Momo was great, explaining all we wanted to know and adding another dimension to my travels. The group had the opportunity to stop if needed, and I enjoyed the morning tea with Miles Davis playing in the cafe. Really nice start to the day.

The walking tour around the old town of Takayama was very enjoyable due mainly to our guide, Hiro Ogawa from Satoyama Experience. He was friendly, chatty, and paced the walk in a relaxed fashion, so that it didn't ever feel scheduled or rushed. We visited a good number of shops and stalls, as well as the local morning market along the river. Hiro knew most of the staff and encouraged us to try anything we wanted. We also made our way up to the Sakurayama Hachiman Shrine, a comfortable walk through three Shinto gates to the north-east of the old town with a great view and forested setting. A break for morning tea with the local ladies in a traditional cafe was also welcomed on the cold January morning we were there. Hiro had a wealth of knowledge about Takayama, and Japan in general, and was happy to answer our myriad of social, cultural and food-related questions. Overall, I felt the tour was well worth it, and allowed us to learn and see far more of Takayama than my previous day's solo wanderings.

Hiro, our tour guide reminds me of Shokoshi Ceddie. Whenever we go he is being greeted happily by the people in the neighborhood. He is fluent in English and is very knowledgeable. He had an answer and an explanantion to almost any spontaneous question any of us would ask. Highly recommended!!!

This was a delightful experience and our tour guides, Masayo and her tour partner were extremely engaging, thoughtful and knowledgeable, and made sure that everyone's unique needs and interests were accommodated. It was one of our favorite days on our 3 week tour of Japan. We had a nice small group of about 8 people, and it was so nice meeting travelers from other counties. The walking was nicely paced and we made several stops. We visited the morning market and several shops to sample unique foods of the area, including:

Furukawaya Tofu
Funasaka Sake brewery
Kojiya Shibata miso
Bunrindo Japanese confectionery
Fukutaro caf?

Our tour guides sent us a follow up email including photos of our group on the tour. I highly recommend this food and culture tour of Takayama, which in itself is such a charming old mountain town.

We enjoyed this tour immensely. Our guide Hiro, was extremely knowledgeable and spoke good English. The content was just what we wanted, and it gave us a good insight into the food and culture of Japan. Lots of food tasting along the way, a visit to a sake brewery and morning tea included. Highly recommended.

The tour was.basic ... neither cultural nor food..

Was expecting more... enthusiasm, insights, energy.. I have done other viator tours but this one simply did not match up.

Hiro was a delightful guide- really fun and easy going. He was very knowledgeable and answered all of our questions. It was nice to see and hear him talk to the locals and get on so well with them.

This was the perfect introduction to the foods and culture that make Takakyama a special heritage place. Our outstanding tour guide was knowledgeable, patient and friendly ... he introduced us to local merchants, answered all our questions, and even pointed us to other attractions to visit independently after our tour. Priceless!

Really great tour, should be the first thing you do in Takayama, Masayo was super friendly and knowledgeable, you get to try so many different types of food and go to some pretty unique spots.

Once we found the new tour start location all was great. We sampled wonderful food, sake and sweets. Guide was first rate and most accommodating. Truly a wonderful experience. We are so very glad we booked this tour. Really added to enhance our visit to a fascinating area!