Many prefer to travel alone and make their own routes because booking a tour guide can be very expensive. Did you know that it is possible to get a free tour guide in Japan? There are hundreds of volunteer guides and free organizations that would be happy to guide your trip. In this article, we will talk about how you can find these free tour guides.
The volunteers are Japanese who want to use and practice their foreign language skills to tell the world about their charming country. Many have predefined routes and group tours, while others are quite flexible and can even follow your itinerary. In other words, it is even possible to find a personal tour guide. And they are really completely free; sometimes, some only ask that you pay for train tickets, food, or entry to certain places.
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Volunteer tour guide groups
There are several groups aimed at guiding tourists for free spread throughout Japan; one of the most popular is the TKG (Tokyo Free Guide). A non-profit volunteer organization, started in 2004 with the goal of helping foreign visitors experience Japanese culture and local customs. There are more than 350 members in this organization; besides Japanese, some speak English, Spanish, Italian, and French. There are guides of all types and ages, from students to retirees, who can talk about music, anime, pop culture, traditional culture, and more.
Since most volunteers are retirees, sometimes you don’t need to pay for train passes. They also usually have free access to tourist spots like some castles and museums. Some volunteers, like those at Matsumoto Castle, will jump in front of you when you arrive at the location to offer to guide you for free. When contacting a volunteer group online to make your reservation, you will likely meet your tour guide via email; they will introduce themselves and talk a little about themselves. Then they will set a meeting place; some even show up at your hotel.
You may possibly make a great friendship with your volunteer tour guide; you might feel like gifting them something, but some do not accept for reasons of honor and etiquette.
List of volunteer groups
Below we will share a list of volunteer organizations that serve as tour guides in various parts of Japan. We recommend researching these organizations and places in order to book your tour guide. Unfortunately, most guides are available only in Japanese and English; other popular languages are Chinese, Korean, and Spanish.
Those that are between / are different organizations, but we decided to keep them on the same line to save space. You can search on Google for other organizations using the name of the city you wish to visit, with related English words like SGG and Goodwill Guide. Some volunteer groups are more specific, determining only the area or tourist spot where they serve as guides.
- Tokyo – Capital Tokyo West (CTW) SGG;
- Edo Tokyo Guide Group / Shinagawa SGG Club;
- The Japanese Red Cross Language Service Volunteers;
- Tokyo Free Walking Tour / Tokyo Free Guide;
- Tokyo International Student Guide / TOKYO SGG CLUB;
- Kanagawa – Kanagawa Systematized Good Will Guide Club;
- Odawara Hakone Systematized Goodwill Guide Club;
- Niigata – DSI Volunteer Guide;
- Ishikawa – Kanazawa Goodwill Guide Network;
- Fukui – Fukui Phoenix SGG;
- Hokkaido – Furano Ski Host / Hakodate Goodwill Guide Association;
- Iwate – Hirazumi Goodwill Guides / Morioka Goodwill Guides;
- Miyagi – Matsushima Goodwill Guides / Miyagi Goodwill Guide Club;
- Fukushima – Aizu Wakamatsu International Association;
- Ibaraki – Chinone Group / Chiyoda Circle / COSMO ECHO;
- Tochigi – Nikko SGG Club;
- Gunma – Friday club;
- Saitama – The Kawagoe English Walkers;
- Chiba – Association of Narita Volunteer Guides;
- Kashiwa Goodwill Guide Association / Nagareyama SGG
- Kyoto – GOOD SAMARITAN CLUB;
- Goodwill Guide on Kyoto Handicraft & Historical Sites;
- Kyoto (East) S.G.G.Club / Sakura Volunteer Guide Club;
- Osaka – Foreigner Guides Net Osaka / Osaka SGG Club;
- Osaka Tenma Yomiuri SGG Club;
- Nara – IKARUGA ICES SGG / NARA SGG CLUB / Nara Student Guide;
- Nara YMCA Goodwill Guides / NPO Nara Guide Club;
- Hiroshima – Hiroshima SGG club
Are you already looking for your free tour guide in Japan?
For a complete list with details, visit this website. In addition to volunteer tour guides, some Japanese also offer their homes for homestay for free. I hope you enjoyed this article. We appreciate comments and shares. We also recommend reading:
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