We asked Aiko and Rod at Shikoku Tours to customize a hiking tour of some of Shikoku’s most beautiful temples and shrines. Our demands were very specific and complicated. We... Read More wanted challenging hikes with beautiful views, we wanted to stay in Onsen (traditional Japanese hotels), and we wanted to limit our time driving in a van while we were there. Aiko developed an amazing itinerary the met all of our requirements. When we found the hikes to be too difficult because we had overestimated our abilities, Shikoku Tours seamlessly adjusted our hikes and activities. Aiko was able to book us into a variety of accommodations: a small local hotel, a stay at a rooming house (traditional Japanese home with home cooked meals and tatami mats and futons) and a larger hotel at the end of our tour. Our hiking/cultural guide, Tomo, was beyond amazing. She was the most competent hiker I have ever seen—easily climbing the hikes while carrying supplies of whatever we needed—water, electrolytes, etc. She was encouraging and reassuring. Tomo had a complete knowledge of Shikoku history and the cultural and religious significance of all the temples and shrines. Tomo’s English is impeccable and she researched and answered all of our questions. On our mountain hike, Shikoku Tours provided us which a mountain hike specialist in addition to Tomo. Amazing!! Our driver, Toshi, was an incredible driver. He negotiated the van on tiny roads with precision and confidence. He could not have been better. I cannot recommend Shikoku Tours more highly. It is scary coming so far and trusting a company to provide you with top quality service. Shikoku Tours more than fulfilled our expectations at a very reasonable price. To further illustrate Shikoku Tours devotion to Shikoku Island, Rod (Shikoku Tour’s President/Owner) has spent 30 years writing up summaries of the Temples and Shrines in Shikoku. You can find these summaries on the Shikoku Tours website or in Facebook.

We asked Aiko and Rod at Shikoku Tours to customize a hiking tour of some of Shikoku’s most beautiful temples and shrines. Our demands were very specific and complicated. We... Read More wanted challenging hikes with beautiful views, we wanted to stay in Onsen (traditional Japanese hotels), and we wanted to limit our time driving in a van while we were there. Aiko developed an amazing itinerary the met all of our requirements. When we found the hikes to be too difficult because we had overestimated our abilities, Shikoku Tours seamlessly adjusted our hikes and activities. Aiko was able to book us into a variety of accommodations: a small local hotel, a stay at a rooming house (traditional Japanese home with home cooked meals and tatami mats and futons) and a larger hotel at the end of our tour. Our hiking/cultural guide, Tomo, was beyond amazing. She was the most competent hiker I have ever seen—easily climbing the hikes while carrying supplies of whatever we needed—water, electrolytes, etc. She was encouraging and reassuring. Tomo had a complete knowledge of Shikoku history and the cultural and religious significance of all the temples and shrines. Tomo’s English is impeccable and she researched and answered all of our questions. On our mountain hike, Shikoku Tours provided us which a mountain hike specialist in addition to Tomo. Amazing!! Our driver, Toshi, was an incredible driver. He negotiated the van on tiny roads with precision and confidence. He could not have been better. I cannot recommend Shikoku Tours more highly. It is scary coming so far and trusting a company to provide you with top quality service. Shikoku Tours more than fulfilled our expectations at a very reasonable price. To further illustrate Shikoku Tours devotion to Shikoku Island, Rod (Shikoku Tour’s President/Owner) has spent 30 years writing up summaries of the Temples and Shrines in Shikoku. You can find these summaries on the Shikoku Tours website or in Facebook.

Everything was well organized, and there was good communication before and during the tour. We enjoyed our time on Shikoku and definitely plan to return. It was the perfect contrast... Read More to Okinawa, where we had been before. Our tour guide, Maya-san, and our driver, Fuji-san, were outstanding.

We hated to leave Tomoko and Toshi! They orchestrated the most well planned, exhilarating, inclusive, amazing tour. Our guide Tomoko-San was knowledgeable, supportive, caring, professional, all praise and more... Read More than we could ever want. She and Toshi, our driver, harmoniously, and safely transported us around glorious Shikoku. No request was denied. Any question that we had Tomoko-San provided a quick thorough answer. She monitored our hiking like a hawk. There is insufficient praise that we might write to compliment her talents and skills. She moves like water flows down the mountain. Toshi is her equal as a master driver: Cool, calm, pleasant, always in control, prepared for any errant drive. Our bags were heavy yet they were placed in time, on time at every location. Literally, I cried when I spoke to thank them, but my heart was so full of gratitude and love that no words came, just tears. If I have life and money, then I wish to recreate our tour again with Toshi as driver and Tomoko as guide to see the awe inspiring, verdant, lush landscape, to pray at ancient temples, to accept the hiking challenges, to stop at the markets and partake of the superior tasty produce and local products. We loved our Shikoku tour.

