
ABOUT US
Private Guided Tours in Tokyo, Kyoto, and Beyond
Discover Japan with The Backstreet Guides, your trusted Tokyo private tour guides since 2011. We specialise in private, personalised tours that reveal Tokyo’s vibrant backstreets, hidden gems, and cultural landmarks, as well as Kyoto, Hakone, and other unique destinations.
Our licensed local guides craft tailor-made experiences, allowing you to explore at your own pace while gaining authentic insights into Japanese culture. Every tour is fully private, offering flexibility, comfort, and deeper connections.
Whether it’s your first visit or a return trip, we create enriching, custom journeys that showcase the real Japan. Book your private Tokyo tours for 2026 today!

Tokyo Tours
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Tokyo Day Trips
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Kyoto Tours
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Small Group Journeys
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English-Speaking Private Tours
Walking tours using public transport or tours by private transport. We've crafted tours to cater to all. Drawing from invaluable experience touring with thousands of clients over the past decade, our team has designed these tours to meet diverse preferences and ensure an exceptional experience for every traveller.

Testimonials
We bring the best experience
See what our past guests say about us. Travelers' Choice Award 2024 & 25!
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The BEST Tokyo Guides - This was our second time booking with The Backstreet Guides. We had an amazing private tour with Rie! We were so grateful to have her with us for 3 days.... read more We found things we never would have seen, ate foods we would have missed, and shopped in spots I’m confident we couldn’t find again even now that we have the address!
Absolutely excellent! Every wish was granted. We couldn’t have hoped for anything better!
Daisy L
March 31, 2026 -
Great day in Tokyo - We had a wonderful day in Tokyo on the Market & Modern Culture tour with our guide, Rie. She showed us the best spots in Tsujiki market that locals... read more prefer, taught us so much about the city, and helped us overcome the language barrier when we wanted to do a little shopping. Would highly recommend the Backstreet Guides!
MTS55305
March 23, 2026 -
10/10 once in a lifetime experience!! - This tour was incredible, and Hitomi, along with our driver, made the experience unforgettable! There’s no way we could have seen as much or appreciated the sights as deeply without... read more them. It was truly the highlight of our trip — we can’t recommend it highly enough!
emrklein
April 7, 2025 -
The Best - The Backstreet Kyoto Tour was amazing! Our guide Saki was such a knowledgeable and impressive tour guide. We visited and learned about all the major Kyoto sites. Also we had... read more time for a great lunch and a wonderful shopping experience. Overall, it was a superb day! Highly recommend this tour.
Dan R
October 3, 2025 -
Outstanding Tour by Rie - Rie was an outstanding tour guide. She took us to two markets, two shrines, and other fascinating places. She was punctual, knowledgeable, patient with our slow pace of walking, and... read more very kind. We highly recommend her without reservations.
Karen H
October 16, 2025 - Tas-wanderer
I had the best day. visiting Nikko dressed in its Autumn foliage- Mayu from Backstreet Guides was so organised and thankfully her English was impeccable (as my Japanese was very,... read more very limited). Mayu picked me up from my hotel and we headed via metro to the Nikko train- Mayu explained what we were doing on the day and after some obligatory photos at the train station (as the leaves of the trees were superb), we were introduced to our wonderful driver who drove us all over Nikko- showing us the best leaves and going to the magnificent Nikko Shrines and Temples as well as the countryside and the sublime views and vistas of this area. This tour was more than I had hoped for and Mayu provided information about the places we visited and the best things we should note- it was a wonderful, calm way to see this amazing area and exceeded all of my expectations!! Thank you for such a brilliant day in Nikko- I shall always remember the fun time we had.
December 4, 2019 -
Tokyo half day - Great Tokyo tour from Backstreet Guides delivered by Lei . Didn’t have much time as our cruise times weren’t great but Lei filled our time with some great stops .... read more Communication was brilliant before hand we were picked up and delivered back to the ship which made the whole process very easy . Would recommend to anyone
Andyfittes
March 29, 2026 -
Our KYOTO ADVENTURE with the wonderful Saki - Our Kyoto Tour was absolutely unforgettable.
Our wonderful tour guide SAKI was knowledgeable and shared fascinating historical and cultural insights that brought each site to life.
This tour gave... read more us a deep appreciation of Kyoto's traditions and hidden details we would have missed on our own.
Highly recommended for anyone visiting Kyoto for the first time.
Craig and Richard
Richard N
January 11, 2026 -
The Backstreet Guides are the best! - The toughest part of planning our Japan vacation was knowing where to start. So we opted for a more personalized tour of Japan, with its rich history, gorgeous nature,... read more shrines, temples, incredible food, and beautiful people. We had ideas about what our overall experience should be, and one specific item we had to see, but other than that, we needed help narrowing down choices for our 2-week trip. The Backstreet Guides did just that - we had the pleasure of working with the in-house team (Michi and Hiroko), who assisted us over email with our itineraries. We had plenty of freedom to modify them, but didn’t have to, as they did a great job. We were happy that they were able to provide transportation from Narita Airport to our hotel and our guided tour to Nikko. I would like to highlight that due to the time difference between the U.S. and Japan, email is the primary method of communication. We booked 4 separate tours and were assigned three guides: Mari, Rei, and Ai.
Mari accompanied us the day after we arrived, guiding us from our hotel to the Studio Ghibli Museum, where she highlighted interesting parts. Rei, a Tokyo native, is a great storyteller, certified guide, and world traveler. She was our guide in Tokyo for one day and in Nikko for another, making us feel at home with her personalized style and sense of humor. As food lovers, we particularly enjoyed her recommendation of her father’s favorite restaurant—it was so memorable, we still talk about it! Finally, Ai, also a certified guide, welcomed us in Kyoto with her warm smile. We appreciated her use of an electronic notebook to show us architectural features we might have missed. Her expansive knowledge and passion were evident. The cost was reasonable for three adults, and we will definitely use them again when we return to Japan. Arigato gozaimasu!
Ann87654
June 21, 2026 - Marcthornton1
I had a private tour scheduled when we arrived. We met our guide Mayu. She was So sweet and friendly that half way through the tour i booked her for... read more the next day and the evening two days later.
She was very informed and taught us many things about Japan, the culture, religion. My whole group just loved her and the tour and the time she spent to teach us and inform us. IT is alot of walking but it was so worth it. We were able to go to shrines, towers, temples, gardens. She covered it all. I would highly recommend this company and her as a guide. Be prepared to walk, the booking process was excellent and the communication was super throughout the whole time.
December 4, 2019







