Fees & Contact
Contact Chris
To book a tour or to discuss trip planning or consulting, please email me at:
Alternative contact:
Please note that, due to time constraints, I cannot reply to casual queries about Japan. See Consulting & Trip Planning for information about the consulting services I offer.
Please note that I have only a limited number of guides, and my own time is limited due to writing commitments. Thus, I recommend booking as far ahead as possible, especially during April (the cherry blossom season) and November (the fall foliage season).
Walking Tours
Half-day tours (four hours) cost ¥25,000 (about US$290/€234). Full-day tours (eight-hours) cost ¥40,000 (about US$470/€370). A two-hour Gion evening walk costs ¥20,000 (about US$230/€180). This is the cost of the entire tour, not the per-person cost. Payment is in cash at the conclusion of the tour or by credit card in advance of the tour (we can set up credit card billing). If you choose to pay in cash, please note that we accept yen cash or the equivalent amount in US/Euro cash. Transport to and from the tour, drinks and snacks along the way, and temple/garden/entrance fees are not included in this price (these costs are usually minimal). Please note that for full-day tours, the guide will join you for lunch and we ask that you cover the cost of the guide’s lunch (usually a minimal expense).
Your guide will be happy to make some changes to the walking tour routes on the day of the tour. For truly custom tours that require extensive planning, we charge a custom tour fee — see following section.
Custom Tours
Custom tours cost the same as our standard walking tours (see above), plus a planning fee with is billed at ¥10,000 (US$115/€93) per hour. We normally ask that a one-hour deposit be paid by credit card in advance before we start planning a custom tour. As with our standard tours, the fee does not include transport to and from the tour, drinks and snacks along the way, entrance fees and the guide’s lunch (these costs are usually minimal).
Hiking Tours
For hiking tours, prices can be provided upon request.
Consulting
I charge ¥10,000 (about US$115/€93) per hour for consulting. Payment can be made by credit card (we can arrange billing using an email form), or international postal money order or bank transfer (bank transfer details available on request). A small deposit is usually charged at the start of the consultation. The balance can be paid upon conclusion of the consultation.
Note: This is an independent venture operated by Chris Rowthorn. It is not operated by Lonely Planet.