We hated to leave Tomoko and Toshi! They orchestrated the most well planned, exhilarating, inclusive, amazing tour. Our guide Tomoko-San was knowledgeable, supportive, caring, professional, all praise and more... Read More than we could ever want. She and Toshi, our driver, harmoniously, and safely transported us around glorious Shikoku. No request was denied. Any question that we had Tomoko-San provided a quick thorough answer. She monitored our hiking like a hawk. There is insufficient praise that we might write to compliment her talents and skills. She moves like water flows down the mountain. Toshi is her equal as a master driver: Cool, calm, pleasant, always in control, prepared for any errant drive. Our bags were heavy yet they were placed in time, on time at every location. Literally, I cried when I spoke to thank them, but my heart was so full of gratitude and love that no words came, just tears. If I have life and money, then I wish to recreate our tour again with Toshi as driver and Tomoko as guide to see the awe inspiring, verdant, lush landscape, to pray at ancient temples, to accept the hiking challenges, to stop at the markets and partake of the superior tasty produce and local products. We loved our Shikoku tour.

My wife and I just completed a seven-day Shikoku trip. It was a great experience. Rod is highly knowledgeable and experienced in Shikoku history and culture. He is well integrated... Read More into the community, and thus, he offers unique insights and experiences. Koei, Rod's partner and a Buddhist disciple, also accompanied us. He provided a lot of background and historical and religious perspectives during the trip. The team was also flexible as they provided alternative activities when hiking was not advised due to poor weather. The accommodations they provided were comfortable. In one instance, we stayed at a historic house, a unique and quaint experience. I especially recommend this tour for those with some level of comfort with Japanese culture and customs. It would only serve to enrich your appreciation for Japanese culture.

If you're going to Japan, go to the island of Shikoku and use the best tour provider: Shikoku Tours. Our eight-day trip with them was planned easily via email, allowing... Read More for flexibility and visiting more temples on the 88 Temple Pilgrimage. We created many memorable experiences and appreciated a stress-free tour, with Fuji san behind the wheel and behind a camera, sharing interesting tidbits along our journey. The hotel accommodations were comfortable, the meals delicious and the onsens healing. Rod and his team are reliable, transparent and offer exceptional customer service. Working with Shikoku Tours is working with the best!

If you're going to Japan, go to the island of Shikoku and use the best tour provider: Shikoku Tours. Our eight-day trip with them was planned easily via email, allowing... Read More for flexibility and visiting more temples on the 88 Temple Pilgrimage. We created many memorable experiences and appreciated a stress-free tour, with Fuji san behind the wheel and behind a camera, sharing interesting tidbits along our journey. The hotel accommodations were comfortable, the meals delicious and the onsens healing. Rod and his team are reliable, transparent and offer exceptional customer service. Working with Shikoku Tours is working with the best!

I contacted Shikoku tours enquiring about an experience with Geisha after having searched multiple websites and being unsuccessful or having little to no human interaction. Finally we found Shikoku Tours... Read More and with the help of their team who displayed fantastic communication skills we got the ball rolling and were able to organise an experience that was catered to our needs of experiencing a traditional cultural arts night at Hanahimerou, Matsuyamas prestigious Geisha house. From the onset Shikoku Tours was fantastic as they even organised for us to be in formal Kimono for my partner and I at our request. And this is what I mean when I say they catered to our request. They helped organise a meeting with a talented team. Organising the Kimono dresser and hair stylist to attend our hotel in the afternoon, this add on was reasonably priced and the service was exceptional. I would love to thank the ladies who attended the hotel to help us get ready! We then went for a short walk through Matsuyama while the sun was setting to have a small shopping session in our kimono. My partners was a beautiful Navy Colour. I was very happy with the beautiful Kimono provided. The hair stylist was also exceptional and provided a beautiful hair do with some florals and braids. Very lovely. Once our walk was completed we headed towards Hanahimerou. Once we arrived we met the famous Akebono Seki, the proprietress of the establishment. We had told staff at the hotel that we were attending Hanahimerou and they said we would have a fantastic time. Her reputation in town is renowned, a beautiful lady with a fantastic sense of humour and very graceful proprietress. Accompanied by the beautiful Geisha Sakichi! She is a talented dancer and an amazing teacher, with her patience we were able to have a go at learning the Shamisen. And thank you to Shikoku tours for ensuring we had a very lovely English speaking guide Ms Tomikubo present. The evening was really lovely. It was fantastic to hear that Sakichi had attended University in Australia, she is a commodity with her language skills and an educated woman. We enjoyed a fantastic multi course dinner and laughed over Sake and Kirin beers. We played games and I managed to lose so I had to drink up. Sakichi’s traditional dancing skills took us back to more traditional times, her Kimono was simply marvellous. She was in fact a walking piece of art showing us cultural traditional dances and Japanese hospitality. My husband said it was the best night of our entire month long trip to Japan and it was exceptionally memorable. I am glad that we came to Shikoku for this experience. We will come back again as Shikoku has so much beauty to offer. Thank you to all that were involved at Shikoku tours for organising this amazing evening! I highly recommend this business as a means to experience Shikoku! Shikoku is a fantastic destination and I am glad this business helped us to experience its beauty, culture and flavours! Grab a Mikan juice and come and sit in the sun and beautiful weather! Thank you to Rob and Ayakasan for organising the experience.

