2026

    Tomoko (Tomo) is absolutely fantastic! Our tour was completely magical even on a day where the rain was fairly steady at times. We requested some "off the normal path" type of stuff and she did just that! She is highly immersed in her culture and helps to clear some of the misconceptions with truths about the culture in Kyoto. We did no feel rushed and her English is very...

    Replied from Tomoko H.

    Dear Josh-san, Thank you very much for taking my tour and giving me such wonderful feedback. I'm so sorry that I didn't reply sooner as I've been terribly busy and haven't noticed your comment until today. Thank you very much for your kind offer. I don't mind sending my address to you, but I'm afraid that TBL system doesn't allow to put my address here. If you still...