Customer Reviews

We spent nearly 3 days with Jiro in the Nagano prefecture. He is an absolutely terrific guide who is very knowledgable about history, culture, and the outdoors. He is the ultimate professional who can deal with unexpected situations. Our first day was spent exploring the Zenkoji shrine in Nagano with his expert commentary. Later that day, we took us to the middle shrine of Togakushi where a Shinto priest shared insights with us and Jiro provided the translation. That evening we had an unexpected, early-season snowfall of nearly 6 inches. We were supposed to hike and e-bike to the other Togakushi shrines that day. Jiro met us that morning already prepared with an alternative plan–he took our shoe sizes and rented snow boots for us so we could do the hike. The snow was beautiful and Jiro led us to other places in the area including Mirror Lake (Kagamiike). Throughout the entire day he always checked on us to see how we were doing and if we needed anything else. To top an amazing day, instead of e-biking up a road at a ski resort to get a beautiful view, he arranged a snowcat to take us up. When we arrived at the viewing spot, he had tea, coffee, and sweets for us to enjoy while we were mesmerized by the view. Jiro was able to get this alternative plan together with only a few hours notice and made our time with him amazing and unforgettable! If we could give him 10 stars, we would. We would highly recommend Jiro to anyone.

Jiro was an excellent guide. He was friendly, personable and very relaxed through all situations. He attempted to tailor the walks to different paces and was very respectful of client personalities–not overly talkative or intrusive but always responsive to questions and conversation. It was very nice to be able to walk in the quiet, enjoying the magical forests without a constant stream of commentary. He also went out of his way to make sure people had what they wanted/needed and never seemed impatient or tired.

Jiro is a gentle person and I felt always safe and supported on the hike. He is a good teacher and we learned a lot about Japan under his guidance.

Jiro is a fantastic guide. He’s friendly, engaging, knowledgeable and professional. I couldn’t have asked for a better introduction to Japan.

Nakasendo trail walking led by Jiro absolutely exceeded my expectations. The walk is a comfortable distance with some uphill climbs but not too difficult. Jiro made sure that the walk was interesting as he pointed out interesting sights or objects along the way. The ryokans and the kaiseki meals were the most beautiful meals ever. I also loved the easy camaraderie of our walking group. Overall a great experience. Highly recommend! Thanks Jiro!!!