Dear Rod, We want to thank you for the extraordinary trip in Shikoku that you arranged for our family! When we were planning the trip you were always good-natured and understanding about... Read More our goals for the tour as well as special food requirements and the type of accommodations. You helped us identify great (and challenging) hikes to 18+ temples and shrines and visit 2 castles! Not to mention a wonderful stay in Iya Valley – the onsen and the delightful soba lady. Actually, every day was a pleasure and this was not only a matter of planning but because of our careful and very kind driver Toshi-San and our guide Tomo-San. As we wrote to you a couple of days into our trip, Tomo-San is a jewel. Every day she went above and beyond to make every aspect of our trip effortless. Her organization and flexibility, her easy smile and constant concern for our family’s happiness was at another level – more than any other guide we have ever experienced. This trip will hold a special place in our memories for all of our lives. Rest assured that the next time we visit Shikoku, we will certainly contact Shikoku Tours. Our very best regards, Alan Stein and Antonella Antonini

It was really easy and convenient to book with Shikoku Tours, just a few exchanges of ideas via emails, and our trip was finalised. Payment was hassle free too. Clear... Read More instructions and information were given. On the day of the trip, we were greeted by the most pleasant and courteous driver, Mr Horai, outside our hotel. He drove skillfully and carefully through the winding mountain road, we felt very safe with him. We were able to complete the itinerary due to his precise time management and superb driving. Special note of thanks to our coordinator, Ms Ayaka. She was so helpful and patient with our enquiries. Thank you Shikoku Tours, for making our trip a memorable one! :)

A big thank you to the team at Shikoku Tours for putting together the perfect tour of Shikoku. During the planning phase we shared that we’d like to bike... Read More the Shiminami Kaido, hike parts of the 88 Temple Pilgrimage and explore the Iya Valley. Our final itinerary included all this and more! With Shikoku Tours we saw so much more than we would have on our own. Rod, our hiking and biking guide, is a wealth of Shikoku, Buddhism and Shinto knowledge. Shimizu-San, our driver, safely shuttled us to the starting point of each day’s activity and patiently waited for us at the end. Rod and Shimizu-San made a great team. Our accommodations were all very comfortable and most had stunning views. The included meals were some of the best we had in all of Japan. We highly recommend Shikoku Tours!!!

If you are going to Japan, please do not miss out on visiting some of the beautiful places that are beyond the usual tourist sites. The island of Shikoku is... Read More special. You will see why when you go there, and find an incredible amount of diversity in the landscapes, the food, and the culture in each region of the island. Though I have traveled around many parts of Japan, it is the people who I met on Shikoku who I left feeling the most connected to, thanks to their warmth, kindness, and sense of humor. Shikoku Tours will be the perfect people to guide your explorations here. While you can find details online about things to do and places to stay on Shikoku, you'll will have a richer experience if you allow Shikoku Tours to do your planning. On a recent trip, Shikoku Tours sent me to a small seaside town that has nothing written about it in any of the Japan travel sites or blogs. At first I wasn't sure why I was going, but Shikoku Tours knew my interests and recommended a night there. I stayed in a beautiful private home with the most incredible host, met several interesting local people who are focused on revitalizing the area, and had one of the most memorable meals with the local people I met. Nothing beats local knowledge when it comes to travel, and the first-hand insights and relationships that Shikoku Tours has will take your trip from the typical tourist track to an unexpected discovery that opens you up to something new.

