A wonderful day with an excellent guide - I booked this private city tour with Noriko, who is a national licensed guide, and it turned out to be one of the highlights of my several weeks in Japan. I didn’t really know much about Wakayama City before I arrived, and the research I had done seemed to indicate there was not that much to do in and around the city (other than hiking the Kumano Kodo or going to Koyasan). Well, Noriko soon turned that perception on its head. As others have said, she is a top notch guide, and she has a wealth of knowledge about Wakayama City and the greater Wakayama area. If she had her way, everyone would come to visit Wakayama City to discover its charms! Some weeks in advance of our tour, Noriko contacted me to find out what specifically I might be interested in, so that she could tailor our 6-hour walking tour to that. I will say that she couldn’t have chosen a more perfect itinerary than the one she created for me. It covered all the things we had discussed and then some, as well as including some of Wakayama’s "regular" sightseeing spots. We saw Wakayama Castle, where she filled me in on its footprint plus many historical and little-known facts about the various castle structures themselves and the historical personages who built and lived in it. We went to several beautiful gardens, including Momiji-dani and Yosui-en, and to a number of shrines, both large and small, including the amazing Kishu Toshogu Shrine with its 108 very steep steps. I won’t name all the places we saw and things we did (because this review would then be twice as long!). Noriko was very generous with her time (both on and off tour). I’m certain she allowed our tour to go significantly longer than its scheduled 6 hours, and I enjoyed every minute of it. In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I ended up booking another day tour with her to go to Koyasan a couple of days later. It turned out Noriko is also a foodie - she appreciates delicious eats and knows great spots to get them. The restaurant she chose for our lunch break during this tour was a retro gem with the most delicious fresh fish you could ask for. Do take her suggestions if you plan to stop for a meal. Noriko is friendly, lively, immensely well-informed about the places she takes her customers, helpful in all kinds of situations, and fluent in English. You can’t go wrong with her tours. Highly recommended.

Wakayama private tour with Noriko and car service - Noriko is an amazing guide. She was very communicative from the day I made reservations for the tour. We took a private day tour in Wakayama for 4 adults and a 4-years old child. We were picked up by Noriko and her driver at the Princess Diamond embankment port. Our itinerary was revised several times as I received updates from the cruise line regarding the timing of embarkment. Noriko was patient throughout the process. During the tour, she was well prepared as she gave us insights into the building of Wakayama Castle, the fish market, and the Tama station master and their trains. The tour was wonderfully planned and Noriko is very knowledgeable. She is a local resident of Wakayama and very passionate about her city. She is also very quick to help solve a shoe accident I had while on the tour. We needed to detour to purchase a replacement and she was able to once again work out an updated itinerary on the spot.

Consider a day away from the big city and crowd. - I had Noriko as my guide. She was excellent. I had a tight schedule for the places I wanted the visit. She was able to manage them well and it fitted the schedule. She was knowledgeable. We visited Wakayama Castle, Kishu Toshogu Shrine, Kuroshio Market, NITAMA and YONTAMA. She made sure I rode the special plum train, strawberry train and Tama trains. Consider Noriko for this tour.

Mount Koya Day Tour with Noriko (WAK Guide) - Noriko was great! We took the day trip to Mount Koya, including a first stop at the Niufutsuhime Shrine, where we learnt a lot on Kodo Daishi ;o). We then made our way to Mount Koya, where Noriko brought us on a walking tour from the main gate all the way to the Ofokuin. She was very knowledgable, and provided us with a lot of tips we probably wouldn't have known if we did this on our own. We got to see a lot of things that made the experience a great one! We would most definitely get her to bring us around again when we visit Wakayama again!

Koyasan Tour - My bestfriend found the Koyasan tour hidden in their website and I´m glad she did. Noriko is a very accommodating and comforting guide. She made us feel like just walking with your kind aunt who tolerates your requests. Koyasan has been a spiritual tour for us, we visited the main gate, walked the 2-km trail of Okunoin cemetery and had a hearty lunch at her fave tonkotsu place. We learned a lot about Kobo Daishi, and the harmonious coexistence of Shintoism and Buddhism in Japan. She also gifted us with some sweets after the tour, isn´t she the sweetest? We highly recommend this tour and Noriko especially. :)

Wakayama Castle Tour with Noriko, Love Wakayama! - Noriko is an amazing guide, she took me around Wakayama Castle and gave me an in depth tour of the castle and the surrounding grounds. I learned so much from her about the details of the rocks around the castle yard as well as the rich history of the Edo period and Wakayama Castle. She covers much more than you could ever learn about trying to navigate through the history of the culture alone, plus she adds in so much detail about the Japanese families that ruled at that time to give you a full rich history of Wakayama's past. Noriko is super friendly and kind, you won't find a better person to show you around the castle or the Wakayama area. I highly recommend any tour that you can take with Noriko, in fact I'm back in Japan right now to visit with her again right now. She takes the history seriously and is super intelligent and helpful with any questions you may have! I would give her a rating of 10 out of 5 stars if I could.

My personal guide through Kyoto - I had the pleasure of spending the day with Noriko from WAK Guide while I was in Kyoto during Golden week! I was so glad to have the opportunity to experience this lovely city with someone so familiar with it and the local culture. Noriko was full of so much information, pleasant to talk and walk with and even helped me with purchasing some gifts to take home. I learned much more about the Japanese culture, temples/religion and food than I thought I already knew. I would love to go back and explore the Wakayama Prefecture with her. I will definitely make another trip to Japan and be connecting with WAK Guide again!

Koyasan and Porto Europa tour - I contacted WAK Guide to ask for a customized tour in Wakayama. Noriko replied and gave wonderful suggestions. She made all preparations for our trip to be enjoyable, which is over and beyond what we have expected. She excels in her work, and puts all efforts into it, which we saw and deeply appreciate. It was an excellent tour, and we are very happy to have Noriko as our guide for one full day. I highly suggest WAK Guide to those who are visiting wakayama.

Walking tour - Noriko is friendly and kind. She provided me tons of info that I wouldn't be able to know if I had only walked around on my own. Impressive walking tour.