Saitama Splendor: A Day of Tranquility and Tradition - This is arguably one of the best tours I've ever booked in my life! Jeremy was a fantastic host and so easy to talk with; he's so incredibly knowledgeable about the area and about life in general, talking with him was a joy! He arrived at my hotel early in his Honda Stepwgn Spada (very comfortable car!) and picked me up and we hit the road. I believe he said the maximum is 6 for this particular tour, but I was the only one for the day, so it was a very personal tour! We were out and about for around 7 hours today, saw a few shrines and temples, had lunch at an adorable cafe, and he even egged me on up the very steep stairs at the last place we visited! This excursion was so hidden amongst many duplicates on Viator for the usual Mount Fuji options for Japan, so I feel so happy to have found this one and picked it out! My life is better for having crossed paths here, I can't recommend this one enough!

A fantastic day in the countryside - Truly breathtaking scenery. This tour was our favorite part of our trip. Our guide, Jeremy, has a deep knowledge of the history of Japan as well as the local history where the tour takes place. We felt quite lucky to be able to see all these amazing places, from ancient temples to modern monuments. Be aware that the tour requires driving on mountain roads and walking up and down a decent amount of stairs, which for us was no issue, but could be an obstacle for some. However, your efforts will be well rewarded. A perfect day to decompress from the crowds in Tokyo if your trip is mostly in the city and a perfect addition to a trip that focuses more on the rural areas of Japan.

A Unique Tour We Will Always Remember - It was my partner and I on this tour and this was a HUGE highlight of our two week trip in Japan. Jeremy was an absolute joy of a guide and we loved talking with him. It was a pleasure spending the day with him. It was really nice to get out into the countryside and mountains for the day and see such unique spots that are really only known to locals. We stopped at the Dragon Taming Temple, saw the Torii Kannon statues (my personal favorite), saw Iruma Lake, and Koma Temple, then drove past lake Kamakita. Jeremy gave us the history and stories of every place we went to. We loved having a newfound knowledge about shrines and temples since it gave every one we went to afterwards with a new perspective and appreciation. Would 100% recommend a tour with Jeremy to anyone!

A Day in the Tokyo Countryside - This was an outstanding tour. Our guide Jeremy was so knowledgeable, and he took us to some extremely interesting places. We saw a Shinto shrine and a temple dedicated to the Koma prince. We stopped for a delicious traditional Japanese lunch at a small local cafe. Everything about the day was wonderful. Jeremy dropped us off at our hotel, and s few minutes later, we realized that we had left a jacket behind in his car. We called Jeremy, and he returned back to our drop-off spot. This was exceptional service. We left the tour, feeling as if we had known Jeremy forever and that we were fortunate to have seen the beautiful Tokyo countryside.

Perfect mixture of history and beauty - Jeremy was a fantastic guide. I enjoyed seeing the countryside, it was relaxing and gave me a flavor or the culture outside of Tokyo. I loved the Dragon Taming Temple, it was beautiful and the history Jeremy provided was exceptional. We enjoyed a great lunch in a beautiful farmhouse, complete with dining Japanese style. The Koma temple and the history lesson again were exceptional. The statues were beautiful for the countryside they sit in. If you love to learn about culture and history, this is the tour and the guide for you.

Discover hidden gems with Jeremy Owen. - A perfect day started in our hotel, leading us into the mountains. We were impressed by the temples and shrines, the scenery, lakes, flowers and the beautiful surroundings. Jeremy told us about ancient times, gods and spirits, religion, history and legends. Such a wonderous day. Lunch was very appreciated at a family-run restaurant, we saw the shrines of the Korean princes, climbed many stairs and enjoyed every minute of this day. A highlight in our Japanese journey.

Such a great day. - Jeremy Owen took us to the Saitama prefeture, a region full of nature, tradition and history. We had a marvellous day, exploring the beauty of this pre-alpine territory. He was very narrative, informative , we never had a dull moment😁. Knows all about this theme, tells wonderous stories, connecting past and present. Had a great lunch in a family-owned traditional restaurant (that serves delicious pizza!). Although I was stil dealing with a foot-injury, I could do the whole tour. Jeremy even proposed to change the itinary. Afterwards, he sent us a detailed description of this trip, which was much appreciated. This day was a highlight in our Japan-experience. Will not be forgotten. Thank you, Jeremy Owen.

Beautiful Tokyo countryside! - Really enjoyed this fascinating tour with Jeremy (especially the lunch of cheese pizzas with honey drizzled on it - yummy!). We had been to Tokyo before so wanted to venture out into the surrounding countryside and we were glad we did it! Jeremy is a wealth of information about the Japanese culture and history. Highly recommend this tour.

Special, funny, good - Had lots of fun chatting. Jeremy was funny and kind. Went to really obscure but pretty places with essentially nobody around us, which is rare around Tokyo.

A must do if you are near Toyko! - I cannot say enough good things about this tour and Jeremy the tour operator. Pick-up at our hotel in Akasaka on time with good communication prior to pickup. Jeremey kept us engaged sharing his extensive knowledge and history of the area and much about his life during the ride out and back to Tokyo. Upon reaching the countryside we had a casual drive through Jeremy's town, then around the mountain roads to visit two beautiful temples 1300+ years old and a huge statue / shrine display. Unlike Kyoto with its throngs of people earlier this week on our trip, each huge, well kept, beautiful temple and the shrine had fewer than a dozen people! We had much back and forth conversations in English (he also speaks excellent Japanese) and Jeremey is very open to questions about anything on the tour, sites we visited etc... and quite willing to say I don't know about that; instead of making something up which I really value in a tour operator. I also know he will be researching information on some of our questions just to make himself a better-informed tour guide. He is always looking to improve his craft! Just stunning scenic views as you are driven up mountain roads to each location. Don’t fret about the driving as Jeremy is a pro and we felt safe the entire tour. Lunch was a really unique and cool experience of juxtapositioned cultures where we ate fantastic brick oven pizza (4 cheese with special local honey) in a very traditional Japanese setting (low tables and tono mats) with a beautiful little Japanese garden. The restaurant also had great coffee and melon spritzer drink ending with cherry blossom infused cheesecake! Let Jeremy know if you want traditional Japanese food (EDO) or have any dietary requests as he can adapt to meet your needs. We hit the jackpot with this tour with the best tour guide we ever had! Added bonus as the Sakura were all blooming! Read more about Tokyo Countryside Exploration Private Tour - tokyocountrysidetours.com I won't spoil the surprise with many photos.