We had a wonderful week with Shikoku Tours, touring Washi paper making facilities and learning in depth knowledge about the paper making craft. Rod was the perfect host, and he... Read More was very knowledgeable about the culture, the language, the areas we visited and all of the things we needed help with. I cannot imagine how different our trip would have been without his top-not interpreting skills and excellent guidance. I am so happy we mad the decision to see Shikoku before the other parts of Japan. I think some of the more rural and historic areas in Shikoku were definitely the most beautiful parts of the country at large. Rod was very knowledgable about the area's history, and shared in depth details that really helped us get a full understanding of the people and places we visited. I cannot imagine a better fit for a tour of this area. He had special connections to some of the business owners and restaurant owners that were very helpful. And the accommodations he recommended were top notch. We were extremely happy with Shikoku Tours!

This was an excellent route for scenery and cycling. Great places to stop for lunch each day and for accommodation and dinner each night. Very informative and pleasant guide and... Read More helpful and reliable driver. Very high quality e-bikes similar to my Specialisef Creo. Would highly recommend this trip to anyone.

We were looking for a three day hike on Matsuyama Island and Rod was incredibly helpful in organising our itinerary. Everything ran very smoothly and our guide, Mizu, was... Read More a fantastic guide and nothing was too much trouble, especially looking after the eating arrangements for our daughter who has a severe nut allergy. Would thoroughly recommend this company.

I contacted Shikoku tours enquiring about an experience with Geisha after having searched multiple websites and being unsuccessful or having little to no human interaction. Finally we found Shikoku Tours... Read More and with the help of their team who displayed fantastic communication skills we got the ball rolling and were able to organise an experience that was catered to our needs of experiencing a traditional cultural arts night at Hanahimerou, Matsuyamas prestigious Geisha house. From the onset Shikoku Tours was fantastic as they even organised for us to be in formal Kimono for my partner and I at our request. And this is what I mean when I say they catered to our request. They helped organise a meeting with a talented team. Organising the Kimono dresser and hair stylist to attend our hotel in the afternoon, this add on was reasonably priced and the service was exceptional. I would love to thank the ladies who attended the hotel to help us get ready! We then went for a short walk through Matsuyama while the sun was setting to have a small shopping session in our kimono. My partners was a beautiful Navy Colour. I was very happy with the beautiful Kimono provided. The hair stylist was also exceptional and provided a beautiful hair do with some florals and braids. Very lovely. Once our walk was completed we headed towards Hanahimerou. Once we arrived we met the famous Akebono Seki, the proprietress of the establishment. We had told staff at the hotel that we were attending Hanahimerou and they said we would have a fantastic time. Her reputation in town is renowned, a beautiful lady with a fantastic sense of humour and very graceful proprietress. Accompanied by the beautiful Geisha Sakichi! She is a talented dancer and an amazing teacher, with her patience we were able to have a go at learning the Shamisen. And thank you to Shikoku tours for ensuring we had a very lovely English speaking guide Ms Tomikubo present. The evening was really lovely. It was fantastic to hear that Sakichi had attended University in Australia, she is a commodity with her language skills and an educated woman. We enjoyed a fantastic multi course dinner and laughed over Sake and Kirin beers. We played games and I managed to lose so I had to drink up. Sakichi’s traditional dancing skills took us back to more traditional times, her Kimono was simply marvellous. She was in fact a walking piece of art showing us cultural traditional dances and Japanese hospitality. My husband said it was the best night of our entire month long trip to Japan and it was exceptionally memorable. I am glad that we came to Shikoku for this experience. We will come back again as Shikoku has so much beauty to offer. Thank you to all that were involved at Shikoku tours for organising this amazing evening! I highly recommend this business as a means to experience Shikoku! Shikoku is a fantastic destination and I am glad this business helped us to experience its beauty, culture and flavours! Grab a Mikan juice and come and sit in the sun and beautiful weather! Thank you to Rob and Ayakasan for organising the experience.

Dear Rod, We want to thank you for the extraordinary trip in Shikoku that you arranged for our family! When we were planning the trip you were always... Read More good-natured and understanding about our goals for the tour as well as special food requirements and the type of accommodations. You helped us identify great (and challenging) hikes to 18+ temples and shrines and visit 2 castles! Not to mention a wonderful stay in Iya Valley – the onsen and the delightful soba lady. Actually, every day was a pleasure and this was not only a matter of planning but because of our careful and very kind driver Toshi-San and our guide Tomo-San. As we wrote to you a couple of days into our trip, Tomo-San is a jewel. Every day she went above and beyond to make every aspect of our trip effortless. Her organization and flexibility, her easy smile and constant concern for our family’s happiness was at another level – more than any other guide we have ever experienced. This trip will hold a special place in our memories for all of our lives. Rest assured that the next time we visit Shikoku, we will certainly contact Shikoku Tours. Our very best regards, Alan Stein and Antonella Antonini